Benjamin Millepied Steps Down from Paris Opera Ballet

Benjamin Millepied attends a press conference to announce he is stepping down as the director of dance at the Paris Opera Ballet on Thursday (February 4) in Paris, France.

“After careful consideration, I have decided to end my position as director of dance at the Paris Opera,” the 38-year-old French dancer and choreographer said in a statement. He added that his departure is because of “personal reasons.”

“My duties as director of dance today take up so much space that they have reduced that reserve for creation and artistic expression, which in my view is essential,” he added.

Benjamin rose to prominence with his work on the film Black Swan, where he met his wife Natalie Portman. The couple has a four-year-old son named Aleph.