In The Studio: Benjamin Millepied On What Young Dancers Need From the Ballet World

October 17, 2017

This week American Ballet Theatre launches its fall season at Lincoln Center with an exciting lineup of performances. One last-minute addition to the program is a new work from Benjamin Millepied, which will be performed by ABT Studio Company and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School dancers in the theater’s promenade during select intermissions. Although the specifics of the performance are hush hush, we stepped into the studio with Millepied for an inside look.

What has it been like to choreograph on younger dancers and how, if at all, did you change your approach?

To be honest, they’re really good. Rhythmically, it’s not easy at all and they’ve done incredibly well. The piece could be longer. It’s really one movement but, for the first time, to use that space it felt right. Nothing says I couldn’t add two more movements next season to make it longer.

What are your thoughts on bringing classical ballet outside the proscenium setting?

For me, it’s great to think of spaces theatrically. We build sets with lighting and props, but there are also all these environments that are beautiful and theatrical, and with a little bit of work you can create something within them and that becomes site-specific. That’s really fun because you create something really specific for the environment.

What would you like to see more of from young ballet dancers?

What I would want to see more of in ballet is just more interesting collaborations. These ballet dancers are great and they’re ready and what they need is more interesting work. I feel people are playing it safe a lot. If anything, I think it’s the choreographers and the directors who need to make an effort for these dancers who have made this art form their passion, and to really be as daring or at least as relevant as some of our peers were when they were commissioning pieces a long time ago.