Who We Are
Urban Jazz Dance Company:
Founded in 2007 by pioneering Deaf dancer/choreographer Antoine Hunter, Urban Jazz Dance Company (Deaf Lead Business) consists of a mix of professional Deaf and Hearing dancers. UJDC's mission is to provide opportunities for Deaf and other-abled artists to contribute to the arts and larger society, increasing awareness around Deaf issues via the performing arts. Featuring the syncopation of urban jazz rhythms, the company values the importance of play and performance to connect cultures of all races, ages, abilities, and backgrounds. UJD performs all over the Bay Area and beyond, including at festivals, such as at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Black Choreographers Festival, CubaCaribe Festival, Art and Soul Festival, DeafNation, DisneyLand Disney's Signin' in the Street, Oregon Shakespeare festival"s Green Show, and the Ethnic Dance Festival. Its programs thrill Deaf and Hearing audiences alike. UJD is also the producer of the annual Bay Area International Deaf Dance Festival and views Deafness as a human experience with its own values, principles, and cultural norms – not a disability.
Urban Jazz Dance Company in the Community:
As a former Bay Area Black Deaf Advocate President and Northern California Association of Deaf Director At Large, my company uses the artistic talents of our company members to educate audiences about what going on in the world; empowering the deaf community, advocating for deaf rights, women rights, disability rights and working to eliminate discrimination, prejudice, and more. We also use dance as an expression of healing after many types of abuse. Visit centers, Children Schools, University plus State College and even Seniors homes. We host educational and pure entertainment shows at the California School for the Deaf in Fremont and Riverside, along with many other hearing schools, and perform and offer workshops in London, Italy, Mexico, Peru, Africa, and all over USA. We also host an annual show at the Bay Area Deaf International Dance Festival in San Francisco, Ca to create platform for wonderful Deaf Culture inside Deaf Culture.
- Director Antoine Hunter
Founded in 2007 by pioneering Deaf dancer/choreographer Antoine Hunter, Urban Jazz Dance Company (Deaf Lead Business) consists of a mix of professional Deaf and Hearing dancers. UJDC's mission is to provide opportunities for Deaf and other-abled artists to contribute to the arts and larger society, increasing awareness around Deaf issues via the performing arts. Featuring the syncopation of urban jazz rhythms, the company values the importance of play and performance to connect cultures of all races, ages, abilities, and backgrounds. UJD performs all over the Bay Area and beyond, including at festivals, such as at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Black Choreographers Festival, CubaCaribe Festival, Art and Soul Festival, DeafNation, DisneyLand Disney's Signin' in the Street, Oregon Shakespeare festival"s Green Show, and the Ethnic Dance Festival. Its programs thrill Deaf and Hearing audiences alike. UJD is also the producer of the annual Bay Area International Deaf Dance Festival and views Deafness as a human experience with its own values, principles, and cultural norms – not a disability.
Urban Jazz Dance Company in the Community:
As a former Bay Area Black Deaf Advocate President and Northern California Association of Deaf Director At Large, my company uses the artistic talents of our company members to educate audiences about what going on in the world; empowering the deaf community, advocating for deaf rights, women rights, disability rights and working to eliminate discrimination, prejudice, and more. We also use dance as an expression of healing after many types of abuse. Visit centers, Children Schools, University plus State College and even Seniors homes. We host educational and pure entertainment shows at the California School for the Deaf in Fremont and Riverside, along with many other hearing schools, and perform and offer workshops in London, Italy, Mexico, Peru, Africa, and all over USA. We also host an annual show at the Bay Area Deaf International Dance Festival in San Francisco, Ca to create platform for wonderful Deaf Culture inside Deaf Culture.
- Director Antoine Hunter
