Gregory Hines began performing as a child with his father and older brother in the tap dance act “Hines, Hines, and Dad.” As he grew up, he became a tireless advocate for tap’s resurgence. In 1988, he successfully petitioned Congress for the creation of Tap Dance Day. On Broadway, Hines earned Tony nominations for Eubie!, Comin’ Uptown, and Sophisticated Ladies, and a Tony Award for Jelly’s Last Jam. Onscreen, his films included The Cotton Club and White Nights, in which he co-starred with Mikhail Baryshnikov.

Enormously influenced by tap’s historic roots and especially by the work of the Nicholas Brothers, Hines was always driven by “the search for the new step.” He viewed spontaneity and improvisation as defining characteristics of tap’s uniqueness: “My argument is,” he once said, “that tap is the American dance.”