By Raven Crosby, Emory Dance Program Office Assistant
George Staib is a faculty member in the Emory Dance Program and one of the choreographers for Emory Dance Company this fall. For his piece, Staib intends to explore the idea of “what can blossom from fragments, remnants and/or unexplored ideas from our pasts.” Staib is taking a “new look at growth and development and trying to assess what to hold firmly in our grasp and what to release.” With social distancing protocols due to COVID-19, Staib has had to redefine how to communicate his ideas without dancers physically interacting with each other. He says “They cannot touch nor they can be close together – so the work needs to speak, for me, in ways that are more reliant on a dancer's singular voice rather than a collective image.” In addition, Staib’s expression of ideas such as “closeness” and “intimacy” are physically amended. Dancers will express intimacy by showing their own vulnerability as individuals. For this piece, Staib has a cast of 12 dancers and believes that this large number will provide a sense of “‘quiet’ and solitary reflection” through simultaneous movements followed by slowly reducing the number of dancers. Staib says his dancers are extraordinary working with his process and have been generous with their creativity and ideas. One thing that he hopes that they take away from Emory Dance Company this semester is knowing that they found the “opportunity inside the restrictions we had to navigate.” Staib wants “us all to rededicate ourselves to the HUMAN experience and find renewed value in closeness with one another. I hope that this experience will yield greater sensitivity to the vibrations we feel from others, celebrate the joys of collaboration, and most importantly – instill hope for what lies ahead."
Staib's piece will be performed for a limited audience at the Emory Student Center in November.
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