Photo: Matthew Jordan Smith |
years ago today and I'm still trying to process her answer. Eleven years ago was also when the first LA Tap Festival was held, just a few days after Gregory passed, and today is the last day of the 12th time that festival has been held. It's a strong day.
Many people have feelings and stories about Gregory Hines. He looms large in the tap community. I feel he was the last tap dancer to be fairly well known in the general public, mainly because of the acting he did in TV and films. In fact, I found a number of younger people (non tap dancers of course) didn't know he was a tap dancer because of the TV and film, non tap work that he did. There are people like Melinda Sullivan, Chloe Arnold (Syncopated Ladies) and Jason Samuels Smith, who have aggressively worked to get tap on TV for the general public to see and I hope more do the same. But if you asked the average person on the street to name a tap dancer, I bet they'd be stuck.
I did not really know Gregory. We met a few times; once when he appeared on Sesame Street where I was stage managing, a brief encounter on the closing day at Woodpeckers Studio (a tap studio/space in NYC's Soho area headed by Brenda Buffalino), passingly at a Cotton Club movie audition I did and the most extended experience being when I went to a La Mama show with him, Jane Goldberg and Sarah Safford. When I think of him, it's hard not to think of
Gregory, Savion Glover and I on the set of Sesame Street @1992 |
Maybe you have thoughts, memories or stories about Gregory. Post them below in the Comments section. The photo I have posted of Gregory and his shoes shot by Matthew Jordan Smith has a story behind it. Click here on The Story behind the Photograph to hear Matthew talk about the "story". To get a taste of Hines, Hines and Dad, check out the following clip of them on an episode of The Hollywood Palace that was hosted by Milton Berle. As I said to a friend the other day, I still feel his presence...
Thanks for posting, Hank. I hope you'll post much more on tap.
ReplyDeleteShane
Really enjoyed that...thank you Hank...you are a treasure!
ReplyDeleteKaren