From the turbulence of the mid 1960's in Oakland, CA., George Latimer traveled to Memphis, TN. His sexual ambivalence in tow, he encountered the segregated world of dance in the racially polarized city. As assistant to the director of the Memphis Civic Ballet, the regional ballet company of the mid-south, he soon became disenchanted with the politics and the mind set of the Old Memphis, and he was inspired to create a company that represented his heartfelt philosophies that dance was for everyone. Ballet South was born. Nureyev, Baryshnikov, and the Panovs were among the celebrities who graced the stage of his fledgling and, at the time, controversial company. In 1989 he returned to Oakland with Jeff Stuart, his lifelong partner, where they continue to contribute to their passion for the ballet.