The Twin Cities dance world and the broader American dance community are grieving the loss of Toni Pierce-Sands, the luminous Alvin Ailey soloist and co-founder of TU Dance, who passed away on November 25, 2025, in Minneapolis at age 63 after a courageous battle with cancer.
Toni grew up in a creative Minnesota household that nurtured her early love of movement. As a teenager she trained under the legendary Loyce Houlton at Minnesota Dance Theatre, where she formed lifelong friendships and honed the elegance and power that would define her career. After high school she moved to New York, earning a place at the Ailey School and soon joining the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.
In the company she rose to featured soloist, delivering unforgettable performances in signature works such as “Revelations,” “Cry,” and “Rainbow Round My Shoulder.” Audiences remember her commanding stage presence, her deep musicality, and the way she made every step feel like a personal conversation with the viewer.
In 2006, with her husband Uri Sands (also an Ailey principal dancer), Toni returned to Minnesota and co-founded TU Dance in St. Paul. What began as a small studio quickly grew into one of the country’s most respected contemporary dance organizations, known for its rigorous training center, professional company, and community outreach programs that serve thousands of young people each year.
For two decades Toni was a beloved professor at the University of Minnesota, mentoring countless students with the same warmth and precision she brought to the stage. Colleagues describe her as “larger than life” yet endlessly approachable, a teacher who could correct a tendu with laser focus and then share a laugh that put everyone at ease.
Toni Pierce-Sands leaves behind her husband Uri, their children, her extended family, and an artistic community forever shaped by her vision, grace, and uncompromising excellence. A celebration of her extraordinary life is being planned by TU Dance and the University of Minnesota.
In the meantime, dancers across the country are honoring her the best way they know how—by moving with the passion and humanity she taught them to embody. Rest in power, Toni. The stage is a little dimmer without you.