Haily Foster | Photo by Cathryn Farnsworth

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Born and raised in Sacramento, California, Haily Foster discovered a raging passion for dance at the age of seven, intrigued by the sparkling, glittery costumes and the eyeshadow. She trained at the Elite Studio of Dance and the Northern California Dance Conservatory in many genres of dance while maintaining a keen interest in classical ballet, and love of the blisters from her Russian pointe shoes. Her interests also began to include investigating and contradicting what it means to disrupt how we define dance and choreography.

At the USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance, Haily is a Presidential Scholar. She trains extensively in black social dance forms such as jazz, house and whacking, and continues her training in ballet, musical theater and Countertechnique. She has performed repertory by choreographers such as William Forsythe, Ohad Naharin, Jiří Kylián, Justin Peck, Peter Chu, Bret Easterling and Penny Saunders. During the pandemic, she had time to explore a passion for movement composition in unconventional spaces, as every square inch of her house became a stage and a dance studio.

As a multi-faceted dancer and conceptual performance artist, Haily explores unconventional ways to express ideas and experiences through finding comfort in the uncomfortable. She plans to create an entrepreneurial platform based on producing events that create a collaborative environment between artists of different mediums. The goal is testifying about what we identify and quantify as dance, art and choreography. Isn’t everything dance? In April 2022, Haily directed, produced and choreographed JANUS, an interactive, multimedia dance and performance art exhibition using spaces throughout her home in Los Angeles, California. She worked collaboratively with artists in different mediums to explore themes of mental health and its effects on the human condition.

Haily Foster | Photo by Nathan Carlson

Haily Foster | Photo by Nathan Carlson

*This performance reel requires a password. Please contact Elliott Scher at elliotms@usc.edu for access.