JoAnn M. Hunter

JoAnn M. Hunter is an American theatre choreographer and director. She began her career as a Broadway performer before working as a dance captain and associate choreographer, and later moved into choreography and directing.[1][2]

Early life

Hunter was born outside Tokyo, Japan, to a Japanese mother and American father. She moved to the United States at age four and was raised in Coventry, Rhode Island, where she began dancing by around age 10.[3][4]

Hunter later received a scholarship to study dance in New York City under Charles Kelly and moved to New York at age 17. She made her Broadway debut in 1989 in Jerome Robbins' Broadway.[2]

Career

Performance and transition to choreography

As a Broadway performer, Hunter appeared in productions including Chicago, Kiss Me, Kate, Guys and Dolls, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Shogun and Miss Saigon.[2] By 2018, she had appeared in 12 Broadway productions and had worked creatively on seven others.[1]

While performing in Thoroughly Modern Millie, Hunter was invited by Rob Ashford to work as his associate choreographer, beginning her transition from performing into creative work. She later said she had not previously planned to become a choreographer.[5]

As a performer, Hunter worked with choreographers including Rob Ashford, Rob Marshall, Kathleen Marshall, Bill T. Jones, Peter Gennaro, Ann Reinking and Christopher Chadman. She identified Jerome Robbins, with whom she worked on three productions, as a major choreographic influence.[1][5]

Hunter later worked as a dance captain and served as associate choreographer on the Broadway production of All Shook Up. Her first independent choreography assignment was the 2008 U.S. national tour of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang,[2] followed by her first Broadway choreography assignment, On a Clear Day You Can See Forever.[3]

In 2009, Hunter sustained a tibial plateau fracture in a softball accident that required surgery and kept her from performing for almost a year. She later said the injury prompted her to make the transition to choreography full-time.[3]

Choreography and directing

Her Broadway choreography credits included On a Clear Day You Can See Forever, Disaster! and School of Rock.[1]

She later choreographed the 2019 West End revival of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.[6] A review in London Theatre noted that Hunter expanded several musical numbers into dance breaks, including a tap sequence in "Potiphar", and described the first-act finale for "Go, Go, Go Joseph" as "spectacular".[7]

Hunter also choreographed the West End and Broadway productions of Cinderella, later titled Bad Cinderella on Broadway.[2] For the 2021 West End production, she created a new waltz sequence for the musical.[8]

In 2023, Hunter directed and choreographed the musical SuperYou, which had previously been presented in concert at Carnegie Hall.[9][10]

In 2024, Hunter was named director of the Broadway-aimed musical Jo – The Little Women Musical.[11]

Hunter later directed Karen Zacarías' play Native Gardens at Westport Country Playhouse.[12][13]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Callahan, Mary (6 March 2018). "JoAnn M Hunter: Broadway diva dancer-turned Broadway diva choreographer". Dance Informa. Retrieved 8 August 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Higgins, Molly (1 May 2023). "From 'Not Asian Enough' to Broadway Choreographer, JoAnn M. Hunter Is in Charge Now". Playbill. Retrieved 8 August 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 Brunner, Jeryl (28 April 2023). "Meet One Of The Few Female AAPI Choreographers/Directors Working On Broadway". Forbes. Retrieved 11 August 2026.
  4. ↑ "6 Theatre Workers You Should Know". American Theatre. 2 October 2017. Retrieved 8 August 2026.
  5. 1 2 Lipton, Brian Scott (31 March 2023). "Interview: Choreographer JoAnn M. Hunter Talks Those Muscly Dancers in Bad Cinderella". TheaterMania. Retrieved 11 August 2026.
  6. ↑ "Choreographer JoAnn M. Hunter Talks Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat". BroadwayWorld. 8 July 2019. Retrieved 8 August 2026.
  7. ↑ Shenton, Mark (11 July 2019). "Review - Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at the London Palladium". London Theatre. Retrieved 11 August 2026.
  8. ↑ "How the Pandemic Inspired JoAnn M. Hunter to Create a New Waltz for Cinderella". Playbill. 2021. Retrieved 11 August 2026.
  9. ↑ Mattingly, Kate (21 April 2023). "JoAnn M. Hunter Brings Decades of Skill, Experience and Perspective to Bad Cinderella and SuperYou". Dance Magazine. Retrieved 11 August 2026.
  10. ↑ "SuperYou Musical to Play Concerts at Carnegie Hall's Zankel Hall". Playbill. Retrieved 11 August 2026.
  11. ↑ "JoAnn M. Hunter to Direct Broadway-Aimed Jo–The Little Women Musical". Playbill. 15 February 2024. Retrieved 11 August 2026.
  12. ↑ "Native Gardens". Westport Country Playhouse. Retrieved 11 August 2026.
  13. ↑ Cohen, Sherry Shameer (23 February 2025). "Review: Native Gardens at Westport Country Playhouse". BroadwayWorld. Retrieved 11 August 2026.
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