Death, Toni Pierce-Sands, TU Dance Founder Center Saint Paul, Minnesota
UPDATE: Death of Toni Pierce-Sands – TU Dance Co-Founder and Celebrated Minnesota Arts Leader Remembered
The Twin Cities arts community is mourning the loss of Toni Pierce-Sands, the visionary co-founder and Artistic Director of TU Dance in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Her passing marks the end of a remarkable era defined by artistic excellence, cultural leadership, and decades of transformative work in the world of contemporary and modern dance.
Pierce-Sands, a Minnesota native, built a distinguished career that spanned major international stages and some of the world’s most influential dance institutions. Before founding TU Dance with Uri Sands, she performed with respected companies including Minnesota Dance Theatre, Tanz Forum in Germany, Rick Odums in Paris, and the world-renowned Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. As a featured soloist with Ailey, she performed powerful roles in signature works such as Revelations, Cry, and Rainbow Round My Shoulder, earning recognition for her compelling stage presence and profound artistic range.
Her mastery of the Horton Technique positioned her as a highly sought-after educator in the United States and Europe. Pierce-Sands became known for her ability to blend technical precision with emotional depth, mentoring dancers through an approach rooted in discipline, cultural understanding, and personal expression. Her contributions across multiple generations of performers solidified her reputation as one of Minnesota’s most influential dance educators.
At TU Dance Center, Pierce-Sands directed programming and taught classes that shaped young dancers, emerging artists, and pre-professional performers. Colleagues and students consistently described her as warm, grounded, and rigorous—an instructor who expected excellence but nurtured growth with deep compassion. Her leadership helped establish TU Dance as a nationally recognized institution committed to artistic diversity, community engagement, and world-class performance.
Her academic tenure at the University of Minnesota spanned twenty years, during which she served as a full-time core faculty member and Director of University Dance Theatre. She contributed to research, curriculum development, mentorship programs, and public performances that positioned the university as a significant training ground for dance professionals.
Throughout her career, Pierce-Sands received numerous awards honoring her impact on the arts. She was awarded the 2004 McKnight Artist Fellowship in Dance, named the Sage Awards’ 2011 Outstanding Dance Educator, and recognized with the 2013 Links Emerald Service Award for her service to the arts community. In 2015, she was named a USA Fellow, receiving the Knight Fellowship in Dance alongside her TU Dance co-founder.
Her influence extended beyond the studio and stage. Pierce-Sands was featured in international publications including COSMOPOLITAN Germany and GQ, contributed to the American Express Alvin Ailey commercial, and appeared in the Lester Horton Technique instructional DVD series. She authored columns for Dance Studio Life magazine, sharing invaluable insights on modern dance pedagogy and the evolving needs of young artists.
In recent years, she served as a mentor for the 2018 Dance/USA Institute for Leadership Training and as a panelist for the 2018 Dance Miami Choreographers’ Program, continuing her long-standing commitment to shaping cultural leadership and nurturing innovative voices in the dance community.
Pierce-Sands’ passing has brought profound grief to the Twin Cities arts community, former students across the world, and colleagues who witnessed her unwavering dedication. Many described her as a visionary who elevated the presence of diverse narratives in dance and championed equitable access to high-level training. Her legacy lives on through the thousands of dancers she trained, the programs she shaped, and the cultural movement she helped build in Minnesota.
Funeral and memorial arrangements will be announced by the family and TU Dance leadership as they prepare to honor the life of Toni Pierce-Sands, an extraordinary artist whose impact will continue to inspire generations. Her life’s work remains a testament to resilience, creativity, and the transformative power of dance.
