Leaping into the Spotlight

“Benjamin choreographed the film,” Portman said,“You might remember him in the movie as the guy,when they ask,‘Would you sleep with that girl?’ he’s like ‘No.’ ”

“It’s not true,” she continued,as the camera cut to Millepied,a handsome 33-year-old ballet dancer. “He totally wants to sleep with me!” She let out the now-famous laugh that became a YouTube sensation. Portman was not only engaged to Millepied,but as her dress did little to conceal,she was also four months pregnant. For Millepied,a ballet superstar,the moment was his prime-time coming out. As Portman’s fiancé,Millepied has become tabloid fodder and is arguably the biggest danseur to cross over into pop culture since Mikhail Baryshnikov.

“Benjamin’s a triple threat,” said Coco Kopelman,the Chanel heiress who is on the board of the School of American Ballet. “He’s a very talented principal dancer. He’s an amazing choreographer and happens to be very attractive.”

In 2009,the director Darren Aronofsky was preparing to film Black Swan and needed a ballet insider,“someone who was deeply steeped in classical ballet,” Aronofsky said. “Benjamin’s name came from two different people.” Millepied jumped at the chance not only to choreograph,but also to be a ballet consultant.

Midway through filming,Millepied heard that a part had opened up to play Portman’s on-screen dance partner. He eagerly volunteered. And thus began a romance fit not only for the ballet stage but also for the New York tabloids.

Millepied was born in the south of France,raised in Senegal (“African dance is part of my upbringing”) and is the son of a decathlete and a ballet teacher (“I’ve danced as soon as I could walk”).

He arrived in New York in 1993 at age 16,with a scholarship to the School of American Ballet. He caught the eye of Jerome Robbins,who cast him in Two- and Three-Part Inventions. He was showered with accolades. He moved into the New York City Ballet,where he rose from a member of the corps de ballet to soloist to principal dancer—all by age 24.

His big break came in 2002,Millepied said,when he was given the chance by Peter Martins,the ballet master for the New York City Ballet,to choreograph. And then there’s Natalie Portman.

“We fell in love dancing,” Portman said to Ellen DeGeneres’s last month. “It’s very romantic to dance together.” For months,the couple kept the office romance to themselves. Around Christmas,the actress released a statement that she is “indescribably happy.”

Not everyone in the ballet world is equally smitten. Some argue his greatest talent isn’t as a choreographer,but as a blue-eyed charmer able to raise money,court donors and attract audiences. Some people cattily whisper that his charisma makes up for his shortcomings as a choreographer,and is the real reason for his numerous commissions. But he isn’t without his many defenders. His critics,they say,are just envious of his success and high profile. “Benjamin’s smart enough to know what he’s doing,” said Hendrickson,the City Ballet dancer.

The final verdict on Millepied’s talents may be in the commissions. New pieces are also under way for the New York City Ballet,the Pennsylvania Ballet and the Mariinsky Ballet in St. Petersburg,Russia. His film career,meanwhile,continues to grow. “I’m booked for the next three years,” he said,not unhappily. As Portman’s consort,he is still getting used to celebrity. He was absent during the Screen Actors Guild awards; there’s no word if he’ll attend the Oscars. His ballet Plainspoken is scheduled for the New York City Ballet the night before. He is reluctant to discuss his relationship with Portman. “I don’t Google myself so honestly why would I care?” he said. “What I want to do is my work. The rest is completely irrelevant.” JOSHUA DAVID STEIN