Benjamin Millepied to return to L.A. for Dance Project performance

L.A. Dance Project founding director Benjamin Millepied, who left Los Angeles to be director of dance at the Paris Opera Ballet, will return next month to perform with former New York City Ballet principal dancer Janie Taylor at the dance project’s annual benefit, the company announced Thursday.

The rare performance, Dec. 12 at the Los Angeles Theatre Center, comes a year after Millepied left L.A. to succeed Brigitte Lefevre at the Paris Opera Ballet. Millepied will dance and will serve as the evening’s host.

SIGN UP for the free Essential Arts & Culture newsletter >>

The benefit features three works, including Jerome Robbins’ “Interplay,” performed by students of the Colburn Dance Academy, a group Millepied helped to create. The additional two performances will be Millepied’s “Hearts and Arrows,” with music composed by Philip Glass; and the debut of Millepied’s collaboration with singer Rufus Wainwright and Berluti designer Alessandro Sartori.

“Since I started at L.A Dance Project it has been one exciting project after another. The dancers are so amazing to work with and I am thrilled to see Benjamin’s new creation set to Rufus Wainright’s music,” said associate artistic director, Carla Korbes. “As an added bonus, two of the talented Colburn Dance Academy dancers will be performing one of Jerome Robbin’s Pas de Deux that is perfect for the students. With a fantastic dinner following the performance, this will be an incredible evening.”

L.A. Dance Project was founded in 2011 and sustained for two years by a commission from Glorya Kaufman Presents Dance at the Music Center. In 2012 the company established a full-time residence at Los Angeles Theatre Center downtown. In January 2014, about nine months before Millepied’s departure for Paris, the company moved to the Theatre at Ace Hotel, also downtown.

For information on tickets to the Dec. 12 event, email events@ladanceproject.com.

Twitter: @jessicagelt