Benjamin Millepied

Benjamin Millepied (born June 10, 1977, Bordeaux, France) is a French dancer and choreographer who was a principal dancer (2002–11) with New York City Ballet (NYCB) and who later was the director of dance (2014–16) at the Paris Opéra Ballet.

Millepied was the son of a decathlete and a dance teacher. He began his dance training in the modern style at age eight, under his mother’s tutelage. At the age of 13 he entered the Conservatoire National Supérieur Musique et Danse de Lyon and changed his focus to ballet. In 1992 he attended a summer program at the School of American Ballet, the training school for NYCB, and the following year he received a scholarship to study at NYCB full-time. While still a student, he originated a principal role in Jerome Robbins’s 2 & 3 Part Inventions.

In 1995 Millepied was invited to join NYCB. He quickly began to make a name for himself, became a soloist in 1998, and was promoted to principal dancer in 2002. He originated roles in ballets by Peter Martins and Christopher Wheeldon and earned acclaim for his performances in classics by George Balanchine. In 2001 Millepied began creating his own choreography, notably Clapping Music (2002), which was set to rhythmic applause.

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Millepied’s star continued to rise, and he created choreography for ballet companies worldwide, including American Ballet Theatre and the Metropolitan Opera (both in New York City), the Paris Opéra Ballet, and the Mariinsky Ballet, St. Petersburg. In 2006 he became choreographer in residence at the Baryshnikov Arts Center, New York City, creating the solo piece Years Later for ballet legend Mikhail Baryshnikov. Millepied’s choreography for movie director Darren Aronofsky’s ballet thriller Black Swan (2010) thrust him into the public spotlight; he also danced a small role. During the filming, he became involved with actress Natalie Portman, a factor that only served to raise his profile; the couple married in 2012 and divorced in 2024.

Millepied formally retired from dancing in 2011, and he subsequently focused his efforts on choreography. The following year he founded the L.A. Dance Project, Los Angeles, an experimental company that was formed to enrich the local dance scene. The company made a name for itself with its innovative works, striking out in unique and even daring directions.

In 2013 the Paris Opéra Ballet, one of the world’s most-admired classical troupes, selected Millepied to succeed Brigitte Lefèvre as its director of dance. The usually insular Paris Opéra Ballet hoped that Millepied, noted for his distinctive choreography as well as his ability to socialize with art patrons, would be able to reinvigorate the company. After assuming the post in October 2014, he introduced a number of changes. He notably increased fund-raising and enhanced the company’s presence on social media. He also sought to make the troupe racially diverse. In 2016, however, Millepied stepped down from the role, expressing frustration over the Paris Opéra Ballet’s resistance to change. Critics claimed that he failed to respect the company’s traditions.

Millepied made his directing debut with a feature film adaptation of Carmen (2022), setting Prosper Mérimée’s original story in contemporary North America. The movie follows the tragic love story between a war veteran and a Mexican immigrant.

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