ARTHUR DUNCAN TO RECEIVE GREGORY HINES HUMANITARIAN AWARD

Tap-Dancing Legend Honored For His Work with Inner City Kids' Non-Profit Dance Program

Los Angeles, CA (May, 2008) – Arthur Duncan, referred to by Lawrence Welk as "the man who has kept tap dancing alive," will be honored this month by the Gabriella Axelrad Education Foundation with the Gregory Hines Humanitarian Award. The award will be presented at the Foundation's "8th Annual Event" held on May 31 at 8 p.m. at UCLA's Northwest Campus Auditorium.

Duncan, 74, is being honored for his decades as the industry’s quintessential song and dance man --- “the King of Tap” Lawrence Welk called him --- and for breaking racial barriers as the first African-American regular on a variety television program, "The Lawrence Welk Show," where he was a featured performer from 1964 to 1982.

Gabriella Axelrad Education Foundation (www.gabriellaaxelradfoundation.org) is an inner-city non-profit that has for years provided free, quality dance training to thousands of underserved Los Angeles children through its program, "everybody dance!." Its students have gone on to prestigious schools (Juilliard) and to win prestigious awards in the dance field (Los Angeles Music Center “Spotlight Award,” among others).

Gregory Hines was a revered member of the Foundation’s Board. The award was established posthumously in his name. Past recipients of the award have included actor Dule Hill (“Psych,” “West Wing”) and famed tapper Jason Samuels Smith (“Bring in Da Noise, Bring in Da Funk”).

Duncan will dance with "everybody dance!" students at the May 31 event in a routine he both choreographed and taught them.

Carol Zee, Artistic Director for "everybody dance!" shares, "Our kids are thrilled and inspired to have a legend such as Duncan working with them. It's an experience they wouldn't have otherwise. Something they'll always remember."

Honored alongside Duncan on May 31 will be the Lynn-Soodik-Stephan Wasserman Family with the Founders Award; Yvonne Mounsey, founder and director of Santa Monica's "Westside Ballet," with the Advancement of the Arts Award, and actress/dancer Jenna Dewan ("Step Up" and "Take the Lead") with the Limelight Award.

Duncan was also recently awarded an honorary doctorate degree in Performing Arts in American Dance from Oklahoma State University. He lives in Van Nuys and grew up in Pasadena.

###

Press Contact:

Livia Squires, Publicist
Squires PR
142 N. Clark Dr.
West Hollywood, CA 90048
(310) 993-1702
contact@squirespr.com

About Squires PR - Squires Public Relations is a full-service PR firm specializing in getting killer press for great companies and individuals. Based in Los Angeles, we have direct contacts to key decision-makers at every news and entertainment outlet in the nation. Squires PR represents a wide range of clients including entertainment, fine arts, non-profit, legal, family & parenting, and more. Our expertise isn't a specific category of clientele -- it's our ability to "zero in" on what's newsworthy about your business and create press to further your goals. From Good Morning America to the Los Angeles Times to Daily Variety, our "targeted pitching" approach gets you greater media coverage than other agencies, and is consistently praised by reporters and clients alike. For more information, visit www.squirespr.com.

This release was published on openPR.