George Staib - ImmerseATL EDUCATOR
photo © Daylilies Photography
George Staib is a Professor of Practice in the Emory University Department of Theater and Dance, and is the artistic director of staibdance, a dance company dedicated to the intersections of movement, community and culture.
Staib began his dance training at Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania in conjunction with the Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet, then went on to earn an MFA in dance and choreography from Temple University.
Further movement research led him to Israel, Sweden, and Italy to deepen his understanding of Gaga and release technique as well as the unbridled physicality of movement pioneers such as Iris Enez, Yasmeen Godder and Noa Wortheim. Currently his movement interests reside in blurring the line between process and performance, and he is interested in the notion of spontaneity as it relates to established material vs. improvised ideas.
As a choreographer, Staib’s primary vehicle for dance-making is through staibdance, now in its 15th year. Staib’s work is often founded upon autobiographical stories, while being dedicated to unearthing their relatability among diverse populations. Staib’s work has been commissioned across the US and abroad, and has been awarded funding from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, City of Atlanta Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs, Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta, The Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, The Emory University Research Committee, The Latham Foundation, The National Endowment for the Arts, The New England Foundation for the Arts, South Arts and The Vail Family Foundation.
staibdance curated and produced the first-ever Atlanta Multicultural Dance Festival, now in its second season, created a summer intensive in Sorrento, Italy, now in its 11th year and hosted a10-part podcast series titled Secret Architecture: the process of process, that features culturally based artists from across the country. In 2022 Staib served on the faculty of the American Dance Festival, staibdance toured their latest work “fence” along the eastern seaboard and work on a new piece, titled ARARAT, began and is set to premiere in 2023.