Distinguished Alumni: Tauna Hunter

Legacy Award

Tauna Hunter is a retired Professor and Chair of Dance at Mercyhurst University (1994-2019). She began her dance training with Willam F. Christensen, then earned BFA and MFA degrees in ballet performance and choreography at the University of Utah. Hunter was an acclaim leading ballerina at Ballet West, and toured internationally as a guest artist with numerous regional companies throughout the United States. She was featured in “Megatrends 2000” and “Success” Magazine for DANSOURCE, a national networking service connecting dancers and companies, which she co-founded.

Ms. Hunter has taught for companies, universities, and private schools throughout the United States and in China, staging full-length classical ballets and choreographing over 25 contemporary works. For 10 years, she was Guest Artist in Residence for the Interlochen Arts Academy summer dance program. Hunter is the recipient of the Chautauqua Artist Teacher Award, and Erie Arts and Culture Life Time Achievement Award. She serves on the Advisory Boards of Ballet Concerto (TX) and Dance Now Miami! (FL), as artistic advisor to Lake Erie Ballet, and as President and Chairman of the board for the Erie Dance Consortium. She is an active member of DanceUSA, the CORPS de Ballet International and formerly served on the University of Utah Artistic Advisory Council.