In Antoine Hunter’s jazz class, students inevitably pick up sign language just by virtue of being his student. Though he doesn’t typically incorporate ASL into his class combos, this dynamic phrase, which is one of his favorites, includes four signs: “heart,” ” re,” “gone” and “deaf.”

How Antoine Hunter Teaches an Urban Jazz Center-Phrase With Sign Language

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Deaf advocate Antoine Hunter is artistic director of San Francisco Bay Area–based Urban Jazz Dance Company, a pioneering company founded in 2007 to feature both deaf and hearing dancers. In 2013, he also created the annual Bay Area International Deaf Dance Festival to highlight the contributions of deaf and hard-of-hearing artists. He is an award-winning choreographer, the former president of Bay Area Black Deaf Advocates and an international guest speaker. In 2018, he gave a TEDx Talk on overcoming challenges through dance. Hunter teaches American Sign Language and jazz dance throughout the Bay Area.

Zahna Simon is a company member and the assistant director of Urban Jazz Dance Company and the Bay Area International Deaf Dance Festival.