Benjamin Millepied says he is leaving Paris Opera Ballet

In a surprise shake-up at one of the world’s most revered dance institutions, Benjamin Millepied said Thursday that he will resign his position as the director of dance at the Paris Opera Ballet after a little more than a year, citing personal reasons and his desire to devote himself entirely toward artistic creation.

“After careful consideration, I have decided to end my position as director of dance at the Paris Opera,” the star choreographer said in a statement that he posted to his Twitter account Thursday. He added that he is leaving “for personal reasons only.”

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In the statement, Millepied alluded to the administrative burdens that come with leading one of the world’s most prestigious dance companies.

“My job as director of dance currently requires such a commitment that it largely precludes what is essential in my eyes — artistic creation and expression,” he said .

Millepied said that he wishes to “devote himself 100%” toward creative work, but added that he intends to stay with the company until the end of the current season, which concludes this summer.

On Thursday, Millepied attended a news conference in Paris with Stéphane Lissner, director of the Paris Opera. The company said that dancer Aurélie Dupont would succeed Millepied starting in August.

During his time at the Paris Opera, the French-born Millepied has maintained strong ties to Los Angeles, where he and his wife, actress Natalie Portman, lived before he joined the company in 2014.

He has remained at the head of L.A. Dance Project, the art collective he co-founded in 2012.

The company, based in downtown L.A., performs modern and contemporary works, often presenting newly commissioned pieces by noted choreographers and dancers. It has toured internationally in addition to appearing at local venues including the Music Center and recently at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts.

It remains unclear whether Millepied and Portman, who have a young son, will return to the United States or remain in France. The couple met during the making of the movie “Black Swan,” on which Millepied served as choreographer.

Earlier this week, Paris Match published a story that Millepied was rumored to be stepping down, setting off a frenzy of speculation in the French media.

The 38-year-old Millepied is a former dancer with the New York City Ballet, where he rose to the rank of principal.

He was considered by many as a bold choice for the venerable Paris Opera Ballet, a company noted for its tradition and somewhat old-fashioned ways. In his brief time there, Millepied has sought to modernize the institution, making forays into digital platforms to reach new audiences.

It marked the first time that Millepied had led a major dance company. “I am sure I will discover all the complications of it once I start,” he told The Times shortly after his appointment was announced in 2013.

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