Gregory Hines - Research Paper Example

Born on 14th February, 1946 in a family of music and dance, Hinge had rhythms in his blood (Abrams and Angelis, 2009, p 7). Ora Hines, his grandmother worked at a performer at Cotton Club, (Abrams and Angelis, 2009, p 8) at Washington Heights, New York. It was to the north of “Manhattan’s Upper West Side”, and had Harlem at its South. Maurice Hines Sr., though worked in a grocery shop, and later on as a bouncer for “Audubon Theatre and Ballroom” in Harlem, later on formed a trio with George and his brother Maurice Jr.

as “Hines, Hines and Dad” (Abrams and Angelis, 2009, p 14). They made their first family performance at the Apollo Theater, Harlem. Their dancing excellences were aired on highly popular shows- “Ed Sullivan Show” and “The Tonight Show”. Gradually with time, they travelled and performed all across the globe. They were also seen in the television show- “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson”. Gregory Hines got introduced to dance at his very childhood. He took his first dance lesson at an age of two and a half (Abrams and Angelis, 2009, p 8).

His mother Alma Hines Kilfoyl recalls of him grasping tightly his elder brother by one hand and putting the other hand’s thumb in his mouth. But even at that tender age, Hines’s eagerness and determination to learn tap dance overjoyed his mother. Thus was the childhood of Gregory Hines, struggling to match steps with his elder brother Maurice’s and other boys in group classes at a local tap- dance school (Abrams and Angelis, 2009, p 9). Later on, in the able hands of Henry LeTang, himself a legend in tap, Hines and his elder brother Maurice Jr.

transformed into dancers in the truest sense of the term. Alongside his brother who was either at that time, he professionally performed since the age of six. They were called the Hinge Kids. His journey to become an iconic tap dancer had begun since then. He made candid confessions in National Public Radio, 1989