Taking Class: Part One

This is a post I started writing a few days ago. Tomorrow I'll write about how the classes went, and what I learned. Boy did I step out of my comfort zone! This photo is from the European Tour of "42nd Street", and was taken many years ago when we were with the show in Germany. 

Saturday morning I woke up, excited about a workshop I had signed up for with Maurice Hines. He is in town teaching two classes at Debbie Allen's dance studio in Los Angeles. I registered on line, and started researching Maurice through Google. I already had heard a lot about him, since some of my close friends had danced in the shows that he had choreographed. I found some wonderful interviews and excerpts from his nightclub act on line. In addition to being an exceptional dancer, he is also quite an entertainer, singer,  and storyteller. It was fun to hear him talk about the early days when he was a young boy, tapping with his brother, Gregory Hines. They studied with the famous tap master, Henry Le Tang.

I used to take classes regularly from Henry Le Tang when I was dancing in shows  in Las Vegas. The first time was when I was working at the Stardust. The second time was when I did Sugar Babies with Mickey Rooney and Juliet Prowse and the Desert Inn. I really looked forward to those classes. They were the highlight of my day.  Henry choreographed the movie The Cotton Club, directed by Francis Ford Coppola. The lighting is exquisite. Gregory and Maurice are so impressive in their dances and scenes. I still watch their dancing in that film over and over. It's remarkable. The costumes, sets, and details are magnificent. It's a real period piece. Every detail is so authentic...it's just pure art. You can really see Henry's stamp of individuality on the work, since he directly experienced the Cotton Club. It shows. You can hear it in the music, the sounds of the taps, and in the tempos. Henry is the real thing.

When I used to take his class, Maurice Sr. (Gregory and Maurice's  father,) was always there, sitting on the bench by the window. He was very kind, warm, and encouraging. He had a very rich, deep voice. I always chatted with him before heading in to the dance studio to tap with Henry. In those days, classes were tiny. I was often the only person in the class. Henry's work was very intricate, and there weren't many trained tap dancers who took Henry's tap class in Las Vegas. I think it's because it was so advanced. You needed to have a very solid tap base. Most of them were showgirls, and specialized in ballet and jazz.  Henry rented out the studio space for auditions and for rehearsals. I took advantage of training with him. I soaked up as much as I could, and practiced like crazy. I would drill all of his routines  between numbers and costume changes while I was at work. When he went to Paris to set Black and Blue, Henry had me teach all of his classes. Training always pays off in some way. It was such an honor.

I've been watching interviews and clips on Maurice and his brother Gregory on Youtube. I can't wait to meet Maurice. I know I'm going to like him. He's got great charisma, and is so elegant and charming. I hope I will be able to pick up the choreography. I'm a little nervous, since I'm not sure how much I can do since having the hip replacement surgery. The other night, I watched some videos of Gregory teaching master classes, to practice. I was having trouble seeing what he was doing, and everything seemed so fast! When I was a young dancer, I picked up so quickly. Gregory and Henry hired me for the movie Tap, which Henry choreographed. At this age it's more challenging. I'll just try to stay relaxed and focused.