Benjamin Millepied Puts on a Show in Paris

Benjamin Millepied, who as the husband of Natalie Portman and the father of Aleph Portman-Millepied we will dutifully cover on this blog until forever, debuted his newest work for the Paris Opera Ballet this weekend. He won’t be made director of the storied Parisian institution until Nov. 2, and his production of Daphnis et Chloé was in the works long before he was even in the running for the coveted director gig, but this was the perfect opportunity for ballet fans and critics alike to train their eyes on the director-to-be.

It looks like it went pretty well. The New York Times called the production “that rarest of creatures: a new classical ballet that feels contemporary, not because it imposes a bit of extraneous modernity (some electronic music; a little talking), but because of the sensibilities of its creators.” Mazel tov, Benjamin. And by the way, how’s that conversion coming along?

I kid, I kid. Last we checked in on the suspiciously well-named Millepied, he expressed his plans to convert to Judaism, adding that he hoped Israel would become a second home when the family moved to Paris this fall. Portman, who was born in Israel, spent the past few months in the Holy Land with the couple’s two-year-old son Aleph filming her directorial debut, an adaption of Amos Oz’s A Tale of Love and Darkness.

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