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Thursday, July 17, 2014

Let's get LIFTed with Daryl Foster



Daryl L. Foster Founded LIFT in 2009 with local dance artist Terry Slade. The first showcase premiered on May 15th 2010. Foster currently is the sole artistic director of LIFT, and runs the company as a collective of choreographers, photographers, dancers, and other artist dedicated to the mission of LIFT. The work of LIFT is based on 6 pillars of manhood: Community, Masculinity, Sexuality, Spirituality, Politics and Family. The art is produced on these ideals with the purpose of developing strong male artists, and removing negative stigmas surrounding male dancers. 2014 will be a monumental year for Foster, and for LIFT. As LIFT prepares for its 5th season Mr. Foster celebrates his 20th anniversary as a Dance artist. He began seriously pursuing the art of dance at the age of 18 at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa where he is from. Mr. Foster would eventually finish the University of Alabama with a BA in Dance and English and move to Ohio to dance with the Dayton Contemporary Dance Company. Over the past 20 years he has worked continuously as a teacher, choreographer, dancer, and arts administrator. In 2005 Mr. Foster graduated from The Florida State University with an MFA in Dance, and moved to Atlanta in 2006 where he has worked on the dance faculties of Kennesaw State University, Spelman College, Agnes Scott College, and the Dance Faculty at The University of Georgia. This year LIFT will add a six-man dance company to its annual season. This is an exciting move towards full realization of the LIFT artistic vision. Daryl, is currently the director of the Scholarship programs at Gotta Dance Atlanta. 


I met Daryl almost 8 years ago at Spelman College. It might be strange, but I think I remember the very first time I saw him! Spelman Dance Theatre was rehearsing for one of our concerts and he came in with Trent Williams, who is an AMAZING dancer and technician. A few months later he was one of my professors! Daryl's vibrant, unapologetic, creative energy beams off of him; when you meet him he is the same as if you've known him for 8 years. One thing I've always respected about Daryl is his business mind and this mind has carried him to the widely know Alliance Theatre on this 5th year of presenting Lift. What an awesome journey this must have been! I sat down to talk with the brains behind Lift....real questions for a real person and OF COURSE I got real answers! There is an overload of invaluable advice and material from Daryl that I was not able to add to this video blog, but I'll say this....if you ever get a chance to sit and talk with Daryl please do so. He's an awesome person and I thank him for what he's done for me in my career! I hope you enjoy the video and please visit mendancelife.com to purchase your tickets for next week's show!!!!


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