Benjamin Millepied presents at the 41st edition of the Romaeuropa Festival SUMMERLAND, his new piece created in collaboration with French singer-songwriter November Ultra. One of the most influential choreographers in contemporary dance, former principal dancer of the New York City Ballet, former artistic director of the Paris Opera Ballet, and founder of L.A. Dance Project and the Paris Dance Project (an international platform dedicated to the creation and dissemination of contemporary dance), Millepied gives form in SUMMERLAND to the delicate, timeless universe of the French singer-songwriter and producer November Ultra, whose sound-hovering between bedroom pop, R&B, folk, and electronic music—becomes living material for choreography.
In a luminous, minimal stage space inspired by the infinite horizons of James Turrell, voice, light, and movement merge into a poetic substance. The singer appears as a living muse, a radiant centre around which moments of intimacy gradually open into spaces of communion.
The title refers to the small Californian town of Summerland, a symbol of light, memory, and imagination, transformed into a metaphor for a place suspended between the real and the possible. The performance unfolds as a sensory and tangible landscape: the audience perceives the dancers’ breath, the vibrations of live music, and the interplay of light, entering an immersive experience in which dance and music jointly create a softer, more poetic, and more intense vision of the world.
Benjamin Millepied is an internationally renowned choreographer, director and former principal dancer with New York City Ballet. Born in Bordeaux and raised in Senegal, he joined New York City Ballet in 1995 and became a principal dancer in 2001, performing leading roles in works by Balanchine, Robbins and many others, while developing a prolific career as a choreographer.
Since then, he has created works for some of the world’s leading companies, including the Paris Opera Ballet, the Mariinsky Ballet, San Francisco Ballet and Dutch National Ballet, often collaborating with visual artists and composers. In 2012, he co-founded L.A. Dance Project, a company renowned for its innovative performances and artistic residencies, supported by Van Cleef & Arpels, and served as Director of Dance at the Paris Opera from 2013 to 2016.
In 2022, together with Solenne du Haÿs Mascré, he launched Paris Dance Project, an initiative dedicated to dance education and the creative process, including La Ville Dansée, a public-space event supported by Chanel and Richard Mille.
In 2024, again with Solenne du Haÿs Mascré, he founded Paris Danse. Based in Paris, the company develops new dance-led creations and presents them in France and internationally. Committed to making dance accessible to the widest possible audience, Paris Danse develops cultural partnerships that create connections between artists, communities and audiences.
In November 2026, Benjamin Millepied will present three new creations at the Folies Bergère for the first time, celebrating love, joy and freedom: Du bout des lèvres, inspired by the world of French singer Barbara; Summerland, a luminous journey into the world of November Ultra; and Move Me Once More, co-written with Léa Mysius.
November Ultra is a French singer-songwriter and producer known for her warm, deep, and ethereal voice. She first gained international attention in November 2020 with the DIY lullaby Soft & Tender, followed by the heartbreak anthem Miel. In June of the same year, she released the EP Honey Please Be Soft & Tender, featuring the bonus track The End, a clear example of her intimate, cinematic, and enveloping sound, blending bedroom pop, folk, R&B, and electronic influences.
She divides her time between professional recording studios and her home studio, also working as a songwriter for artists such as Jaden Smith, Claire Laffut, Kungs, and Barbara Pravi, while continuing to explore and produce her own music. Her work reflects eclectic musical roots spanning folk, R&B, and influences from Spanish musical tradition, shaped by her childhood and family stories.
In July 2021 she was selected by Spotify for the international Radar program, becoming the first French artist to take part in the global campaign. Her popularity also grew rapidly on TikTok, where the track Come Into My Arms went viral, attracting the attention of the international music industry.
A Paris Danse production
