Sarah Foster-Sproull

Foster-Sproull was born in Dunedin and attended Otago Girl's High School.[1][2] She began dancing at age 6 being taught by Robyn Sinclair at the Dunedin School of Ballet.[1] She went on to attend the New Zealand School of Dance and in 2017 gained a Masters in Dance Studies from the University of Auckland.[2] Her masters thesis was entitled Embodied economies: Locating the ‘prosumer-dancer’ within dancers’ experiences of choreographic practice.[3] As at 2021 Foster-Sproull is undertaking a doctorate in the dance studies programme at the University of Auckland.[4]

During her dancing career Foster-Sproull has performed with Soapbox Productions, the Douglas Wright Dance Company, and the Commotion Company amongst others.[1] Foster-Sproull went on to become a founding member of The New Zealand Dance Company, performing as a dancer as well as choreographing works for that company.[5] In 2008 she performed a role in Parmenter's Tent at the Tempo Dance Festival and was awarded best female performer.[1] In 2015 Foster-Sproull was chosen as one of five choreographers to contribute to the Craft of Embodiment workshop in Canada and also had a residency at the T.H.E Second Company, a dance company in Singapore.[1]

From 2017 to 2019 Foster-Sproull was the Creative New Zealand Choreographic Fellow.[6] In 2018 Foster-Sproull was commissioned by Patricia Barker to choreograph a work to commemorate the 125th anniversary of women’s suffrage in New Zealand.[7] For this commission, Foster-Sproull created Despite The Loss Of Small Detail, and it was this work that began her association with the Royal New Zealand Ballet.[7] Foster-Sproull then went on to create the work Artemis Rising in 2019.[7] This work was produced to honour Abigail Boyle, a Royal New Zealand Ballet Principal who was retiring.[7] Artemis Rising was again performed by the Royal New Zealand Ballet in 2020.[7] Her choreographic work Orchids (2019) produced by her company Foster Group Dance at Circa Theatre and Q Theatre received critical acclaim with an intergeneration group of women dancers; Marianne Schultz, Katie Burton, Rose Philpott, Jahra Wasasala, Joanne Hobern, Tori Manley- Tapu and Ivy Foster.[8][9]

Also in 2019, Foster-Sproull was appointed the Director of Choreography for the 2019 World of Wearable Art performances.[4][2]

As at 2021 she lives in Auckland and is the artistic director of the Foster Group Dance company as well as a senior lecturer in dance studies at the University of Auckland.[2][10] She is also a choreographer in residence at the Royal New Zealand Ballet.[6][11]

She says of creativity: "How you can make art and not think about it critically?"[12]