Gregory Hines

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Gregory Hines changed that tap dancing future. According to Gardner a newspaper journalist, USA Today, Gregory Hines was one of the best tap dancers ever. Hines grew up always tap dancing and when he was older he spread the history of tap everywhere. He did this by inspiring fellow dancers around him. Hines taught young people and old people. He thought that tap dancing was not only an art but it was athletic. Gregory Hines is determined influential and inspirational to people of all ages which shows that he is a hero.

He was most famous for his tap dancing, but also was an actor, director, choreographer, and recording artist. Tap dancing is when you have shoes that have taps, or metal plates on the ball of the foot and heel and you hit them on the floor to make different sounds, this was his passion. Gregory Hines grew up in a family of entertainers. His mom, Ora Hines, was a showgirl at the Cotton Club, his father, Maurice Hines was a drummer, and Gregory Hines' brother was a dancer and his duo partner. He was born on February 14, 1946 in New York, NY, and died on August 9, 2003 in Los Angeles, CA. Even though Hines was best known for his tap dancing he also was nominated for the Tony awards. "Tony Award nominations, 1979, 1980, 1981; Theater World Award, for Eubie!, 1978-79; Dramatic Arts Award, 1985; Tony Award, for Jelly's Last Jam, 1992" ("Gregory Hines" 161-*Contemporary). Gregory Hines is a hero because he brought tap back in a new way. He started to incorporate improvisation, "Like a jazz musician who ornaments a well-known melody with improvisational riffs, Hines improvises within the frame of a dance. Among many tappers, improvisation is the most revered art, because it is about creation, demanding that the imagination be turned into choreography instantaneously. Certainly it is the most difficult aspect of tap to master. The tap dancer has to have the brilliant percussive phrases of a composer, the rhythms of a drummer, and the lines of a dancer" ("Gregory Hines" Contemporary). Improvisation is when someone doesn't have anything planned to do and they just feel the music and do what compliments it. Before Gregory Hines came along ta was only choreographed and performed, now he has evolved it to be something that you could do anywhere even if you have tap shoes, all you need is some music or beats to dance from.

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Along with being an amazing dancer, Gregory Hines inspired other dancers as well. He influenced the new generation of young dancers, "During breaks in show these improvisational masters would tutor the youngster, passing on to him a style that might otherwise have been lost in tap's lean years" (Gregory Hines Contemporary). He is influential because he took the time to teach other dancers than him. This shows his heroism because he is influencing others to bring back a lost art, tap dancing. Hines also revealed that tap dancing requires athleticism, "The American dance critic Deborah Jowitt wrote that Hines "wanted audiences to think of tap as a complex art that involved both brains and daring, and he considered himself an athlete more than a showman" (Gregory Hines Scribner). Hines helped people realize that is more than just dance, it is a complex art. He helped tap become more appreciated. Also it influenced people to join tap because it was not thought as easy or simple, but instead it was daring and athletic. This sparked more interest in men. Gregory Hines was very influential to people of all ages and genders because he was determined.

Gregory Hines was very determined. He lived where there was segregation of blacks but he didn't let that stop him from doing what he loves, "When I go for a role that was written for a white, it means nothing" (Gregory Hines Contemporary). He auditioned for parts that were only meant for whites and even ended up making some parts. "He once told a reporter that he couldn't recall a time when he didn't dance" (Gardner). This shows his determination because he was very dedicated to dancing and wanted tap to become more than just type of dance. He was always bettering himself and never gave up. Even though it may not have been the most popular sport, he kept doing it and now he is known as a tap legend. Gregory Hines was very determined to give tap a future and to better himself.

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Gregory Hines is a hero because he is influential, determined, and inspirational. He influenced young people to start tapping. He also didn't let his race stop him from always doing what he loved to do, dance. He was very inspirational because if it weren't for him, tap dancing wouldn't be a big part of dance as it is now. He also brought it into black culture because he was the only black person trying out for parts such as school shows. Even though entertaining was already in his blood, he became successful beyond imagination. Soon after Hines passed, a writer for USA Today a newspaper wrote right after he died, "That passion will be missed, along with the prowess that made everything Hines did look so easy and exhilarating" (Gardner). He inspired the whole dance community with his passion for dance and the way he made dance look, effortless. Gregory Hines is my hero because I think that he is a big part of why I am dancing and how dance became popular.

Works Cited

"Gregory Hines." Contemporary Black Biography, vol. 42, Gale, 2004. Biography in Context, link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/K1606002645/BIC1?u=powa9245&xid=b1d419ae. Accessed 11 Jan. 2017.

Gregory Hines." Notable Black American Men, Book II, edited by Jessie Carney Smith, vol. 2, Gale, 2006. Biography in Context, link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/K1622000641/BIC1?u=powa9245&xid=cde9b605. Accessed 17 Jan. 2017.

Gregory Hines." The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives, Charles Scribner's Sons, 2007. Biography in Context, link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/K2875000140/BIC1?u=powa9245&xid=6dfbba74. Accessed 12 Jan. 2017.

"Tap-dance legend Gregory Hines combined grace, wit." USA Today, 11 Aug. 2003, p. 01D. Biography in Context, link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A133451377/BIC1?u=powa9245&xid=f40c53ff. Accessed 23 Jan. 2017.