I was born in France but grew up in Senegal. I had the same relationship to music as the African kids; you walk, you dance. Growing up with those West African rhythms deeply impacted me, and I learned drumming at a young age. This led to my love for minimalism and composers like Philip Glass and Steve Reich, who was inspired by that kind of music. It’s never left me throughout my life as a dancer or in how I approach dance. The way I choreograph involves a lot of variations on a theme. 

Benjamin Millepied

Benjamin Millepied. Photo © Dorian Prost for ELLE France

I had a very musically rich family environment. My mum taught dance and my dad was a very good singer with a big love for chanson française, so that was part of the household growing up. Barbara, Léo Ferré and Claude Nougaro were the singers who really blessed us. There was a real passion for that sort of writing, in particular Ferré’s poetry. 

My middle brother is a flautist and played classical music every day; my oldest brother played the guitar. For years, he practised jazz and...