Biography

Benjamin Millepied

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Benjamin Millepied is a world-renowned choreographer, dancer, and rising director. In 2010, Millepied choreographed and starred in the Oscar winning feature Black Swan (2010). Since then, he has directed a number of short films, commercials, and music videos in collaboration with artists including Philip Glass, Mark Bradford, IO Echo, Lil Buck, and Zeds Dead. Most recently, Millepied directed a short film for luxury jewelry brand Van Cleef and Arpels based on his original choreography entitled Reflections. In 2012, Millepied founded The Amoveo Company, a multi-media production company and art collective based in Los Angeles.
- IMDb mini biography by: Vanessa Elliott

Classically trained and studied at the School of American Ballet as a teenager.
In his first language, French, his last name means "thousand feet" - a very apt name for a dancer and choreographer.
Has a son and a daughter with his now ex-wife Natalie Portman, Aleph and Amalia.
In September 2011, Millepied was awarded the "Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres" from the French Minister of Culture. In attendance for the ceremony was his fiancé Natalie Portman and their son, Aleph.
Millepied is engaged to actress Natalie Portman. Portman announced the engagement, and her pregnancy, on December 27, 2010.

'Swan Lake' is the most difficult thing to portray for a female ballet dancer; it really requires such specific qualities of articulation, agility, strength, and the arm work is something that takes a lot of training.
I did grow up in France, and even though I didn't go to the school or dance with the Paris Opera Ballet, I absorbed similar ideas in my training. I understand the scale of a big company. I danced for one for almost 20 years.
I could have stayed in Paris for another five years, or 10, but for the first time in my life I was afraid of losing my energy. If I'd stayed I would have become a different person.
Directing is very close to choreography; you deal with space, time, emotions, lighting, making beautiful images.
Most dancers have no awareness of how they look; half of them think they're fat. There is anorexia in the ballet world; there are those things.

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