In the spring of 2016, Ballet Memphis commissioned me to create a new work for their program, Places, using music from the iconic and historic Stax record label. Stax played a crucial role in shaping soul music in the 1960s, launching the careers of Otis Redding and Carla Thomas. My creation, “The Sweet Boy Slide,” also used music by The Mad Lads and The Del-Rios. The late Bruce Bui designed the perfect costumes. The work premiered February 19, 2016 at Playhouse on the Square in Memphis, TN.