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Creativity & Arts Spotlight: George Staib

Emory Choreographer Designs Unique Visual Landscape in Upcoming Performance

Contemporary Dance – Vintage Music: George Staib and the Vega Quartet in Concert features a fluid evening of new dances to live musical accompaniment of works from the last two-and-a-half centuries beginning with a lively Bach suite, continuing through classic works by Stravinsky and Bartok, and finishing with a riveting score by contemporary composer Richard Einhorn. The Vega String Quartet, Emory University’s quartet-in-residence, and choreographer George Staib of the Emory Dance Program faculty produced this exciting evening running Feb. 12-14, 2009 at 8 p.m. in Emory’s Performing Arts Studio, 1804 N. Decatur Rd., Atlanta, GA, 30322. Tickets ($20 public; $15 discount category members; Emory students free) can be purchased from the Arts at Emory box office by calling 404-727-5050 or online at www.arts.emory.edu.

Staib joined the Emory Dance Faculty in 2001 and teaches modern and ballet techniques, Introduction to Dance, and Choreography. He began his dance training at Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, in conjunction with the Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet. After receiving a BA in political science, he pursued his MFA at Temple University where he also taught after graduating. Some of Staib’s company credits include Ann Vachon/Dance Conduit, Coriolis Dance Company, and Paula Kellinger and Dancers. In the fall of 2006 Staib performed with the Jose Limon Dance Company as a guest artist in their re-creation of Missa Brevis.

As a choreographer, Staib has been honored with awards and citations both nationally and internationally including top honors for choreography in the Prague Dance and Theatre Prize 2000, the Governor’s Prize from the Philadelphia Council on the Arts in 1994 while still a student, and the Walkley Prize and the Weiss Prize for the Arts. He also served as a Guest Artist-in-Residence at Wilson College and the University of Nevada and was a choreographer for the Las Vegas Civic Ballet for four years.

Staib was able to take some time between rehearsals and faculty meetings to discuss the creation of his “delicious nugget of art.”

Q: What’s different about this performance compared to other contemporary dance performances in Atlanta?
A: The fact that a dance performance has live music is a rare event here in Atlanta. Even the Atlanta Ballet’s use of live music has been really spotty because of funding, so the fact that the Vega Quartet is in residence here at Emory has made this entirely possible. The Vega is going to be an integral part of the visual landscape of the evening, an inclusiveness that will tie the music and dance totally together. What’s most exciting for me is that the Vega Quartet has a substantial number of followers on its own while dance has a much smaller following, so hopefully those audience members will mix and be able to share the program together. Through this evening we are striving to bring something new to the music community and something new to the dance community. I hope that this program will generate a lot of excitement and that it will rekindle or kindle a love of dance. The dancers are really fascinating to watch and the combination of their talent with the Vega musicians will be a real treat for the audience.

Q: What’s unique about your choreography? How would you describe your style?
A: I’m not sure what sets it apart, but, if I had to distinguish it from other dance that I see, I do pay particular attention to the music: the overall phrasing, the flow, the mood, and any underlying tension that might be present. If I use music with lyrics I don’t pay too much attention to lyrics, even though I know that is important, but instead I still try to use the overarching quality of the sound as an impetus. Stylistically I'm in a place where I’m trying to experiment a little more with things that aren’t as comfortable for me. Many people have said my work is marked by moving large groups around the space. That’s my comfort area. Now I’m trying to focus on smaller groups: less flash and more focus on the dancers. I think I’m in a transition period about what I want my movement to look like. I want things to be a little bit more minimal and less showy. I want the dancers to be recognized as much as the choreography, which will allow them to transmit something emotional that is still visually stimulating.

Q: What has been enlightening about this project? What have been the challenges? What will you take away from this project?
A: The most enlightening part of this project is the thrill of hearing live music on stage because nothing motivates me more than hearing something powerfully played live. In addition, the Vega Quartet has confirmed this long-standing theory I've had that the most talented people are also the most cordial, humble, and outgoing artists around. They have made this process effortless because of their willingness to accommodate and to hear what the dancer’s needs are. I feel like I’ve been really spoiled. As far as challenges, for me scheduling is always a nightmare. I’ve had to coordinate the schedules of twenty-two dancers, four musicians, rehearsal spaces, tech crews, and my life as a teacher, while keeping everything straight in my mind. Also, finding a flow for the overall show was a challenge. The body of music that the Vega Quartet is able to play is enormous and I loved it all, so whittling that down to the selections in the concert was very tough. What I will take away from this project is a fortified addiction to beauty and the satisfaction of knowing that I tried something that scared me. It was a dream-come-true to work with such talented musicians. This process has also brought my choreographic interests to light. I know what I want to continue to work on and also what I want to let go of because I have fully satisfied that particular creative interest. Finally, I will take away a stronger relationship with my dancers, a group that I’ve been working with for a long time.

Q: How do you choose your dancers?
A: I feel like I’ve become pickier these days. I am looking for commanding stage presence; someone who, just by standing on stage without moving, can intrigue the audience. I like a technical background so the dancer could release the spine one moment, be on the floor the next, and stand again within seconds. In short, my dancers should be versatile and also musical. What I’m now discovering is that there has to be a willingness to play and experiment in the studio as well has help create a sense of community and camaraderie with the other dancers. Cohesiveness and camaraderie are very important in a process like this one.

Q: How do you think the dance community in Atlanta has changed since you first arrived eight years ago? What are the assets of dance in Atlanta? Where can it grow?
A: The dance community in Atlanta has changed a lot because of Emory students actually. I see many more graduating students choosing to stay in Atlanta and create their own opportunities to perform and make work, which was almost unheard of when I got here. The community is continually growing as graduate students from MFA programs are moving back to Atlanta to dance and many new modern companies are developing. The community needs to grow in the areas of audience development and an overall passion and interest for dance as an art form because I think it’s one of the most underserved disciplines in Atlanta. There is a robust music, opera, and theater-going community, but dance still suffers. Unless you’re the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater or Paul Taylor Dance it is very difficult to sell out a dance performance in Atlanta, even when major companies from New York and around the world come through. Shamefully companies like Bill T. Jones or David Dorfman don’t even sell out because there isn’t enough name recognition. That would be unheard of in any other major city.

Q: What do you find particularly exciting in the global dance scene? Which companies or choreographers do you look to for inspiration?
A: What I’m finding exciting is a return to technical dance and dance that really moves. For a while, since the postmodern movement, lots of choreographers have been experimenting with what dance is and how you define it. In the nineties people were straying away from anything that resembled what we know as dance on stage with the traditional elements of moving bodies on stage and organization of this movement. Instead, dancers and choreographers were more interested in the theatrical side of performance and exploring text and movement. This new return to dancing is due to new voices and new visions emerging from international choreographers who are blending contemporary ballet and modern dance. Some work has substance while some only has visual appeal but, regardless, the choreography is engaging dancers in a new way by asking them to be uber-physical and attentive to their bodies. Right now I’m obsessed with Ohad Naharin from Batsheva Dance Company, the French choreographer Angelin Preljocaj, choreographer Jiri Kylian, and almost anything that Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet does.

Q: Are there any stories from your time teaching at Emory about students that have been deeply impacted by their first experiences with dance?
A: Recent graduate Rose Benavente (C’05) comes to mind immediately. On her first day of school as a freshman, which happened to coincide with my first day at Emory as well, she came up to me and said she really wanted to try dancing and asked if I would let her be an understudy in my piece. She came with no technical training and no aptitude for dance beyond passion and turned into a dance major who was the first to complete an honors thesis in dance. She has since gone on to choreograph and perform around Atlanta. I constantly recite her story to new students so they feel less daunted about the task of jumping into dance. I see students like that quite often. It’s exciting to watch them in courses like “Intro to Dance” as they develop and shed their vulnerabilities. The sad thing is that they have to meld their newfound love of dance with their traditional academic studies at Emory and either justify the blending of the two, or let go of one to follow another. It’s a tough decision for students to make. Seeing them come through the other end of the tunnel when they finally figure out how dance can be a part of their lives is where the excitement lies for me as a teacher.

Q: Just for Fun: What are the top three performance venues around the world where you would love to perform?
A: The first dance performance I’ve ever seen that made me cry was at the Paris Opera. The Chagall artwork, and all the velvet and the beauty of the theater make that my first pick. I would also love to perform at Sadler’s Wells Theatre in London, which is a theater designed specifically for dance. Finally, I would pick the Teatro Massimo in Palermo, Sicily, which has similar styling to the Paris Opera and I also love Sicily.

Edited by Jessica Moore
Communications Coordinator
Arts at Emory

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