Performing in the 2019 Green Show on Friday, July 19

This is their fourth season at the OSF Green Show

Deaf, artistic, raw-energy, FREEDOM-expressed, athletic-bODied, UNCONTROLLABLE, PASSIONATE dancers

Founded in 2007 by pioneering Deaf dancer/choreographer Antoine Hunter, Urban Jazz Dance Company 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. UJDC performs all over the Bay Area and beyond, including at festivals, such as at the Black Choreographers Festival, CubaCaribe Festival, Art and Soul Festival, and the Ethnic Dance Festival. Its programs thrill Deaf and Hearing audiences alike. UJDC is also the producer of the annual Bay Area Deaf Dance Festival and views Deafness as a human experience with its own values, principles, and cultural norms – not a disability.

Antoine Hunter, Director:

A Bay Area native, Mr. Antoine Hunter is an award-winning African-American Deaf producer, choreographer, film/theater actor, dancer, dance instructor, model, poet, speaker, mentor and Deaf advocate. He is crowned King of SF Carnaval 2017 and esteemed keynote speaker for Kennedy Center’s VSA 2017 Intersection conference on Arts and Special Education. Mr Hunter received his training in dance and acting training at Skyline High School Oakland, Ca, California Institute of the Arts(CalArts), and Paul Taylor Dance School in NYC. The founder and artistic director of Urban Jazz Dance, Hunter has performed with Savage Jazz Dance Company, Nuba Dance Theater, Alayo Dance Company, Robert Moses’ KIN, Man Dance, Sins Invalid, Amara Tabor-Smith, Kim Epifano, Push Dance Company, Fly Away Productions, Joanna Haigood, OET theater, and the Lorraine Hansberry Theater. He has performed throughout the Bay Area and the world including Cuba, Rome, Hawaii, Peru and London. Hunter is a faculty member at East Bay Center for the Performing Arts, Shawl-Anderson, Youth in Arts and Dance-A-Vision. He is the founder of Iron Tri-Angel Urban Ballet in Richmond, was an instructor and rehearsal director for the Ross Dance Company, dance captain for Expedia.com commercials and was head Choreographer director for an Philippines's Musical "Amerikana-The Musical". while he love doing short films and long films plus music videos, he was Head Choreographer for D-PAN: Deaf Professional Arts Network ASL Music Video: "Call Me Maybe" by Carly Rae Jepsen.

Awards include the 2011 National Dance Week Dancer's Choice Award, Margaret Jenkin's CHIME award, the 2009 VSA Award (the international organization on arts and disabilities), and the 2000 Bay Area Star Award. 2016 receive many honor, just to name one New York's The Radio City Rockets' Pick for Dancer of the week; they quote, "Mr Hunter is talented and inspiring dancer, proving that you don’t need to hear the music to move to it beautifully." He has been featured in front cover DeafLife Magazine, plus featured in Dance Spirit Magazine, Dance Teacher Magazine, Dance Magazine, Dance Studio Life Magazine, and more but also had been quoted also in several texts books. He is known as former president of the Bay Area Black Deaf Advocate and Director-at-Large for the Northern California chapter of the California Association of the Deaf. He has been featured in Oakland North, CNN's The Great Big story, KQED's Arts, and many appearing for Purple Technologies, which sells Deaf services and products. Mr. Hunter is an active supporter of DeafHope, an organization whose mission is to end domestic and sexual violence in Deaf communities through empowerment, education, and services. He teaches dance and ASL in both Hearing and Deaf communities and is the founder and artistic director of Urban Jazz Dance Company and has been producing the Bay Area International Deaf Dance Festival since 2013. His projects have been awarded funding by both CA$H Theater Bay Area and the Zellerbach Family Foundation.

Zahna Simon, Assistant Director:

A San Francisco native and Deaf from birth, Ms Zahna is a professional dancer, chemist, avid health nutritionist, researcher, Deaf advocate and Deaf interpreter. Former student at San Francisco School of the Arts (SOTA) where she trained with Elvia Marta in Modern, Jazz, African, Ballet, Hip Hop and Choreography as well as participating in Alonzo King’s LINES Pre-Professional Summer Programs. Upon graduating from SOTA in 2003, Ms Simon attended UCI double majoring in Chemistry and Dance. At UCI she trained and performed various dance styles, working with fellow peers, graduate students and distinguished faculty such as Lisa Naugle, David Allan and Donald McKayle. She is also a former chemist by day at Vertex Pharmaceuticals and dancer by night at various Dance companies in San Diego including being featured in KPBS TV and Radio special "Deaf Dancer Performs in Trolley Dances." Ms Zahna has relocated back to the Bay Area and worked her way diligently and passionately up to being the Assistant Director for both Urban Jazz Dance Company and the Bay Area International Deaf Dance Festival under Antoine Hunter, Founder and Director and a full time office manager/case manager at a small Fiduciary Office in San Francisco.

Linda Steele II, Dancer:

Linda Steele II formally trained at Marin Ballet before receiving her BFA from Alonzo King LINES Ballet/Dominican University of California. She has been honored to have worked with Alonzo King, Drew Jacoby, Maurice Causey, Gregory Dawson, Maurya Kerr's tinypistol, Sidra Bell, Katie Faulkner, Amy Seiwert LEVYdance and recently with My-Linh Li's Mud Water Theater, Inside Out Contemporary Ballet, Antoine Hunter, Labayen Dance/SF and Anandha Ray among others.

Marissa Head, Dancer:

Growing up in Vallejo, Marissa studied dance at Berkeley Ballet Theater under Sally Streets and Ilona McHugh. She then pursued her BFA in Dance at Alonzo King LINES Ballet/ Dominican University of California. Prior to graduation in 2017, Marissa performed and taught dance in Guatemala and Nicaragua with JUNTOS Collective. In 2016-2017, she co-lead a project for the Isadora Duncan Dance Awards to celebrate their 30th Anniversary. Marissa is currently a trainer at San Francisco GYROTONIC®.

Marissa’s first performance with Urban Jazz Dance Company was in 2018. The community within the company has allowed her to learn and share the power of communication through movement- whether it be learning new rhythms in dance, or new words in ASL. www.realurbanjazzdance.com