Gregory Oliver Hines was born in New York in 1946. The family lived on Sugar Hill, home of black entertainers, on Harlem’s West 150th Street. His grandmother had danced at the Cotton Club in the 1920s, and his father was a respected drummer who performed in many legendary venues, including the Savoy Ballroom. It was […]
Fayard and Harold Nicholas grew up in Philadelphia, where their parents ran the house band of the Old Standard Theatre. Fayard, 7 years older than Harold, learned to dance by watching the vaudeville performers who came into the Old Standard and imitating their moves. Harold idolised his big brother, who taught him to dance, and […]
Born Luther Robinson in Richmond, Virginia, 1878, Bill “Bojangles” Robinson is widely recognised as the Grandfather of tap dance as we know it today. His career began at the tender age of 5, busking in front of theatres for coins with a friend. The two were noticed by another local boy, who encouraged them to […]