Benjamin Millepied to unveil new work with L.A. Dance Project

Benjamin Millepied is set to assume his new job as the head of the prestigious Paris Opera Ballet this year. The dancer-choreographer has stated that he will still be involved with his company L.A. Dance Project going forward, and this week, the group said it will debut a new work in October that Millepied has created for eight dancers.

Millepied will unveil the work at a three-day residency at the Theatre at Ace Hotel in downtown Los Angeles, with performances scheduled for Oct. 24 to 26. The new work is set to Philip Glass’ music, though the company didn’t specify which pieces. The costumes will be by Janie Taylor, a former dancer with the New York City Ballet.

In a prepared statement, Millepied said that “Philip Glass is a composer whose work I am inspired to explore again after several years, and these dancers are particularly suited for the fluidity and energy inherent in Glass’ music.”

The program will also include Emmanuel Gat’s “Morgan’s Last Chug” and a return performance of William Forsythe’s “Quintett” that the company performed in L.A. in 2012. The Gat piece was developed in L.A. in 2013 and is influenced by the Israeli choreographer’s visit to the city.

L.A. Dance Project will tour internationally this fall, with stops in France, Japan and South Korea. It is also scheduled to perform at Brooklyn Academy of Music from Oct. 16 to 18 as part of the Next Wave Festival.

Millepied, who is married to actress Natalie Portman, will succeed Brigitte Lefèvre as the director of the Paris Opera Ballet.

Twitter: @DavidNgLAT