Donna Brandstrom Hunt

Donna began studying dance at age 7 with Susan Cooper in Mount Vernon, Washington. Youth highlights included attending Dance Educators of America conventions with teachers Joe Tremaine, Gus Giordano, Ron Daniels, George Zoritch, and Maria Vegh, and attending First Chamber Dance Company’s Summer Dance Lab at Fort Worden in Port Townsend on scholarship.

In June of 1978, Donna came to Alaska where she taught and performed for The Dance Den, including shows at APU Grant Hall, Valley Performing Arts Center, Alaska Visual Arts Center, and 4th of July at Mulcahy Stadium. One project entailed travelling to Talkeetna to set a can-can for the Talkeetna Chamber of Commerce.

1980-1981 Donna began her B.F.A. at the University of Arizona but had to pause and return to Alaska. From 1981-1984 she taught at Conservatory of Dance where former students of Donna and Nona Baker formed the core of Youth Dance Spectrum (YDS) with Donna as Artistic Director. YDS performed for Sohio, Arts Fairs, the Governor’s Celebration, and the first Alaska Statewide Dance Festivals. Donna’s Lyrical Jazz class was popular with seasoned dancers Gretl Hafer, Terri Wilson and Amy Klinger. In 1982, Donna was named Resident Choreographer for Anchorage Civic Ballet. Her work was presented at the Pacific Regional Ballet Festival in California, and she served as rehearsal director for Mannie Rowe’s “Birdland”.

An original member of Alaska Contemporary Dance Company, Donna was affiliated as dancer, teacher, choreographer, and rehearsal director between 1981-1985 and was featured in choreography by Lisa Dworkin- Kerr, Jill Flanders-Crosby, JoAnna Mendl Shaw, and Bonnie Merrill.

From 1983-1985, Donna taught at Anchorage Community College, and was Artist-in-Residence with Anchorage School District (1982-1985), including East High School, Service High School and Contempo. In Anchorage, she primarily studied with Jill Flanders-Crosby, took master classes, and during summers, studied with Bill Evans Dance Company, Luigi and at David Howard’s School of Ballet. Summer of 1985: Donna performed in Alaska Light Opera Theatre’s first production, “Oklahoma”, and was assistant to Lisa Dworkin-Kerr.

August of 1985: she moved to Arizona to complete her B.F.A. at Arizona State University, graduating in December 1987, and joining the Oregon Shakespeare Festival (OSF) as a dancer.

October of 1988: Donna returned to Alaska as Artistic Director, of Alaska Dance Company (ADC, formerly ACDC) co-directing with General Manager, Janice Blush. Donna collaborated with Kurt Riemann (Surreal Studios), and fiber artist David Edlefsen on “Suite for Lobby, Stair, and Corridor” for the opening of Alaska Center for the Performing Arts. March of 1989: ADC performed at ACPA, featuring photography by Hal Gage and live music from University of Alaska’s Jazz Ensemble. ADC toured Bristol Bay featuring Amy Ragsdale’s “Circle of Salmon” and Donna taught over 400 students while in residency. In 1989 ADC was dissolved and Donna returned to OSF. Her last venture in Alaska was to guest teach and choreograph “Passing” for Alaska Dance Theatre’s 1990 Mobius concert.

Donna earned an M.Ed. in Dance in 1992, from Temple University, where she also taught. She danced for the Oregon Shakespeare Festival for 3 seasons. Excerpts from her “Planet Dance” video aired on Public Television in Australia and included a former dancer from Alaska! In Seattle she taught for American Dance Institute, Spectrum Dance Theatre, worked with independent choreographers, and choreographed many musicals.

Former Alaskan students have attended prestigious dance programs and performed with Mark Morris, Paul Taylor, Trisha Brown, The Rockettes and Broadway touring shows.