According to a posting on the web site of the Broadway Dance Center, with which he was affiliated, Hatchett died Dec. 23 in hospice care.
Frank Hatchett, who once taught Springfield children to dance at the Dunbar Community Center, before heading to New York City, to instructor entertainers from around the world in dance, has died.
According to a posting on the web site of the Broadway Dance Center, with which he was affiliated, Hatchett died Dec. 23, in hospice care. He had undergone surgery in recent years for a brain tumor.
Hatchett's former students included Springfield native and Broadway dance star Mamie Duncan-Gibbs, who returned to Springfield in 2010, to attend a master class Hatchett gave that August at the Dunbar Community Center.
The announcement paid tribute to the influence of the legendary Hatchett, who created what was referred to as the "VOP," or the hot style of jazz dance, and reads in part:
"It is with heavy heart that we announce the passing of our beloved founding father, Frank Hatchett, who died peacefully in hospice care early Monday morning.
Frank's visionary ideas about New York dance set the stage for Broadway Dance Center's continuing 30-year success story, leaving his legend intertwined throughout the NYC dance landscape.
His passion for teaching and love of dance touched the lives of countless artists both in NYC and world-wide."