Those of you less familiar with the ballet world may know him as Mr. Natalie Portman, but in reality, Benjamin Millepied is so much more than that.  He’s a former New York City Ballet principle, acclaimed choreographer, founder of the L.A. Dance Project and choreographer of Hollywood’s infamously creepy take on Swan Lake, otherwise known as Black Swan.  Starting in September of 2014, Mr. Sexy Millepied can add director of dance at the Paris Opera Ballet to his resume.  Why do we bunheads care about someone we don’t know getting a new job at a company 3,481 miles away, you might ask?  Wellllll, let’s just say that with so many former POB company members in line for the job and the company’s notorious loyalty to tradition, Mr. Millepied’s new position came with a side of shock and, as all great ballet scandals are served up, with an extra helping of controversy.

That’s not stopping Benny Boy, though (yeah, I did that).  He has a clear plan in mind when it comes to tackling this challenge.  He says, “My interest is in developing the art and the craft of ballet, which is so rich and interesting. This is a great classical company, and I want it to be an environment for the evolution and knowledge of the ballet idiom. I want to develop a new identity, really challenge the dancers, make them dance ballets that are not just the classics.”  Sounds fantastic, B. Mill!
^^^just the roommie and I hanging out with Sasha Radetsky and the Ben Mill himself…nobigdeal…