Photo: U.S. Embassy photographer / Public domain (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
What draws me to Benjamin Millepied is the deliberate pivot at the center of his career. He climbed to principal at New York City Ballet, then chose to step off that summit to build things as a choreographer and producer rather than coast on his reputation as a performer. That kind of voluntary reinvention takes more nerve than staying on top, and the awards from the French state feel almost incidental next to it. I read him as a restless maker who treats prestige as a starting point rather than a destination, and I respect artists who keep redefining what they do.
Overview
Benjamin Millepied (French pronunciation: [bɛ̃ʒamɛ᷉ milpje]; born 10 June 1977) is a French dancer and choreographer who has lived and worked in the United States since joining the New York City Ballet in 1995, where he became a soloist in 1998 and a principal in 2002. He has also created choreography for the company, and choreographed pieces for other major companies. He retired from the NYCB in 2011.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Benjamin Millepied
- Name (Japanese)
- バンジャマン・ミルピエ
- Reading
- ばんじゃまん・みるぴえ
- Born
- June 10, 1977 (age 49)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Gemini / Snake
- Origin
- Bordeaux, France
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- choreographer / ballet master / ballet dancer / film producer / actor
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- Private
Awards & achievements
- 2009 Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres
- 2015 Officer of Arts and Letters
- 2024 Knight of the Legion of Honour
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
- Official sitehttp://benjaminmillepied.com
- Xhttps://x.com/B_Millepied
- Wikipedia (Japanese)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin%20Millepied
Choreographer — see all → · More people from France →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.