Today we’d like to introduce you to George Staib.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I suppose I can say that my career in dance blindsided me.
I was in all the “geeky” things throughout high school, you know, like marching band, choir, show choir, theater – but never dance. It was an odd turn of events at a fraternity party when a friend asked me to do a duet with her in the dance concert that spring. It was an awful duet – I mean – seriously bad.
However, the dance professor suggested I take a modern dance class, then she suggested ballet, then suggested grad school – and being impressionable, I said yes to all those things. What she could see that I could not is how these interests were always there, yet no one unlocked them until the age of 20.
I was always invested in making things, choreographing, deciphering, etc. I would dress my younger sister up in outlandish costumes and make her parade around the front yard – so I guess it is from these VERY humble beginnings that I started to forge this ever-winding and fascinating trajectory.
Currently, I am the artistic director of staibdance, a contemporary dance company based here in Atlanta. As well, I am a Professor of Practice in the Dance Program at Emory University.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
The road has meandered toward and away from what I believed my goals were/are. I have to say – I am thankful for that.
The discoveries along the way have allowed me to shape what I believe is more authentic to my interests and as I get older, I feel more fortified to NOT pander for the sake of popularity or funding. I have become more resistant to anything that is an outward marker of a popular idea, while the inner workings are completely different.
I have also come to learn that struggles are often self-created…developed by spending too much time looking around, comparing and second-guessing. Of course, there is always the struggle of funding, audience development, etc. Yet, those seem more and more surmountable when I, well, our organization, look ahead and focus on our own horizons…not the horizons that belong to others.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
The work I do as an educator and choreographer are deeply intertwined. I am interested in that which makes us unique and in turn, covet the ideas inside “uniqueness” which are completely relatable.
Our output often has an autobiographical genesis, yet it is in decoding the “story” that we find common ground and begin crafting from the underpinnings of the human experience. For example, our newest piece ARARAT, is a look inside “beginning again” – does a clean slate actually exist? can we unlearn lessons we’ve embraced? These questions are rooted in the migration experience of my family from Iran to the US, the remnants of the Armenian Genocide and perhaps, to a small degree, post-pandemic life.
I am VERY proud of the team that has gathered to work together. Our dancers are sublime, the creative ensemble is top notch, our board of directors is phenomenally supportive – and the icing on all of it? Each and every member of this organization operates with kindness and humility.
The work we produce is highly physical, at times rather abstract, challenging, meaningful and bold. I realize it may not be for everyone, and that is OK. I/We used to make pretty pretty dances that are easy to digest and perhaps even disposable. It feels more important to challenge ourselves to dig deeper and hope our audiences lean in and come along for the ride.
Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
Yikes – a tough question because I think I was afraid of happiness. I worried that happiness would equal complacency and subsequently hinder growth. I’ve wised up a bit.
What makes me happy, and this is going to sound cheesy, is making other people happy. I think I learned this from my mother, my Armenian heritage and perhaps it is even a survival instinct. I love smiles and discoveries in the classroom, I love sharing beautiful places with friends, I LOVE cooking and hosting gatherings for damn well anyone, I am charged and over-the-moon happy in settings that allude to a different time, a different place, hell, even a different financial reality. You know, that rare opportunity to eat something or be somewhere that is beyond your tax bracket!
In all seriousness, sharing and giving generously is my happy place. That, and oh yeah – Europe!
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.staibdance.com/
- Instagram: @staibdance
- Facebook: staibdance
Image Credits
Daley Kappenman Ari Loeb Joe Boris Jonah Hooper
