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 a French choreographer, director, and dancer of international renown. Born in Bordeaux, he spent his childhood in Senegal, where he discovered his passion for dance, inspired by his mother. He studied ballet with Vladimir Skouratoff at the Grand Théâtre de Bordeaux and later at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Lyon, before moving to New York to attend the School of American Ballet. In 1995 he joined the New York City Ballet, becoming a Principal Dancer in 2001 and performing works by George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, and contemporary choreographers such as Alexei Ratmansky, Christopher Wheeldon, and Mauro Bigonzetti. He began choreographing in 2001 and has collaborated with artists including Nico Muhly, Mark Bradford, and Barbara Kruger. In 2012 he founded the L.A. Dance Project, bringing the company to some of the world’s most prestigious theatres and experimental spaces. In 2013 he was appointed Director of the Paris Opera Ballet, introducing innovative programming and commissioning works by William Forsythe, Wayne McGregor, Crystal Pite, and Justin Peck. In film, Millepied choreographed and performed in Darren Aronofsky’s Black Swan. In 2022 he co-founded the Paris Dance Project, an educational and performative initiative supported by Chanel and Richard Mille. His recent creations include Romeo & Juliet (2023), Me.You.We.They (2024), Grace (2024), and Rituel for Pierre Boulez. In 2024 he was awarded the French Legion of Honour for his contribution to the arts.
November Ultra
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.
