Benjamin Millepied left his position at Paris de Opera after just 15 months
I’ve been wondering why Benjamin Millepied had not joined his wife Natalie Portman on any of her red carpets lately, not even in Paris, which is where they live now. It’s not that I believe husband and wife should be joined at the hip at all times, it’s just Millepied has historically come out for many of Natalie’s red carpets, and it’s been a while since we’ve seen them together. Now I’m starting to get an inkling why – Millepied was dealing with his own drama at Opera de Paris, where he served as dance director since late 2014. On Thursday, Millepied announced that he was leaving his position and Opera de Paris for “personal reasons.” But there’s a mountain of French drama and shade going down. Dancer Benjamin Millepied announced Thursday he’s stepping down as dance director at Paris’ premier ballet company. Millepied’s efforts to innovate at the storied Opera de Paris have met mixed reactions since his arrival 15 months ago, and French media have reported tensions between him and some of the company’s star dancers. He said in a statement that he’s leaving for “personal reasons,” and that his role didn’t allow him enough time for “creation and artistic expression.” He sought to leave the Opera de Paris on friendly terms, appearing Thursday at a news conference with his successor, star dancer Aurelie Dupont, and Opera de Paris director Stephane Lissner. “I am convinced we’ve opened up things that are really important,” Millepied said. “The future is bright. What’s important for me is to create, to be inspired by the parts. That’s what motivated me in the ballet and today this position (the dance director position) isn’t for me, it doesn’t suit me,” he told a news conference. Speculation about a possible departure surfaced after a recent documentary in which Millepied said he still wasn’t satisfied with the level of dance. In an interview with Le Figaro in December, he said dancers should have more of a sense of entrepreneurship and fundraising — a concept foreign to many in France’s more traditionally funded cultural world. He was also quoted as saying, “To be a dancer is to express oneself, not to resemble a wallpaper pattern.” His predecessor, Brigitte Lefevre, played down any resistance to his unconventional ideas, saying instead that Millepied didn’t have the necessary management experience for the job. “Directing a great institution doesn’t happen by itself,” she said on Europe-1 radio. “You must have competence and energy to manage each post, from administration to rehearsal.” [From Page Six] So, he alienated dancers and staff by telling them they weren’t up to the job AND that they needed to be better at fundraising. And the woman who previously held his job is all, “He’s a crappy manager.” And Millepied is all “I better leave before they force me out.” There was similar drama when he left the New York City Ballet in 2011 – there was some talk that he was stretched pretty thin and incapable of being a hands-on director/manager. There was also some talk that Millepied has always been less interested in ballet and more interested in A) promoting himself and B) fundraising. Perhaps he should just seek a full-time fundraising position? So, does this mean Natalie and Benjamin will move back to America? Their Paris excursion was so brief! I also wonder if Anna Wintour regrets all of the hype she gave Millepied in Vogue. Photos courtesy of WENN.