Moulin Rouge's Ericka Hunter Became a Broadway Standout 'Accidentally on Purpose'

Ericka Hunter grew up in Ottawa, Canada and followed in her sister's footsteps by beginning to dance at the age of three. Claiming that being a middle child made her crave the attention, Hunter found an outlet through dance and it quickly became an important part of her life. "My sister didn't love dance as much as I did," she said. "I went from dancing once or twice a week to at least six times a week. I did every single kind of style and did competitions that got me into community theater."

Hunter's hunger to dance at every opportunity led her to auditions that she admittedly viewed as "free dance classes" instead of an actual casting possibility. "My first audition was for the Radio City Rockettes, and I got it," she said. "I had to leave high school early for it. I never actually finished because I ended up going into The Lion King in Toronto immediately after I finished at Radio City. It spiraled into this career, and before I knew it, I was in New York City in the Broadway revival of Flower Drum Song. I didn't really know I wanted this as a career, I was just doing what I always did, and suddenly, I was getting paid for it. It was a very strange thing to me because it was my passion and turned into a profession accidentally on purpose."

At the age of 20, Hunter made her Broadway debut in 2002's Flower Drum Song, a musical that tells the story of a son stuck between his Chinese roots and assimilation into American culture that struck a personal chord with the dancer. "It was an amazing first experience for me because it was a full Asian cast," she said. "Our director Bobby Longbottom sat us down one day to have everyone talk about their personal journey. I realized I didn't even know how my dad got to where he is, so I went home and called him to find out how he got to Canada and he told me about how he left China when communism came. His family left everything they had to have a free life in Hong Kong. He ended up getting his education in England and then went to Canada, where he met my mom. Because of that show, I dove into my heritage in a way I never have before."

Since then, Hunter has gone on to appear in seven Broadway productions over the course of 17 years, and every time she thinks it's time to hang up her dancing shoes, she keeps getting pulled back in for more. "I've taken a few breaks because there have been moments where I didn't know if this was the right path for me," she said. "I worked in fashion for two years, and I realized how passionate people were about fashion was how I felt about dancing. So, I reopened that door and whenever I've tried to limit myself a show like Moulin Rouge! shows up. [Choreographer] Sonya Tayeh has made me into this dancer I never knew I could be. To be at this time in my career and excelling in dance—doing things I've never done before is a blessing. It's nice to be in a place where I can realize that I'm doing something really special and I can celebrate what I've done."

Watch the video below to hear Hunter talk about Moulin Rouge! and more!

Photo Credits: Photographs by Matthew Murphy | Styling: Greg Dassonville for DassonVogue | Grooming: KeLeen Snowgren | Assistant: Evan Zimmerman
Video Credits: Directed by Kyle Gaskell | Produced by Paul Wontorek & Caitlin Moynihan Additional camera: Alexander Goyco