Benjamin Millepied arrives in Russia.

Natalie Portman with her husband

Photo: Fotodom.ru

Choreographer Benjamin Millepied — the husband of Natalie Portman, the winner of the “Oscar” for the film “Black Swan” (on set in it, the future spouses met — milieu worked there as choreographer) is expected in Moscow, where he can get his “Oscar”. However, not
for film and ballet.

Millepied claims the award “Prix Benois de la dance”. This prize in the world is ballet “Oscar”. It is awarded for 24 consecutive years, and Chairman of the jury is a legendary Russian choreographer Yuri Grigorovich. The program includes not only a competition among dancers and choreographers (this contest will take place on 17 may), and performances of ballet stars from around the world, laureates of previous years (may 18). We already know that the prize “Benois-Moscow-Massine-Positano” the international jury awarded the prima of the Bolshoi theatre Catherine Krysanova. And the honorary prize “For life in art” will be given to the choreographer John Neumeier.

Millepied already received this award in the nomination “the best choreographer”, and this year was nominated again — for the performance at the Paris Opera “Clear, loud, brilliant, ahead”. By the way, this year this section presents record number of nominees. A lot of stars will compete in the category “best dancer” and “best ballerina”. So the struggle for the right to receive the award on the legendary Bolshoi theater will be serious.

The interest in the figure Millepied is heated, more recently Benjamin in the middle of the season suddenly resigned from the prestigious post of Director of the ballet troupe of the Paris national Opera, one of the best ballet companies in the world. Officially took office only in October 2014.

The choreographer an unexpected career explains the “personal reasons”. He works in Paris, and Portman and their son Aleph (he is now four and a half years) I live in America. But experts claim ballet that Millepied at the Paris Opera came not to the court. Though he managed to attract sponsors, but set sights on accumulated decades of tradition. He ventured to cancel a public competition, after which the dancers moved up the career ladder. Millepied also dared to openly criticize their artists, and to wash dirty linen in public theatres is not accepted.

Finally, the husband of Portman gave obvious preference to the contemporary avant-garde productions, and not loved by the General audience classics. In addition, this Director is too often distracted by extraneous projects and was absent from the workplace. In the end the parties decided to “amicably” part, or at least maintain the appearance that nothing terrible has happened. Millepied returned to his company in Los Angeles, and Paris the troupe was headed ballerina “from his” focused on the preservation of traditions.

The author of the “Benois de La Danse” is the sculptor Igor Ustinov, representative of the illustrious family of Russian artists Benoit. And all the proceeds from gala nights will pass in the form of personal material assistance to the most needy veterans of the theatre.