Sarah Foster-Sproull is an acclaimed choreographer working in New Zealand and internationally. She is the Artistic Director of Foster Group Dance and was Creative New Zealand’s Choreographic Fellow for 2017-2019. Sarah has choreographic relationships with the Royal New Zealand Ballet, Footnote New Zealand Dance, Tamsyn Russell and DanceBase (Edinburgh), Guangdong Modern Dance Company (China), T.H.E. (Singapore), and VOU (Fiji). To date, her choreographic work has been performed in New Zealand, Singapore, China, Britain, Ireland, Scotland, Canada, and Fiji.

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 125^th 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 May, Sarah will create a new work for the RNZB as part of the Venus Rising programme, sharing the stage with works by Twyla Tharp, Alice Topp and Andrea Schermoly.

Sarah is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Auckland – Dance Studies programme with a research focus on choreography and creative practice. Her choreographic research traverses large scale works for up to 100 performers, to intimate performances involving one or two dancers. In 2019 Sarah premiered new work with Footnote NZ Dance, Guangdong Modern Dance Company (China), and VOU Dance (Fiji) and was 2019’s Director of Choreography at The World of Wearable Art. She also toured her acclaimed choreography Orchids nationally.

In her previous career as a performer, Sarah was a founding dancer and choreographer of The New Zealand Dance Company, and additionally danced for Kiwi legends Douglas Wright, Malia Johnston, Michael Parmenter, and Raewyn Hill. Through her performance career she has travelled to Australia, The Netherlands, Ireland, The United Kingdom, The Middle East, Canada, Germany, Fiji, Japan, Indonesia, and America.

Sarah was born in Dunedin and is now based in Auckland where she runs her company Foster Group Dance, co-directs Trigger Dance (with Sarah Knox). Sarah received her tertiary dance training at the New Zealand School of Dance where she is a distinguished graduate.

Sarah was appointed as Choreographer in Residence with the Royal New Zealand Ballet in 2020.

Subscribe & Save

stories

Meet Sarah Foster-Sproull

Choreographer in Residence Sarah Foster-Sproull is an internationally-renowned choreographer with a close and ongoing relationship with the RNZB.