Co-Founder

>Home<

Charmaine Hunter

Born in Kingston, Jamaica, Charmaine Hunter, teacher, ballet mistress, coach, choreographer, and dancer extraordinaire, began her classical training at the Hartford Ballet School. At age 15, while attending the Professional Children’s School in New York, she accepted an apprenticeship with the Dance Theater of Harlem where she had the privilege of studying with such famous names as Alvin Ailey, Suzanne Farrell and Tanaquil Le Clerq.

Rising to principal dancer and eventually ballet mistress / rehearsal director of this world renowned company, she toured throughout the world, including the Soviet Union, China, Australia, South Africa, South America, England, and Egypt. Along the way, Charmaine had the privilege of entertaining Queen Elizabeth, Princess Diana, Nelson Mandela, Bill and Hillary Clinton, President and Mrs. Bush, Colin Powell, and Oprah Winfrey.

With a repertoire that includes ballets such as Firebird, Giselle, Swan Lake, Agon, Serenade and A Streetcar Named Desire, Charmaine worked directly with such choreographers as Debbie Allen, George Balanchine, Agnes De Mille, and Alvin Ailey. Among Charmaine’s other credits are television presentations of A Streetcar Named Desire, NBC’s special, Giselle, hosted by Bill Cosby, ABC’s documentary, From the Heart of Harlem, hosted by Peter Jennings, a 60 Minutes segment with Ed Bradley and Sesame Street.

Charmaine’s non-dancing credits include roles in The Kennedy Center Honors; opening and closing ceremonies of the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles; production dance supervisor for the Tony Award winning The Lion King; director at the National Dance Institute of New Mexico; teacher and dance evaluator for Cirque du Soleil; and guest teacher for Celine Dion’s A New Day. All her experience, plus her dream of her own production company is coming to fruition in the Las Vegas Contemporary Dance Theater.