5 PERFORMANCES
Thursday April 9th 7:30PM (Post-Performance Q&A with the artists)
Friday April 10th 7:30PM (Champagne Night with the artists)
Saturday April 11th 3PM (Pay-What-You-Can Option available)
Saturday April 11th 6PM (Pay-What-You-Can option available/Post-Performance Q&A with the artists)
Sunday April 12th 3PM
ON THE PROGRAM:
SHOUTING DISTANCE (premiere)
TRUTH (premiere)
NOT A DREAM
TICKETS: $25
(Both Saturday Performances are Pay-What-You-Can)
STARR FOSTER DANCE is excited to announce the premiere of SHOUTING DISTANCE, along with the debut of TRUTH and the return of NOT A DREAM. SHOUTING DISTANCE explores the lives of our neighbors- and their neighbors. This new dance-theater work is presented in vignettes, featuring Richmond actor John Mincks as the emcee. This new work will include the full company, along with five guest dance artists from Richmond. Also on the program is the premiere of TRUTH, a new quartet that delves into the balance between truth and deception. In celebration of the upcoming PAGE TO STAGE IV in December 2026, Artistic Director Starrene Foster is bringing back NOT A DREAM, which was inspired by an excerpt from a memoir written by Caitlin McGill.
CASTING
SHOUTING DISTANCE: Sarah Carrington, Roya Baker-Vahdani, Shannon Comerford, Madison Ernstes, Molly Huey (Thursday, Friday, Sunday) Sophia Smith (Saturday), with guests Haley Carney, Alessandra Carter, Danielle Cecile, Molly Goecker, Cassidy Kinney
TRUTH: Sarah Carrington, Roya Baker-Vahdani (Saturday), Shannon Comerford, Madison Ernstes, Molly Huey (Thursday, Friday, Sunday)
NOT A DREAM: Madison Ernstes
SHOUTING DISTANCE GUEST PERFORMERS
Haley Carney (Guest Artist) originally from Woodbridge, Virginia, trained in multiple dance styles at Dance Etc. School of the Arts. She especially enjoys tap and contemporary dance. Haley has performed all over the country, in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, Cherry Blossom Festival, college bowl games, and in state and national competitions. Haley performed as a soloist in many of Dance Etc.’s shows, taking on roles including The Wiz’s Scarecrow, Sleeping Beauty’s Lilac Fairy, and Peter and the Wolf’s Duck. When not at dance, Haley works in the social work field providing services to children with autism.
Danielle Cecile (Guest Artist) grew up dancing. She had the opportunity to train at a multitude of places, including Joffrey Ballet School in NYC. While she was attending Appomattox Regional Governor's School for the Arts, with a focus on dance, she was given the opportunity to intern with MalayaWorks and Johnnie Cruise Mercer/TheREDproject. During her undergrad years, she was a member of Virginia Tech’s Fusion Dance Team and was previously a guest with Starr Foster Dance in 2018. Most recently, Danielle was a part of RVA Dance Collective through Dogtown Dance Theater. This is Danielle’s third time guesting with SFD.
Alessandra Carter (Guest Artist) was born in Houston, Texas where she began dancing at a young age. She began her pre-professional training at Vitacca School for Dance, and by the age of sixteen, she accepted a position as a trainee at the Joffrey Academy in Chicago. Here she performed works by co-founder of the Joffrey Ballet, Gerald Arpino, as well as works by other up-and-coming choreographers like Natasha Adorlee and Mike Tyus. After two years, Alessandra began attending the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School’s Graduate Program for one year where she performed works with the company including ‘The Nutcracker’ and ‘Beauty And The Beast.’ Following her time in Pittsburgh, she joined the Richmond Ballet Studio Company in 2024 where she performed roles in company productions like Ben Stevenson’s ‘Cinderella’ and Ma Cong’s original ‘Pentaptych.’ Alessandra has attended numerous summer intensives including The Dutch National Ballet Academy, The San Francisco Ballet School, and The Boston Ballet School. She now dances with Conflux Dance Theater in Richmond, and continues to perform in freelance productions and projects, alongside instructing in dance at Marianne Kelley’s School of Dance.
Molly Goecker (Guest Artist) a native of the Richmond area, is a recent graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University with a BS in Biology. She started dancing at the age of 2 at Marianne Kelley’s School of Dance, formerly Jessica Morgan's School of Dance. During her time at MKSD, she trained in a variety of styles both competitively and non-competitively and performed in numerous productions. While at VCU, she rekindled her love of dance as a member and officer of The Fan Dance Company, where she gained experience in choreography and performance while building connections with the Richmond dance community. As a lifelong lover of dance and the arts, Molly is honored to share the stage with Starr Foster Dance!
Cassidy Kinney (Guest Artist) grew up in Wisconsin, where she trained at North Shore Dance Studio for 15 years. Following a summer at Interlochen Center for the Arts, she pursued a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance, graduating from George Mason University in 2016. After graduation, she taught dance while interning at the Kennedy Center, kickstarting her love of managing performances and events. Cassidy then moved to New York where she managed tours of performance companies like Ballet Hispanico, Farruquito, Hong Kong Ballet, and Pilobolus. This work allowed for many adventures on the road, even to Norway and Dubai. In a classic pandemic pivot, Cassidy found an adjacent passion in planning corporate events that give back to local nonprofits. She is loving getting to make a difference, while also finding her way back to the stage with Starr Foster Dance.
John Mincks (Guest Artist) is a local actor/writer/musician whose favorite credits include: Scratch in “Witch” (RichmondShakespeare), Jim Fingal in “Lifespan of a Fact” (Chamberlayne Actor’s Theatre), Rick in “Smoke” (Cadence at Firehouse). He would like to thank his wonderful dog, Seaweed and Starr, for thinking of him for this piece.
