Benjamin Millepied

Benjamin is a dancer.

He was born in France. His mother taught him to dance when he was eight. He moved to the United States to study more.

Benjamin became a star dancer in New York. He also makes his own dances. People call this work choreography.

He worked with many big groups. He even helped with dances for movies. He also led a dance group in Los Angeles.

Benjamin loves to share his art. He works with many different people. He makes many new things for the stage.

Benjamin Millepied is a famous dancer and choreographer. A choreographer is a person who makes up new dances. He was born in Bordeaux, France. His mother, Catherine Flory, was a dancer too. She began teaching him when he was eight years old.

Benjamin moved to the United States to study more. He joined the New York City Ballet in 1995. He worked his way up to become a principal dancer. This is a top role in a dance group. He also made many new dances for that group.

Benjamin has worked in many big ways. He helped with dances for the movie Black Swan. He even worked on the movie Dune. In 2011, he started the L.A. Dance Project. This is a group he leads in Los Angeles. He also served as the Director of Dance at the Paris Opera Ballet.

He loves to work with many different artists. He works with painters and people who write music. He wants to bring new dance to many cities. He even helped teach at a school in Los Angeles.

This photo shows Benjamin with actress Natalie Portman.

Benjamin Millepied is a famous dancer and choreographer. A choreographer is someone who creates new dances. He was born in Bordeaux, France, on June 10, 1977. His mother, Catherine Flory, was a ballet dancer too. She began teaching him when he was only eight years old. He later studied with Michel Rahn in Lyon, France. This early training helped him prepare for a big career.

Benjamin moved to the United States to study even more. In 1993, he received a scholarship to study at the School of American Ballet. He joined the New York City Ballet in 1995. He worked very hard to move up in the company. He became a soloist in 1998. By 2002, he reached the top role of principal dancer. He stayed with that group until he retired in 2011.

He has worked on many exciting projects outside of live dance. In 2009, he worked on the movie Black Swan. He was a dancer and a choreographer for that film. He also helped with the "sandwalk" in the movie Dune. His dancing was even used for digital animation. This happened for the Barbie in the Nutcracker movie in 2001. He also worked on Barbie of Swan Lake in 2003.

Benjamin also leads his own groups and works in big cities. In 2011, he started the L.A. Dance Project in Los Angeles. This group has a yearly budget of about $1 million. He also served as the Director of Dance at the Paris Opera Ballet. He held this important job from 2014 to 2016. He even helped start a new training program there. He wanted to help other dancers learn to create.

Making dance involves many different kinds of art. Benjamin loves to work with composers who write music. He has worked with people like Nico Muhly and Philip Glass. He also collaborates with painters and visual artists. These artists help make the stage look beautiful. He even served as a judge on So You Think You Can Dance. This shows how much he cares about all kinds of movement.

Benjamin Millepied is a prominent French dancer and choreographer. A choreographer is an artist who creates and arranges dance movements. He has built a career that spans major ballet companies and film. His work connects traditional ballet with modern, multimedia art. He has worked as a performer and a leader in the dance world.

Millepied began his formal training at age eight. His mother, Catherine Flory, was a former ballet dancer. He later studied with Michel Rahn at the Conservatoire National in Lyon, France. Between the ages of 13 and 16, he continued this rigorous education. In 1992, he attended classes at the School of American Ballet (SAB). He returned to study there full-time in 1993. He did this using a Lavoisier Scholarship from the French Ministry. During this time, he was mentored by the famous choreographer Jerome Robbins.

His professional career reached major milestones in the United States. In 1994, he received the Prix de Lausanne at the SAB Spring Workshop. He also originated a principal role in Robbins' premiere, *2 and 3 Part Inventions*. Millepied joined the New York City Ballet (NYCB) in 1995. He entered the corps de ballet, which is the main group of dancers. He was promoted to soloist in 1998. By 2002, he achieved the rank of principal dancer. He remained with the NYCB until his retirement in 2011.

Millepied has also founded and led important dance organizations. In 2011, he launched the L.A. Dance Project in Los Angeles. He partnered with composer Nico Muhly and producer Charles Fabius to start it. The company has an annual operating budget of approximately $1 million. In 2012, the group established a residence at the Los Angeles Theatre Center. They also performed at the Walt Disney Concert Hall. The company later formed a three-year partnership with the LUMA Foundation in Arles, France. This residency allows the nine-member company to work and create in Parc des Ateliers.

His leadership extended to the prestigious Paris Opera Ballet. He was named Director of Dance in January 2013. He officially succeeded Brigitte Lefèvre on October 15, 2014. During his tenure, he brought in William Forsythe as an associate choreographer. He also helped create a new Academy for training choreographers. Millepied organized dancer exchanges with the Mariinsky and American Ballet Theatre. He even established a digital platform to showcase new works. He resigned from this position on February 4, 2016.

Millepied's creativity reaches into the world of cinema and digital media. In 2001, his movements were captured for the film *Barbie in the Nutcracker*. He did this using motion-capture technology for the animation. He performed in *Barbie of Swan Lake* in 2003. In 2009, he served as a choreographer and dancer for the film *Black Swan*. He also collaborated on the "sandwalk" for the movie *Dune*. In 2012, he founded The Amoveo Company. This is a multimedia production company and art collective.

Dance is a collaborative art form involving many different disciplines. Millepied works with contemporary composers like Philip Glass and David Lang. He also collaborates with visual artists such as painter Christopher Wool. His productions often feature specific set designs and costumes. For example, his work *Closer* featured costumes by Marc Jacobs. He has also worked with the fashion brand Rodarte. These partnerships help integrate music, visual art, and movement into a single experience.

Throughout his life, Millepied has received many honors for his skill. In 1995, he received the Mae L. Wien Award for Outstanding Promise. In 2010, the French Ministry of Culture named him a Chevalier in the Order of Arts and Letters. His personal life has also been in the public eye. He married actress Natalie Portman in a Jewish ceremony in 2012. They have two children, Aleph and Amalia. His career continues to influence how people view the intersection of dance and modern media.