Starr Foster’s ‘Submerged’ to stir the soul

Starr Foster built a name for herself in the Richmond dance community years ago. As an adjunct faculty member, Foster welcomes any opportunity to perform.

This Thursday through Saturday, the Starr Foster Dance Project will be performing “Submerged,” a concert including three world premieres, eight professional dancers and a slightly smaller special guest at the Grace Street Theater.

The Commonwealth Times: Can you tell me about the new pieces we’ll be seeing this weekend in “Submerged”?

Starr Foster: One piece I’m super excited about is called “Half-empty.” I choreographed it when I was a student at VCU back in 1995. I was more interested in making dances than graduating at the time. It was actually selected to open the theater following its previous role as a porno theater. We haven’t done it since, so I dusted the cobwebs off of it. It’s a nice piece but since it’s 13 years old, it needed to be reworked. I certainly make different art today. I also have more talented dancers.

CT: How has your choreography or the meaning of the piece changed since 1995?

SF: I still make dances about general, real-life things. It’s not necessarily about a story. Most of my dances seem to be really light and quirky – almost silly with an edge of dark humor – or really dark. I think I always make my dances about real emotion. It’s pretty much more cut and dry than most people think. The cool thing about modern dance is people can interpret it anyway that they want.

We used to do a lot of lecture demonstrations and I would present a dance and tell the audience that it didn’t have a title. I’ve gotten some great titles from some second graders. It’s interesting what other people see.
The only literal dance we’re doing in this show is “Bridge,” which is basically about a game of bridge gone wrong-four women at a card table and four chairs.

CT: My mom would probably be very interested.

SF: We performed it in Rocky Mount, North Carolina and there were these four women in the audience that were bridge partners. They got into an argument and began saying, ‘Marge, that one behaves like you!’ And we ended up talking to them at the reception after the show. It was interesting to see people get so into it. I mean, our dancers are slapping each other around, throwing each other across the table.

Generally the dances are just about loss, which I know is a dark subject, but people really get into it because we’ve all had some kind of pain.

CT: What can you tell me about the overall theme of “Invisible”?

SF: It’s a premiere and we have a film set behind it. Doug Hayes, our film director, has been filming the sunrise and sunsets in Richmond for four weeks now. I got this e-mail, “I got a meteorite on film!” He was pretty excited.

The documentary called “Bridge” can be viewed online. Not to be confused with the piece I wrote, this one was done by an independent film maker who filmed the Golden Gate Bridge from two different locations and documented two dozen suicides, actually stopping a few. It’s a really intriguing, not-for-the-squeamish documentary. It basically focuses on how these people are standing on the edge of the bridge with all these people walking by since it’s such a tourist-infested area and no one is doing anything. Haunting, really.

So, “Invisible” is basically about how troubled people go unnoticed because we’re so busy with our everyday lives. You get caught up in your own world and forget about those that are important to you. I’m really excited about the giant projection screen, which we’ll be using to go with the dance.

CT: Tell me about more dances!

SF: Unlike my last piece, “Heroine,” which featured around twenty extra dancers, I’ve been feeling pretty relaxed about the days leading up to the first showing and I think that’s due in large part to the fact that we have so much less to worry about-costumes, dancers, communication. It’s a pure company show. The only non-company member we have is a 9-year-old little girl who we feature in one dance.

CT: As far as your company goes, how long have you been with the newest member of the company?

SF: I’m doing a piece called “Crushed” for Melanie Cash who just started working with me in May. She’s lovely in this short little number.

CT: Is it about being crushed by a love interest or a refrigerator?

SF: Not literally crushed. It’s about being heart-broken. I try to not do marathon dance concerts. It’s difficult for me at least, to sit for an hour and a half or two hours watching dance. I don’t want to give the audience too much information, especially when I’m doing a concert with more than one idea.

CT: I’m pretty A.D.D. myself. Thanks for that. You’re doing another older piece as well, correct?

SF: We’re doing “1943” again. My grandma, who is a Holocaust survivor, shared a wealth of stories about her experience. It was choreographed all from memory of her stories. It can be hard to connect the dots because her age. She’ll talk about this situation or that and I’ve only recently been able to put together a time line. She was one of seven kids and they all survived. She used to make ply wood as a 16-year-old girl in the camps and was sent from one place to another. It’s amazing they all survived. The dance is mainly about family and the treatment and shipment of the prisoners.

Our lighting designer Robin Jones does a phenomenal job with this piece.

The dance calls for a little kid, my dancer Maya Winkey’s nine-year-old daughter Nadya. It’s great having a little person on stage. We have to be careful about what we say though. “Potty mouth! Potty mouth!” There’s a beauty and awkwardness about the way a kid moves. She’s gotten good training so far.

CT: Anything else you’d like to add?

SF: It’s been a long process and I am really glad I have these women who believe in my vision so I can make my art. I teach and pay my bills and hopefully inspire people. It’s really nice to be able to have time to make my art and have eight people show up to rehearsals. They’re there and they want to work and like to work. This particular concert is really strong and we felt so good by the end of our last rehearsal so we feel great going into this. I’m extraordinarily thankful that they’re here.