Actress Natalie Portman will be raising her son in her husband Benjamin Millepied's native France - the choreographer has accepted a job as the new director of dance at the Paris Opera Ballet.

The couple welcomed little Aleph in June, 2011, and currently live in California, where Millepied runs the L.A. Dance Project.

But the Black Swan star and her partner are planning a big move to Paris, where the 35 year old has been hired to replace Brigitte Lefevre when she retires in early 2014.

Millepied, who left the New York City Ballet after becoming a dad, tells the New York Times, "I am not entirely a foreigner. I did grow up in France, and even though I didn't go to the school or dance with the Paris Opera Ballet, I absorbed similar ideas in my training.

"I understand the scale of a big company. I danced for one for almost 20 years. I think it's an asset that I have absorbed other traditions and had other experiences in the U.S., which I can bring to the dancers here (in Paris). But of course I have a lot to learn about this company and its very remarkable and specific qualities."

And Lefevre is confident Millepied will be able to fill her ballet slippers: "It is always a gamble. I imagine people had something to say when I arrived. But he has a real artistic sensibility and an admirable curiosity. He will have to find his own way between innovation and the house traditions."