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Benjamin Millepied, known to the ballet world as a dancer and choreographer and known to everyone else as Natalie Portman's husband, has left his job as head of the Paris Opera Ballet after only 15 months. He claims that he is leaving for personal reasons.
Ballet gossip doesn't get much mainstream press, but believe me, upper-crusty, artistic ballet people gossip just as much as peasants like us do. I'm not a dancer, but I love to follow ballet, so here is some of the scuttlebutt about his departure:
--Was a surprising choice, but he wanted to make some positive changes like bringing in more dancers of color. (All of the POB is currently white.)
--Wanted to make the company more contemporary. POB is one of the world's greatest Classical companies, and many insiders saw this as an affront to its history.
--He publicly insulted the dancers saying their quality wasn't good enough for him. He dissed the pieces performed by the company.
--Tried to make the dancers hustle for more money. He wanted dancers to find rich patrons and corporate sponsors to raise money. The dancers feel they are there to dance, not pimp themselves out. A lot of people considered this a very tacky, sleazy move.
--Has a reputation for moving up in the ballet world by being charming and suave.
--Posed for lots of magazine photoshoots, wanted to be a ballet celebrity.
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--Some people say he is more talented at charming rich patrons than he is at choreography and running a company.
--He once stood up a New York Times reporter TWICE in one interview. The reporter even called him out on it.
--Left his long-term girlfriend to get with Natalie Portman on Black Swan. Sources inside the film said that he was fixated on Natalie, constantly finding ways to be around her and flirt with her so that he could woo her. (D-Listed calls him "Ballet K-Fed")
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--Hired Sarah Lane to be Natalie's body double, but then threw her under the bus come Oscar season when Lane revealed that she had done nearly all of Portman's dancing.
--Used Natalie's celebrity to raise money for the company
--Rumors that Natalie is unhappy living in Paris
He will be replaced by Aurelie Dupont, one of the Paris Opera Ballet's best-loved ballerinas. Seriously, take some time and watch her performances, she is one of the assolutas.
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