Sarah Foster-Sproull

Sarah Foster Sproull is an acclaimed choreographer working in New Zealand and internationally. She is an Associate Professor in Dance Studies at the University of Auckland, Artistic Director of Foster Group Dance funded by Creative New Zealand, and was appointed Choreographer in Residence at the Royal New Zealand Ballet in 2020. Sarah has been a Resident Fellow at the Centre for Ballet and the Arts at New York University (2021), and a session choreographer for the New York Choreographic Institute (2020 & 2023) affiliated with the New York City Ballet. She has staged her choreographic work internationally in the United States, United Kingdom, China, Fiji and Singapore, and throughout Aotearoa New Zealand. Sarah holds a PhD in Dance Studies with a focus on contemporary choreographic practice, which won the University of Auckland Vice Chancellors Prize for Best Doctoral Thesis (2024). In 2025 she won the Research Impact Award at the University of Auckland for her choreography in new ballet. Additionally to her choreographic practice, Sarah is involved in arts advocacy research through Horizon Europe funded dialoguing@rts: Advancing Cultural Literacy through Dialogical Arts Education (2024-2027). Sarah is currently living in New York City until June 2026, where she is developing and researching new ballet as a Visiting Scholar at Tisch Dance, New York University.

Sarah began her choreographic association with the Royal New Zealand Ballet with Despite The Loss Of Small Detail, one of a quartet of new works by international women choreographers commissioned by former RNZB Artistic Director Patricia Barker for the 2018 Strength & Grace programme, commemorating the 125th anniversary of women’s suffrage in New Zealand. In 2019 she created Artemis Rising for the RNZB’s Choreographic Series, in honour of retiring RNZB Principal Abigail Boyle. Artemis Rising is revived in 2020 as part of the RNZB’s Tutus on Tour. In 2024, Sarah created To Hold for the RNZB as part of the Solace programme, sharing the stage with works by Sir Wayne McGregor and Alice Topp.

In her previous career as a performer, Sarah was a founding dancer and choreographer of The New Zealand Dance Company, and additionally danced for New Zealand choreographic legends Douglas Wright, Malia Johnston and Michael Parmenter. Sarah received her tertiary dance training at the New Zealand School of Dance where she is a distinguished graduate.