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Gregory Hines

Gregory Hines
Usage Conditions Apply
Artist
Robert Mapplethorpe, 04 Nov 1946 - 09 Mar 1989
Sitter
Gregory Oliver Hines, 14 Feb 1946 - 9 Aug 2003
Date
1985
Type
Photograph
Medium
Gelatin silver print
Dimensions
Image: 48.6 x 38.7 cm (19 1/8 x 15 1/4")
Sheet : 50.3 x 40.3 cm (19 13/16 x 15 7/8")
Mat: 71.1 x 55.9 cm (28 x 22")
Topic
Costume\Jewelry\Earring
Costume\Jewelry\Watch\Wrist watch
Gregory Oliver Hines: Male
Gregory Oliver Hines: Performing Arts\Performer\Actor
Gregory Oliver Hines: Performing Arts\Performer\Dancer\Tap
Gregory Oliver Hines: Performing Arts\Choreographer
Portrait
Credit Line
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
Copyright
© 1985 The Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation, Inc.
Object number
NPG.2004.29
Exhibition Label
Born New York City
Widely acknowledged as the greatest tap dancer of his day, Gregory Hines revitalized the genre and inspired a new generation of performers, including Savion Glover. Hines’s dancing career began when he was a child, performing with his brother and his father in an act billed as Hines, Hines, and Dad. He later recalled, “I don’t remember not dancing. When I realized I was alive . . . and I could walk and talk, I could dance.” Beginning in the late 1970s, Hines found success on Broadway, headlining shows such as Eubie! (1978), Sophisticated Ladies (1981), and Jelly’s Last Jam, for which he received the 1992 Tony Award for best actor in a musical. His onscreen performances included leading roles in The Cotton Club (1984) and White Nights (1985), with Mikhail Baryshnikov. Proudly asserting, “Tap is the American dance,” Hines embraced the genre’s historic roots even though he was always “search[ing] for the new step.”
Nacido en la Ciudad de Nueva York
Ampliamente reconocido como el mejor bailarín de tap de su época, Gregory Hines revitalizó esta tradición creativa e inspiró a una nueva generación de artistas, incluido Savion Glover. La Carrera de Hines en la danza comenzó cuando era niño, actuando con su hermano y su padre en un acto publicitado como ‘Hines, Hines y su papá’. Más tarde recordó: “No recuerdo una época en la que no bailara. Cuando me di cuenta que estaba vivo… Y de que podía caminar y hablar, pude bailar”. Hacia finales de la década de 1970, Hines halló éxito en Broadway, encabezando espectáculos como Eubie! (1978), Sophisticated Ladies (1981) y Jelly’s Last Jam, por el que recibió el premio Tony en 1992 al mejor actor en un musical. Sus actuaciones en pantalla incluyeron papeles principales en The Cotton Club (1984) y White Nights (1985), con Mikhail Baryshnikov. Hines, que afirmó con orgullo “El tap es la danza estadounidense”, incorporó las raíces históricas del género a la vez que “busc[aba] nuevos pasos”.
Data Source
National Portrait Gallery
Location
Currently not on view