Benjamin Millepied facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Benjamin Millepied
Millepied in 2015
Born	(1977-06-10) 10 June 1977 (age 48) Bordeaux, France
Education	Conservatoire National School of American Ballet
Occupation	Choreographer ballet dancer
Years active	2001–present
Spouse(s)	Natalie Portman ​ ​ (m. 2012; div. 2024)​
Children	2
Current group	L.A. Dance Project
Former groups	New York City Ballet

Benjamin Millepied (born June 10, 1977) is a famous French dancer and choreographer. A choreographer is someone who creates dance routines. He has lived and worked in the United States for a long time. He joined the New York City Ballet in 1995. He became a main dancer there in 2002.

Benjamin Millepied has also created many dances for different companies. He was the director of dance at the Paris Opera Ballet from 2014 to 2016. He also danced and created dances for the 2010 movie Black Swan. He also choreographed a special "sandwalk" in the movie Dune.

Early Life and Dance Training

Benjamin Millepied was born in Bordeaux, France. He is the youngest of three brothers. His mom, Catherine Flory, was a ballet dancer. She started teaching him ballet when he was eight years old.

From age 13 to 16, he studied dance in Lyon, France. He went to the Conservatoire National.

Dance Career Highlights

In 1992, Benjamin Millepied took classes at the School of American Ballet (SAB). He returned to study there full-time in 1993. He received a special scholarship from the French government.

A famous choreographer named Jerome Robbins helped Millepied early in his career. In 1994, Millepied danced a main role in Robbins' new ballet, 2 and 3 Part Inventions. He also won the Prix de Lausanne, a big dance award.

Dancing with New York City Ballet

Millepied joined the New York City Ballet in 1995. He became a soloist dancer in 1998. Then, he became a principal dancer in 2002. A principal dancer is one of the top dancers in a company.

He also started creating dances for the City Ballet. He made dances for other big companies too, like American Ballet Theatre and the Paris Opera Ballet. He was a choreographer-in-residence at the Baryshnikov Arts Center in New York from 2006 to 2007. Benjamin Millepied left the New York City Ballet in 2011.

Leading the L.A. Dance Project

In 2011, Benjamin Millepied started his own dance company. It is called the L.A. Dance Project. He led this company from 2011 to 2014. The company's goal is to create and show new dance works.

The L.A. Dance Project had its first show in September 2012. It was at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. The company has toured to many places. These include Paris, Amsterdam, and London. They have also premiered new dances by different choreographers.

In 2016, the L.A. Dance Project started a partnership with the LUMA Foundation in France. This gives the company a place to work and perform.

Directing the Paris Opera Ballet

In 2013, the Paris Opera Ballet announced that Millepied would be their new director of dance. He started this important job in October 2014.

During his time there, Millepied brought in new ideas. He started a training program for choreographers. He also created a way for new dance works to be shown online. He helped dancers exchange with other famous ballet companies.

A documentary film called Reset was made about Millepied. It showed him creating his first production as director of the Paris Opera Ballet. Benjamin Millepied resigned from the Paris Opera Ballet in February 2016.

Other Creative Work

Benjamin Millepied has worked with many modern music composers. These include Philip Glass and Nico Muhly.

In 2001, Millepied's dancing was used for the animated film Barbie in the Nutcracker. His movements were captured to make the animated characters dance. He also did this for the 2003 Barbie film Barbie of Swan Lake.

In 2009, he was the choreographer for the movie Black Swan. This movie starred Natalie Portman as a ballet dancer. Millepied also danced and appeared in the film. He later directed several short films and music videos.

In 2012, he was a guest judge on the TV show So You Think You Can Dance. In 2014, he became an Artistic Advisor for the Dance Academy at the Colburn School in Los Angeles.

Awards and Recognition

In 1994, Benjamin Millepied won the Prix de Lausanne. The next year, he received the Mae L. Wien Award. This award is for dancers with great promise.

In 2010, the French Ministry of Culture honored him. He was made a Chevalier in the Order of Arts and Letters. This is a special award for people who have done great things in arts and literature.

Personal Life

Millepied with then-wife Natalie Portman in 2012

Benjamin Millepied met actress Natalie Portman while working on the movie Black Swan in 2009. They got married in California on August 4, 2012. They have two children, a son named Aleph (born 2011) and a daughter named Amalia (born 2017). The family lived in Paris for some time when Millepied worked at the Paris Opera Ballet. They later moved to Los Angeles.

Choreography

Benjamin Millepied has created many ballets and dance pieces. Here are some of them:

Filmography

Benjamin Millepied has worked on several films and videos:

See also

In Spanish: Benjamin Millepied para niños