fence runs October 3-6, 2019 in the dance studio of the Schwartz Center for Performing Arts. Tickets are available at tickets.arts.emory.edu or 404-727-5050.
By Raven Crosby, Emory Dance Office Assistant
Note: Quotes have been edited for length and clarity.
On Thursday October 3, 2019, at approximately 7:30p.m., dancers will take their places for the world premiere of fence, choreographed by George Staib and performed by his company, staibdance. This work is the fourth in Staib’s four-year unofficial saga of pieces that depict instances from his childhood in Iran and his experiences as a first-generation Armenian-American.
Fence is a journey into a messy world of power struggles and dismissed histories, and an examination of how "otherness" can rob our power or become its source. Staib's intensely physical movement vocabulary bonds with traditional Iranian dance, exploring unrest felt personally and globally. Through rich and compelling collaborations with musicians; composers; and scenic, lighting and digital designers; audiences become woven into the work, giving shape to the conversation around what takes your power and what gives you power.
I had the opportunity to interview Staib and ask him questions about the process of creating fence, his choreographic process, and his experience with intense collaboration.
In fence, the audience can expect to see digital projection, original music, set pieces, dramaturgy, brilliant lighting, and made-to-measure costumes. fence is the first piece of Staib’s that has been intensively collaborative and as he describes, “...not one decision was made without all collaborators chiming in.”
When asked the impact of cultivating a technically collaborative piece on portraying the personal story of his childhood, Staib responded by saying “The collaborators took the original story and abstracted it to such a degree that we believe there is space for viewers to insert themselves into the experience.” Staib described the collaborative experience as being phenomenal for himself and everyone else involved. He went on to state that “Having the time and space to meet and talk – experiment and play, has meant everything. It was a joy for us all to “respond” to what others brought to the table and also trust that our choices were thoughtful and intentional. Not one element works autonomously – there is agreement within the framework of fence and space for ideas to swirl in compelling ways.”
Alongside Staib’s movement quality, described as intensely physical and technical, fence will display elements of explosiveness, tenderness, and weighted movements. Drawing from the inspiration of memory and intimacy forming from specific life events, Staib explores how the kernel of an idea plants itself in other bodies and later merges with their histories.
Staib, who sees movement as a projection of the internal self, believes that this is only achievable when the brain is able to step out of the way. Dancers must access their internal drive, and be okay with whatever comes out. When this agreement occurs, Staib believes that dancers can be more connected to impulses, and train away judgement, analysis, description, and narrative and authentically move.
Staib is less interested in what the dancer does and is deeply interested in how the dancer commits to the material. He has shifted from creating works that suggest a deeper meaning, but still values that there is something always beneath the surface. As for the audience experience, Staib hopes that his works “...will wash over them, connect viscerally, and invite introspection as well as an opportunity to connect their own journey.”
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