Gregory Hines
"I don't remember not dancing. When I realized I was alive and these were my parents, and I could walk and talk, I could dance." These words, spoken by Gregory Hines in a 2001 interview, are a testament to the passion and dedication he exemplified throughout his life in the arts. Considered the greatest tap dancer of his generation, with an elegant style evocative of that of Fred Astaire, Hines was the inaugural performer at the Trexler Pavilion for Theatre and Dance in January of 2000, and his death on August 9, 2003 of cancer saddened us as a community.
Born in New York City on February 14, 1946, Hines was learning to tap by the age of three. His mother started Hines' older brother Maurice in tap classes as a means to escape the boundaries of the ghetto that the family occupied. After lessons, Maurice would come home and teach the new steps to his toddler brother. By the age of five the brothers were performing together at the Apollo Theater, and when Gregory was eight, the duo was cast in The Girl in Pink Tights on Broadway. Throughout his career, Gregory would be nominated for three Tony's, for Comin' Uptown, Sophisticated Ladies, and, in 1992, Jelly's Last Jam, the last of which garnered him his first and only trophy.
Hines' career stretched well beyond the limits of the stage, extending into film and television. After landing a role in Mel Brooks' History of the World Part I, he lent his skills to such films as The Cotton Club, White Nights, and Waiting to Exhale, working with such talents as Mikail Baryshnikov, Billy Crystal, and Angela Basset. In 1997, he starred in a sitcom, the aptly named "The Gregory Hines Show," for which he expanded his duties to those of executive producer. He also enjoyed a recurring and roundly praised role on "Will and Grace," as Will's boss and Grace's sometime love interest.
When it came time to open our Trexler Pavilion for Theatre and Dance, the securing of Hines as the inaugural performer was an exciting event for everyone present. "Having Mr. Hines serve as the opening performance of the Trexler Pavilion was truly an inspiration," says Cheryl Galaga, '01. "It is one of the many special Muhlenberg memories that I will cherish forever." He helped usher in a new era of performances on campus and served as a model for what can be achieved on these stages. His talent and style will be sorely missed, in the arts community as a whole, and in our own here at Muhlenberg, specifically. As Jennifer Lifson, '01, asserts, "It is an honor to know that we have danced on the same stage as this legend. His talent and passion for the arts will be missed."