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Alfonso Ribeiro is mourning the loss of one of his greatest mentors. In February 2024, the ”Dancing With the Stars” co-host paid tribute to late Broadway star Hinton Battle. Ribeiro worked with Battle in the 1983 Broadway musical “The Tap Dance Kid.”
Battle died on January 30, 2024, at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, The Hollywood Reporter confirmed. The three-time Tony Award winner was 67 years old, and no cause of death was given.
Here’s what you need to know:
Alfonso Ribeiro Shared a Famous Clip of Him Dancing With Hinton Battle
Ribeiro honored battle in a post shared on his Instagram page several days after the Broadway star’s death. The DWTS host posted a video clip from his famous “Tap Dance Kid” performance alongside Battle at the 1984 Tony Awards. He then posted a poignant caption.
“It’s taken me a few days to post this.” Ribeiro wrote. “My heart is truly broken. @hinton.battle passed away earlier this week. This man showed me what exceptional talent truly looked like. He was an amazing dancer singer actor performer person and friend. Everything I became as a performer I owe to Hinton. He will be missed. RIP Hinton. You will always have place in my heart.”
Ribeiro received condolences from fans and friends.
“So so sad I had a [pleasure] working with him on a movie, great man rip,” wrote DWTS pro dancer Artem Chigvintsev.
“Thank you for sharing this incredible clip as part of your beautiful tribute. He was a brilliant performer, and you follow in his footsteps, my friend! May your heart rest easy, knowing that you carry his legacy in so many ways. ❤️❤️❤️,” added fellow DWTS alum Danica McKellar.
Alfonso Ribeiro Worked With Hinton Battle in the Early 1980s on Broadway
Ribeiro starred as Willie in ‘The Tap Dance Kid’” on Broadway starting in December 21, 1983, per the Internet Broadway database. The future DWTS mirrorball champ and host was just 12 years old when he made his debut in the role.
Battle, who previously starred known in Broadway’s “The Wiz,” was once described by Playbill as Ribeiro’s “one-man rooting section” as the tween learned to tap dance for the role.
“When I tried out for the show, I didn’t know how to tap dance at all,” Ribeiro said in the 1983 interview. “There were five of us finalists, and we went through a month-and-a-half of tap dancing rehearsals. …I figured the one who improved the most would get the part. There was one guy who could tap dance better than all of us, but he got too tall for the part, so that threw him out. Another kid’s singing wasn’t up to par. That left three of us. I got the part, and the other two boys are now my understudies.”
In 2020, Battle posted the clip of his Tony Awards dance with Ribeiro. “For the love of tap❤️ @therealalfonsoribeiro #HintonBattle #AlfonsoRibeiro #AlanWeeks Gregg Burge 🕊,” he captioned the clip.
Ribeiro reshared the clip with the message, “Thanks @hinton.battle for posting this. I still remember this performance like it was yesterday. @thetonyawards 1984.”
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