photo credit: Barbara Shore
STARRENE FOSTER; ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
A Richmond native, Starrene Foster, is a choreographer, dance educator and the Artistic Director of Starr Foster Dance. Starrene has been honored to be the recipient of Theresa Pollak Award for Artistic Excellence, Choreographer of the Year by RVA Dance Awards, Richmond’s Most Prestigious 25 Arts Innovators, Style Weekly’s The Top 40 under 40, and the VCU Star Alumni Award, where she is in her 26th year of teaching in the Department of Dance and Choreography. Starr Foster Dance has been thrilled to be recognized as “2024 Best Professional Dance Company of the Year” by the Virginia Dance Awards, the Best Dance Company in Richmond's Style Weekly Magazine Readers Choice Award issue for consecutive years, and featured on PBS Virginia Currents. Starrene has received grants from CultureWorks RVA, the Virginia Council for the Arts, and many commissions for new dance works from universities and various dance companies. She guest teaches throughout the country and her choreography has been presented nationally including ShortNorthStage (OH), The Philadelphia Fringe Festival (PA), The New Albany Dance Festival (OH), The Jack Guidone Theatre (DC), SUNY Buffalo (NY), The New World School (FL), Old Dominion University (VA), Cornell University (NY), James Madison University (VA), Dance Charlotte (NC), The Goose Route Dance Festival (WV), the Demetrius Klein Dance Festival (FL), Scranton Cultural Arts Center (PA), Baltimore Theatre Project (MD), The Lorton Workhouse (DC), International Festival of Music, Big River Dance Festival (WV), Scranton Fringe Festival (PA), Stockton University (NJ), The Richmond Ballet, University of Richmond, and the Festival of Choreography (NC). As a dancer, Starrene trained under many dance greats and has had the pleasure of performing works by Mark Taylor, Doug Varone, Sharon Kinney, Ronald K. Brown, Mark Dendy, Pewan Chow (Hong Kong), and Raul Parro (Mexico). In addition to her work with concert dance, Starrene has choreographed for commercials, music videos, and musical theatre. Starrene is an advocate for enriching the world with more art and has dedicated her life to collaborating with all types of artists and mentoring young artists. Starrene continues teaching at VCU and is also on faculty at Central Virginia Dance Academy.
