George Staib’s impulse to form staibdance was driven by a spirit of investigation and an overwhelming need to create. In 2005, Staib and a group of dancers created and presented original pieces, and as performance opportunities increased, staibdance incorporated in 2007, growing to include workshops and educational programming.

The staibdance summer intensive in Sorrento, Italy was created in 2010, expanding the mission to include cultural and international exchange. Simultaneously, in efforts to engage the growing roster of dancers relocating to Atlanta, week-long summer intensive workshops began in 2011. The first workshop was filled to capacity and has since been a meeting point for movement artists from across the country. The company gained momentum with increased commissions and was often produced by the American College Dance Association (ACDA), and by 2014, international commissions, along with a teaching residency in Sweden, were offered to Staib and the company.

In 2014 staibdance became a 501(c)3 contemporary dance company, consistently producing original work, and annually offering workshops and educational programming. The successful premiere of "Attic" in 2015 brought Staib critical acclaim for his innovative movement combined with energized tension and nuanced virtuosity of the dancers. With the premiere of "Moat" in 2016, Staib’s stature as a choreographer became more elevated with ArtsATL writing: “the piece demonstrates how Staib’s relentless inquiry and rigor brought out the best in many of the city’s finest contemporary dancers, and managed to elevate the standards for local dance.” In 2017, "wishdust" premiered with sold-out performances and was recognized by ArtsATL as “one of the most powerful and thoughtfully conceived dance works presented in Atlanta this year.”

Significant highlights marking staibdance’s continued growth:

2018 - “The Rite of Spring” with Maestro Robert Spano and Pianist Elena Cholakova premiered, featuring original choreography by George Staib & Sarah Hillmer. ArtsATL named it the most outstanding dance collaboration of the year.
2019 - “fence” premiered, funded by New England Foundation for the Arts, named as a “challenging, important new work” by ArtsATL and “deeply affecting and rhetorically expressive” by Art Papers.
2020 - Launched a podcast series titled Secret Architecture: the process of process, featuring art makers and art presenters in dialogue about issues of interpretation, history, and art-making. Named by Welp Magazine, London as one of the top 20 new podcasts.
2021 - Inaugurated Atlanta's first ever multi-cultural dance festival - (MC)2: a week-long event of 22 classes, 2 performances, 2 community conversations, engaging 12 of Atlanta’s preeminent cultural dance groups, all free to the public. The bi-annual festival returned in June 2023.
2021 & 2022 - Toured “fence” to Alabama Dance Festival (Birmingham, AL), Oxford College (Oxford, GA), Temple University (Philadelphia, PA), and Florida State University (Tallahassee, FL).
2022 - Launched (MC)2: Meaning and Movement, a docuseries - sharing the stories of Atlanta’s dynamic cultural artists to over 12,000+ online viewers and interactions.
2023 - “fence” was presented by American Dance Festival as part of their 90th anniversary season.
2023 - staibdance became the inaugural company of the High Museum’s Dance Lab initiative, offering museum-goers an inside look at the creation process for ARARAT.
2024 - “Dido and Aeneas”, created in collaboration with the Atlanta Baroque Orchestra, was presented at the Glenn Memorial Chapel and Spivey Hall.
2024 - “ARARAT” premiered, a new multi-media work considering the history and resilience of the Armenian people.

staibdance has been recognized and awarded funding by:

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
Fulton County Arts & Culture
Georgia Council for the Arts
The Latham Foundation
The National Endowment for the Arts
The New England Foundation for the Arts
New Music USA
South Arts
Tri-M Foundation
The Vail Family Foundation