Staibdance Summer Intensive in Italy

Dive into the poetry of physicality and the elegance of athleticism in this two-week immersive program with world-renowned faculty.

Program Dates: July 11-25, 2026

Click to Apply

Scroll below to view class schedule, faculty, and tuition rates.
Questions? Please contact italyprogram@staibdance.com.

OUr Mission

The staibdance summer intensive in Sorrento, Italy, serves as a meeting place for emerging and established movement artists from across the globe. Participants are encouraged to create collaboratively, embrace spontaneity, build foundations for life-long connections, and hone authentic, unique voices. The intensive is a source for personalized attention and provides individuals time and space for infinite growth as artists. Together, participants merge with the history, customs, and warmth of the region, celebrating cultural exchange.

Hear from past Attendees

“I am continuously blown away by the intimacy of this program. staibdance fosters a community of faculty and staff that lead with kindness and knowledge.”
“The spaces created by the teachers made it easy to be my authentic self, take risks without fear of judgement, and see my mistakes as part of the process not imperfections.”
“I am beginning to look at myself and my dancing in a new light, one that represents me rather than some expectation I am hoping to achieve.”
“I was able to access parts of my body that I haven’t before.”
“For those two weeks, I was fully present in the moment, focused on movement and connection and following my dreams.”
“This intensive felt like falling back in love with dance.”

Watch interviews with past attendees

2026 program faculty

staibdance Artistic Director
staibdance Summer Intensive in Italy, Program Director
Born in Tehran, Iran, **George Staib** is of Armenian descent and has been living in the United States since the age of ten. He began his dance training at Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania in conjunction with the Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet, then went on to earn an MFA in dance and choreography from Temple University. Company credits include: Ann Vachon/Dance Conduit, Coriolis Dance Company, Gathering Wild Dance Company, and Paula Kellinger and Dancers. In addition, the fall of 2006 provided Staib the opportunity to perform with the José Limón Dance Company as a guest artist in their re-creation of Missa Brevis.
In 2001 Staib joined the dance faculty at Emory University where he teaches contemporary and ballet techniques, choreography, and a seminar created to examine the impetus and practice of consuming and making art. He serves as an adjudicator for and was an 18 year member of the executive committee for the American College Dance Association, and currently serves as a member of the Board of Trustees for Dance/USA. Since relocating to Atlanta, GA, Staib's work and teaching have been commissioned across the United States resulting in his recognition by Dance Teacher Magazine in 2014 as one of the top five dance educators in the country. As added service to the field, Staib is a contributing writer and critic for ArtsATL.
Staib is a two-time recipient of Emory’s prestigious Winship Award, taking him to Tel Aviv in 2011 to study Gaga, release technique with Iris Enez, and Jerusalem to conduct choreographic workshops. In 2016, Staib and the company were invited to Stockholm to perform and teach at Södra Latins and BalletAkadamien, and subsequently created new work for Saraceno Dance.
Since the founding of staibdance, he and the company have been awarded funding from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, City of Atlanta Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs, Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta, The Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, Emory University Research Committee, The Latham Foundation, The National Endowment for the Arts, The New England Foundation for the Arts, South Arts and The Vail Family Foundation.
In addition, staibdance curated and produced the first-ever Atlanta Multicultural Dance Festival, created a summer intensive in Sorrento, Italy, now in its 12th year and hosted a 10-part podcast series titled Secret Architecture: the process of process, that features culturally based artists from across the country.
Staib’s most recent accomplishments include promotion to the rank of Professor of Practice at Emory University, engagement as an educator with ImmerseATL, recognition by the Atlanta Regional Commission as an Arts Leader of Metro Atlanta, and in the summer of 2022, Staib served as a faculty member and choreographer for the American Dance Festival in Durham, NC.
*photo by Daylilies Photography*

Class: Composition & staibdance REP
Dive deep into co-creating dramatic material which has the capacity to tell divergent stories. In composition classes we will work from spontaneity to generate vocabulary that is later augmented with meaningful physicality and powerful nuance.

**Anna Bracewell** is an Atlanta based dance artist. She was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia and began her dance training at an early age at Decatur School of Ballet. While continuing her classical training at DSOB, she trained, and went on to graduate from, DeKalb School of the Arts where she studied under the legendary Pamala Jones-Malave. Anna later received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance from the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia. Since 2012, she has had the deep pleasure of being a member of staibdance, under the direction of George Staib, where she is a dancer, collaborator and teacher. Anna was also a member of Core Dance from 2012-2020. As a Dance Artist with Core Dance she has performed in theaters, museums, public spaces, and festivals across the United States, France, Spain and Israel. In her time with the company, Anna has had the opportunity to move and create original works with notable artists such as Niv Sheinfeld & Oren Laor (Tel Aviv), Germana Civera (France/Spain), Frank van de Ven (Amsterdam), Amanda K. Miller (Germany/U.S.), Isabelle Saulle & Adolfo Vargas (France), Leslie Scates (U.S.), D. Patton White, Lori Teague and Sue Schroeder (U.S.). In addition to her collaborations with Core Dance, Anna is able to practice her work with outreach through the Dynamic X-Change Healing Arts Program in pursuit to ignite the creative spirit and actively encourage participation and conversation by and with communities.
In her years of dancing professionally in Atlanta, Anna has also created and collaborated with local artists Blake Beckham (The Lucky Penny), Joshua Rackliffe, Erik Thurmond and Catellier Dance Projects!.
Anna was recognized as “Best Dancer” in Atlanta by ArtsATL.org in 2018 and has been internationally recognized in her collaborative work with: Association Manifeste (Toulouse, France) in which she performed in several public corner spaces across France and the U.S., and in her work with Niv Sheinfeld and Oren Laor performed in Tel Aviv, Israel.
*photo by Daylilies Photography*

Class: Improvisation

Live in a world of paradoxes as you explode into chaos and organization. Release your mind by being hyper aware and thoughtless. Encounter the wellspring of inspiration that comes from fatigue and frustration. Break the rules - make new ones.

Sarah Hillmer has 20+ years of experience in the professional dance world as a dancer, rehearsal director, assistant to choreographers, stager, educator, creator and arts administrator.

Her company credits include the Atlanta Ballet, glo - as a founding member, and staibdance. Sarah served as a Rehearsal Director at the Atlanta Ballet from 2013-2019 where artistic relationships with Twyla Tharp and Helen Pickett were forged. Sarah staged work for Twyla Tharp at Royal Winnipeg Ballet & Atlanta Ballet, and her work as a stager and assistant for Helen Pickett have taken her to Alberta Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, Boston Ballet, Dutch National Ballet, Kansas City Ballet, New York Theatre Ballet, Oklahoma City Ballet, Pennsylvania Ballet, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, Scottish Ballet, Smuin Ballet, UArts and UNCSA.

Sarah is the Founder & Director of ImmerseATL, a training & mentorship program that serves dancers at pivotal stages in their ever-evolving journey as artists through the Artist Program and the ImmerseATL Collective.

As a choreographer, Sarah has been commissioned to create work for Atlanta Ballet’s Wabi Sabi, Backside of the Tent Productions, Emory Dance Company and Admix Project. Sarah has been a co-collaborator with George Staib on two productions; fence in 2019, which was funded by a grant from the New England Foundation for the Arts, National Dance Project, and Dido & Aeneas in 2023, a collaboration with the Atlanta Baroque Orchestra.

As an arts administrator, Sarah currently serves as staibdance’s Executive Director. During her 5-year tenure she has planned and managed 6 national tours, 2 world premieres, annual workshops, an annual 2-week summer intensive in Sorrento, Italy, (MC)2-Atlanta’s first multi-cultural dance festival, as well as a docuseries based on (MC)2 and a podcast series, Secret Architecture: the process of process.

Additionally, Sarah serves as Business Operations Manager for Windmill Arts, an organization dedicated to the advancement of new work in the arts.
sarahjhillmer.com

photo by Daylilies Photography

Class: Contemporary Ballet
A ballet class that hints at tradition while embracing 21st century newness and relevance. Unbridle what you think you know and discover the joys of being fully present and deeply physical inside a unique movement vocabulary designed to literally and figuratively stretch beyond the familiar.

**Monique Jonas** began dancing with the Chance to Dance programme before training at the Arts Educational Schools London. She completed her training at Rambert School, and received her Masters Degree from The London Contemporary Dance School 2017.
Monique recently played the role of Juliet in Mathew Bourne’s Romeo and Juliet, which toured internationally in 2024. She joined New Adventures in 2019 and has performed across multiple productions in that time. She, however, started her career with Richard Alston Dance Company as an apprentice in 2016 and toured extensively, both nationally and internationally with RADC, until their final performance in 2020.
Additionally Monique founded her own dance company, Jona Dance in 2019. She has been choreographing, movement directing, teaching and producing work both online and in person. Jona Dance have created for Ballet Black, Miller Harris, Reebok and London Fashion Week to name a few. She premiered her work **FLOCK** on ENBS at the Peacock Theatre in 2023, **Within Each Border** in Barcelona in 2025 and a full length work called **Recollections** on London Contemporary Dance School at The Place Theatre, London in 2025 amongst others. She most recently movement directed for Edem Wornoo’s Sci-fi - fantasy short film **End Of Play** which premiered in 2025.
Monique is also a guest artist with Chance to Dance at The Royal Ballet and Opera, a guest contemporary tutor at London Contemporary Dance School, Fabric CAT, Laban CAT, English National Ballet’s Ballet Futures, Artistry Youth Dance and more.
Over the years, Monique has worked with Rambert Dance Company, Dickson Mbi, Ben Duke, Agudo Dance, Vidya Patel, Clod Ensemble and commercially on the Brit Awards (2021) BBC Drama; The Pursuit of Love (2021), The Marvels (Disney 2023), The REGIME (HBO, 2024) Jamie Cullum, Kae Tempest, and Kylie Minogue.
*photo by Gaby Conn Photos*

Class: Contemporary
Diasporic dances merge with western traditions compounding into intricate, rhythmic and detailed movement studies. The interplay between stillness and polyrhythmic movement are explored via layering movement that challenge both the mind and body.

**Oliver Robertson** (He/Him) is a movement artist, researcher and practitioner currently based in Geneva, Switzerland. Interested in contemporary floorwork, Oliver’s movement style takes inspiration from martial arts, capoeira, breakdance and acrobatics, and more specifically how the combination of these can create unique ways of moving that no longer fall into any of these boxes.
Since graduating Northern School of Contemporary Dance in 2019, Oliver gained his MA whilst on a placement program with James Wilton Dance company, performing multiple full length works across Europe. Continuing his work with James Wilton Dance where he has taken the role of Education Manager, teaching workshops to schools, universities and dance companies across the UK and European countries such as Italy, Germany, Sweden & Romania. Aside from teaching, Oliver has danced for music artist Fred Again as part of his US tour visuals, toured Ireland with Roisin Whelan Dance and choreographed his own commissions for Youth Academies and Dance Companies across the UK.

Class: Floorwork
Beginning from a foundation of strength and support and deriving comfort when going upside down, short phrases are developed to focus on efficiency into and out of the floor. A variety of complexity levels will be demonstrated and experienced for acrobatic movements, with the goal of moving beyond current maximums.

**Victor Rottier**, originally from the Netherlands, graduated from the Artez School of Arts in Arnhem and works across Europe as a dancer, choreographer, rehearsal director, and educator.
From 2014 to 2018, he danced with the Staatstheater Kassel, performing in works by Johannes Wieland, Hofesh Shechter, Maxine Doyle, Tom Weinberger, and Helder Seabra. He remained with the company as rehearsal director until 2021. In 2022, he worked as a choreographic assistant at the Staatstheater Braunschweig and assisted Johannes Wieland for his production at the Landestheater Linz. Alongside his institutional work, Victor has been active in the independent dance scene, contributing to productions by Maura Morales, Shumpei Nemoto, Guy & Roni, and collaborating with Sebastian Zuber and Panorama Dance Theater.
Victor develops his own choreographic work and is a co-founder of Greywax Dance Company, where he helps shape the company’s artistic direction. Recent creations include Greywax 140 (2023) and Echoes of Applause (2024). His work also extends to opera, musical theater, and dance film. Additional collaborations include Grain of Thought with Angela Demattè, presented at Laboratoire Suisse de la Danse in Bern, and a piece created with Laja Field for the University of Utah in Los Angeles.
As an educator, Victor regularly teaches contemporary dance at festivals and for professional companies.
Since November 2024, he has held a full-time position as choreographic assistant and rehearsal director at Luzerner Theater.
Learn more at victorrottier.org
*photo by Zhiyelun Qi*

Class: Contemporary
This class is designed to create a balance between working hard and smart through technical and physical approaches. The session is packed with improvisation, set material, and analytical tasks. We will take time to run, fly, jump, dive, fall, and get up to keep going. This class is aimed to make you think, sweat and groove to hand-picked tunes and space filling phrases.

**Gavriel Spitzer** graduated from the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance in 2000 and was a dancer with the Batsheva Ensemble and the Batsheva Dance Company from 2000-2008. In 2009 Gavriel joined Suzanne Dellal productions, working with choreographers Barak Marshall and Renana Raz. He has been a member of the Gaga teaching staff since 2002, teaching both Gaga and repertoire by Ohad Naharin both in Israel and abroad. Gavriel has also been the stage manager of the Batsheva Ensemble since 2012 and in 2019 became the Ensemble's rehearsal director. Gavriel was one of the teachers at the Ido Portal Israel facility and has been a therapist in the Ilan Lev method since 2008.
*photo by Ascaf Abraham*

Class: Contemporary and Gaga
Reconnect to your inner animal by rediscovering natural, human movement patternings, while connecting to strength and lightness. Dancers are encouraged to abandon traditional clarity for the sake of finding individuality.

SCHEDULE
Program Dates: July 11-25

Saturday, July 11
Welcome reception at Hotel Montana overlooking the Bay of Naples and Mount Vesuvius

Sunday, July 12 - Wednesday, July 15
Classes

Thursday, July 16
FREE DAY to explore the Amalfi coast
Optional excursion curated by staibdance: Private boat tour to Positano
Additional self-organized excursions include: Capri, Positano, Pompeii, Sorrento, Herculaneum, Mt. Vesuvius, and Naples

Friday, July 17 - Monday, July 20
Classes

Tuesday, July 21
Group beach excursion to Conca Del Sogno Beach Club
Transportation, entrance to the beach, sun beds, umbrellas, and lunch included

Wednesday, July 22 - Saturday, July 25
Classes

Saturday, July 25
Public performance at Sant'Agata's central piazza

Sunday, July 26
Hotel checkout & departure

TUITION

Full Tuition: $3,550 (Applications received between March 21 - April 10)
Early Bird Tuition: $3,275 (Applications received between January 6 - March 20)

Tuition includes:

12 days of intensive study; 3 classes and rehearsals daily

15 nights accommodation at the 4-star Hotel Montana - Double, Triple or Quad room, private bath, air conditioning
Full breakfast and dinner daily at the Hotel Montana
Group beach excursion
1 outdoor performance in Sant'Agata's central piazza
Round trip airport transportation by private bus and car

Please Note:

Tuition does not include airfare, lunches, or alternative travel arrangements
Space is limited, and spots will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis
A non-refundable deposit of $750 is due within 3 weeks of acceptance
Applications require a $25 processing fee