Hunter Wayne Foster

Freelance Dance Artist, LA

Education: Bachelor of Arts in Dance, UNC Charlotte (2017)
Hometown: Denver, NC

Hunter Wayne Foster graduated from the Department of Dance in 2017 and is currently living in Los Angeles since 2020. Read on to hear Hunter talk about how he switched his major to dance, what projects he is working on, and his advice for students considering becoming a dance major. 

“Hello! I was born and raised in Denver, NC just about 45 minutes outside of Charlotte. Here is where I first began dancing at a competitive dance studio at the age of 12. I immediately fell in love with everything that surrounds dance. The music, costumes, props, lights, stage, fellow dancers, and of course, my teachers. Growing up in a small southern town, where it wasn’t that common for boys to dance, had me strictly taking hip-hop lessons for my first three years until finally branching out into other styles – without my parents’ permission, of course. In fact, the first time they saw me dance anything other than hip-hop wasn’t until my senior year recital. They could immediately tell why I loved it so much. 

When I first attended UNC Charlotte in 2013, it never crossed my mind that a career in dance was something I could pursue. I wanted to be an actor. I enrolled as a theatre major with a desired minor in business. And it wasn’t until my sophomore year that I was introduced to the fabulous, Kim Jones (Associate Professor of Dance). After one meeting with Professor Jones, she and I both knew where I was headed. I began enrolling in as many dance classes as possible, and before I even knew it, I was fully enveloped and in love with the dance program at UNC Charlotte. I graduated in the Spring of 2017 with a B.A. in Dance Performance, Choreography, and Theory.”

Following graduation, Hunter took six months off to work teaching dance and serving tables before moving to New York City. Hunter began his professional career in NYC performing in Sleeping Beauty Dreams, an original production choreographed by Edward Clug and Nicholas Palmquist for prima ballerina Diana Vishneva. The show toured twenty cities across the United States and Russia and featured a groundbreaking wearable suit that controlled lighting and animation in real time.

After the tour, Hunter stayed in New York City for a few years where he expanded his practice, training at premier dance studios, modeling for brands like MAC and Makeup Forever, and earning certification as a group fitness instructor. In 2020, Hunter relocated to Los Angeles, where he has since built a multifaceted career as a dancer, choreographer, and movement director. He has performed with artists including Charli XCX, Hozier, Benson Boone, Laufey, Evalyn, and Nieri, and collaborated with choreographers and directors such as Nathan Kim, Jillian Meyers, Genna Moroni, Sara Silkin, Jacob Jonas, Lisa Eaton, Charissa Kroeger, and Ryan Heffington. In 2024, he was selected by choreographer Nicole Hagen to perform as part of her Ann & Weston Hicks Choreography Fellowship at Jacob’s Pillow.

Hunter continues to perform throughout Los Angeles, while cultivating his choreographic voice. Recent work includes assisting Nathan Kim on various projects and choreographing, directing, and starring in the music video for Vandelux’s “By Your Side,” as a surreal rodeo clown.

Hunter also said, “I would absolutely say that I have the Department of Dance at UNC Charlotte to thank for my ability to book jobs such as Sleeping Beauty Dreams. If it wasn’t for the proper training I received, the endless numbers of ballet classes I signed up for when I had room to fill in my schedule, the constant time and energy I put into Range of Motion, a club within the department, I would not have had the technical or intellectual capability to reach this opportunity.

I would say that if you are considering the Department of Dance at UNC Charlotte, you would be making a wise choice. However, it is all in what you make it. Rather than just doing the work, take it to the next level. Go back and take those Level I classes as a senior, explore other outlets and art forms while you have the time, join organizations on and off-campus, fly to NYC to audition, even if it’s just for the experience. Expose yourself to make as many connections as possible because when it comes down to it, connections and experience can get you jobs. I am, without a doubt, so incredibly grateful to my professors, my friends, and my family that I have made with the Department of Dance. They have helped shape me into the individual I am today!”

Love & Light, Hunter Wayne

Check out Hunter’s website here.