Museum of African American Dance
ABOUT US
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The purpose of MAAD is to collect, conserve, explore, interpret, exhibit, educate, curate and promote, the material and intellectual culture of African and African American dance in the African Diaspora for current and future generations. It will become a repository of information igniting minds, thus inspiring present and future generations in the African American dance and culture aesthetic.
As an organization, we are committed to center justice, communal care, eradicating racism, anti-blackness, ableism, and audism in arts and culture. MAAD seeks to invite and engage visitors of every race and background and to inspire all through discovery-driven learning. MAAD is to be a museum for all people. |
We dance because we have to.” |
The Gregory Hines Exhibit
Gregory Hines
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Biography of Gregory Hines by Constance Valis Hill
Gregory Hines (14 February 1946-9 August 2003), jazz tap dancer, singer, actor, musicians, and creator of improvised tap choreography, was born in New York City, the son of Maurice Hines Sr. and Alma Hines. He began dancing at the age of not-quite-three, turned professional at age five, and for fifteen years performed with his older brother Maurice as The Hines Kids, making nightclub appearances across the country. While Broadway teacher and choreographer Henry LeTang created the team's first tap dance routines, the brothers' absorption of technique came from watching and working with the great black tap masters whenever and wherever they performed at the same theaters. They practically grew up backstage at the Apollo Theatre, where they were witness to the performances and the advice of such tap dance legends as Charles "Honi" Coles, Howard "Sandman" Sims, the Nicholas Brothers, and Teddy Hale (Gregory's personal source of inspiration). Gregory and Maurice then grew into the Hines Brothers. When Gregory was eighteen, he and Maurice were joined by their father, Maurice Sr., on drums, becoming Hines, Hines and Dad. They toured internationally and appeared frequently on The Tonight Show, but the younger Hines was restless to get away from the non-stop years on the road, so he left the group in his early twenties and "retired" (so he said) to Venice, California. For a time he left dancing behind, exploring alternatives that included his forming a jazz-rock band called Severence. He released an album of original songs in 1973. |