LA Dance Project is innovative, but has a foot in the past
Classically trained dancer-choreographer Benjamin Millepied is rapidly emerging as a cultural rock star in France. His outstanding technique is the cornerstone of LA Dance Project, the artist collective he founded in 2012.
LA DANCE PROJECT
Le French May
Classically trained dancer-choreographer Benjamin Millepied is rapidly emerging as a cultural rock star in France. His outstanding technique is the cornerstone of LA Dance Project, the artist collective he founded in 2012.
"I believe formal technique is required for a company that presents so many different choreographies like Merce Cunningham, William Forsythe, Emanuel Gat, Hiroaki Umeda and Justin Peck," he says. "But even so, historic continuity in dance is important. I often look back in order to move forward."
This back-and-forth process promises to intensify for Millepied, a former principal at the New York City Ballet between 2002 and 2011, during which time he also won mainstream attention for his part in Darren Aronofsky's ballet thriller Black Swan (2010). Millepied is preparing to become director of dance at the Paris Opera Ballet this autumn, and his challenges include maintaining the great classical repertoire at one of the world's grandest ensembles, while taking the company forward.
