In February 2015, the Paris Opera Ballet announced that Forsythe would become an associate choreographer with the company, and would create a new ballet for the company the following year. It would be both the first large-scale ballet he made for a company other than his own since 1999. Forsythe said he was not planning for a position in a ballet company until Benjamin Millepied, the new director of dance at the Paris Opera contacted him. Forsythe also noted he and Millepied started talking about making a new ballet for the company since Millipied assumed his position.
