uu27itu: natalie portman benjamin millepied

##title##

Millepied was born in Bordeaux, France and raised in Dakar, Senegal. He is the youngest of three brothers. His ballet training started at the age of eight with his mother, a former ballet dancer. Between the ages of 13 and 16 he studied with Michel Rahn at the Conservatoire National in Lyon, France.

In the summer of 1992 he 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 famed choreographer Jerome Robbins, who took a strong interest in him. 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. Millepied joined New York City Ballet's corps de ballet in 1995, was promoted to soloist in 1998 and became principal dancer in 2002. In 2010, he was made Chevalier in the Order of Arts and Letters by the French Ministry of Culture.

In 2009 he served as choreographer for Black Swan, a psychological thriller directed by Darren Aronofsky which stars Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis as ballet dancers in New York City.