Benjamin Millepied (French pronunciation: ?[mil' pje]) (born 10 June 1977)[1] is a French dancer and choreographer, perhaps most widely known for his work in the movie Black Swan in which he starred and choreographed. He became the Director of Dance at theParis Opera Ballet in October 2014.
Millepied was born in Bordeaux, France.[2] He is the youngest of three sons.[3] His ballet training started at the age of eight with his mother, Catherine Flori, a former ballet dancer. His father is Denys Millepied.[4][5] Between the ages of 13 and 16 he studied with Michel Rahn at the Conservatoire National in Lyon, France.
In the summer of 1992 Millepied attended classes at the School of American Ballet (SAB) and returned to study full-time in 1993, with a scholarship from the French Ministry(Bourse Lavoisier or Lavoisier Scholarship). Early in his career Millepied was mentored by choreographer Jerome Robbins, who took an interest in him.[6] At SAB's 1994 Spring Workshop he originated a principal role in Jerome Robbins' premiere of 2 and 3 Part Inventions and also received the Prix de Lausanne.