 |
Benjamin MillepiedFrench-American dancer and choreographer
Date of Birth: 10.06.1977
Country:  France |
Content:
- Early Life and Education
- Dancer
- Choreographer
- Filmmaking
- Director of the Paris Opera Ballet
- Personal Life
- Notable Choreographies
- 2003: "Double Aria"
- 2007: "Petrushka" by Igor Stravinsky; "From Here on Out"
- 2012: "Khovanshchina" by Modest Mussorgsky (Metropolitan Opera)
- Awards and Recognition
- 2010: Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
Early Life and Education
Benjamin Millepied was born in Bordeaux, France to Denis Millepied and Catherine Flori, a ballerina. He has two older brothers. Millepied's childhood was spent in Dakar, Senegal. He began ballet lessons with his mother at the age of eight.
At 13, Millepied was accepted into the Lyon Conservatory of Music and Dance, where he studied under renowned педагоgue Michel Rahn. In 1992, he attended the School of American Ballet's summer courses in New York City and later received the prestigious Bourse Lavoisier scholarship to study there full-time.
Dancer
In 1995, Millepied joined the New York City Ballet (NYCB) and became a soloist in 1998. He rose to the rank of principal dancer in 2002. Millepied performed in works by Jerome Robbins, George Balanchine, and Peter Martins.
Millepied also participated in original productions by Jerome Robbins ("Brandenburg," 1997; "Les Noces," 1998), Christopher Wheeldon ("Slavonic Dances," 1997), and other choreographers. He provided motion capture for the animated films "Barbie in the Nutcracker" (2001) and "Barbie of Swan Lake" (2003).
Choreographer
Alongside his dancing career, Millepied pursued choreography. His first work, "Passages," premiered in 2001 for the Lyon Conservatory. He continued to choreograph for NYCB, School of American Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, the Metropolitan Opera, and his own company, Danses Concertantes.
Millepied premiered works at London's Sadler's Wells Theatre and New York's Joyce Theater. He collaborated with renowned composers such as David Lang, Nico Muhly, Philip Glass, and artists like Christopher Wool and Barbara Kruger.
In 2009, Millepied choreographed and appeared in Darren Aronofsky's film "Black Swan." In 2011, he founded the dance company L.A. Dance Project, which moved to the Los Angeles Theatre Center in 2012.
Filmmaking
In 2012, Millepied established The Amoveo Company, a multimedia production and curatorial entity. He ventured into filmmaking, directing several short films and collaborating with acclaimed artists in the genre. In August 2013, he premiered his film "Reflections," commissioned by French jewelry company Van Cleef & Arpels.
Director of the Paris Opera Ballet
In January 2013, Millepied was announced as the new director of the Paris National Opera's ballet company. He officially took up the position on October 14, 2014, succeeding Brigitte Lefèvre.
Personal Life
Millepied met actress Natalie Portman on the set of "Black Swan." They welcomed their son, Aleph, on June 14, 2011. Portman and Millepied married on August 4, 2012. Their daughter, Amalia, was born on February 22, 2017.
Notable Choreographies
2001: "Passages" (for the Lyon Conservatory)2002: "Clapping Music" by Steve Reich (for the Lyon Conservatory); "Triple Duet" by J.S. Bach
2003: "Double Aria"
2003: "On The Other Side"2005: "Paganini Rhapsody" by S.V. Rachmaninoff (for the School of American Ballet); "Circular Motion"
2006: "Closer" by Philip Glass (performed by the composer himself at the Joyce Theater); "Years Later" (solo for Mikhail Baryshnikov); "Capriccio"; "Amoveo" (for the Paris Opera, with costumes by Marc Jacobs)
2007: "Petrushka" by Igor Stravinsky; "From Here on Out"
2008: "Triade"; "Concerto Dances"; "Three Movements" by Steve Reich2009: "Everything Doesn't Happen At Once" by David Lang; "Without"; "Quasi Una Fantasia" by Henryk Górecki; "Sarabande"
2010: "Plainspoken" by David Lang; "Why Am I Not Where You Are" by Thierry Escaich, with set design by Santiago Calatrava; "One Thing Leads to Another" by Nico Muhly (for the Dutch National Ballet)
2011: "Troika" (for the American Ballet Theatre); "The Bartered Bride" by Bedřich Smetana (Metropolitan Opera)
2012: "Khovanshchina" by Modest Mussorgsky (Metropolitan Opera)
2014: "Daphnis and Chloe" by Maurice RavelFilmography
2011: "Time Doesn't Stand Still" (short film starring Léa Seydoux, directed by Aza Mader)
Awards and Recognition
1994: "Prix de Lausanne" (Cash Prize from the Fondation Stanley Thomas Johnson)
