Antoine Hunter a/k/a Purple Fire Crow

Choreographer & Humanity Advocate

Purple Fire Crow

Oakland, CA

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An African-American and Indigenous person with dark chocolate skin from his mother. He has almond-shaped eyes with long lashes, long black locs tied in a low braid with a single loc visible across his cheek, and a full beard. He is bare-chested with his left hand raised artistically near his face.

Antoine Hunter, a/k/a Purple Fire Crow, is an African American, Indigenous, Deaf, and disabled choreographer, dancer, actor, instructor, speaker, producer, and Deaf advocate. He creates opportunities for disabled, Deaf, and hearing artists; produces Deaf-friendly events; and founded the Urban Jazz Dance Company in 2007 and the Bay Area International Deaf Dance Festival in 2013. Awards include the 2021 Dance Teacher Award, the 2019 National Dance/USA fellowship recognized by the mayor of Oakland, the 2018 inaugural Jeanette Lomujo Bremond Humanity Arts Award, and the 2017 Isadora Duncan Award (for the Bay Area International Deaf Dance Festival).

Hunter’s work has been performed globally and he has lectured across the United States, including at the Kennedy Center, Harvard University, Duke University, and the National Assembly of State Arts. Hunter curated the 2021 Bay Area Deaf Arts at SOMArts, is a 2021 Yerba Buena Center for the Arts 100 honoree, and is on the production team of Signing Animation. As part of his work on inclusive films, he serves on the boards of Dance/USA, Bay Area Black Deaf Advocates, and the Museum of Dance, and he councils for CalArts Alumnx and Intrinsic Arts. He is also on the board of DropLabs, a shoe company that released an innovative haptic product to help people feel music.

In July 2020, in response to COVID-19, Hunter founded “#DeafWoke,” an online talk show that amplifies BIPOC, Deaf, and disabled stories as a force for cultural change. Hunter utilizes his company’s artistic talents to engage with audiences, empower Deaf and disabled communities, advocate for human rights and access, and end discrimination and prejudice.