Willie Hinton began dancing at the age of 16 at Enloe Gifted & Talented Magnet High School in Raleigh, NC. Upon graduating Willie attended the University of the North Carolina School of the Arts (1990). He was also a scholarship student at the American Dance Festival Durham, NC (1989). Governor’s School for Humanities and Visual & Performing Arts at Christopher Newport University presented Willie the Presidential Citation.(2009). In 2013 the American Dance Festival awarded Willie the Chuck Davis Scholarship. He was also the recipient of the Trustee’s Scholarship University of the Arts Philadelphia Pa. He was also a full scholarship recipient at the Alvin Ailey School.

Willie has toured nationally and internationally with The Rebecca Kelly Dance Company (NY), Jubilations Dance Company (NY), The Philadelphia Dance Company (Philadanco), and Dance Kaleidoscope (IN). He was also a guest dancer with Chuck Davis’s African American Dance Ensemble (NC).

In addition to his performance career Willie’s love of teaching allowed him to teach across the US, and abroad at several colleges and universities. He was the elementary choreographer for “Evening of Entertainment” Durham North Carolina’s annual scholarship fundraising event for high school seniors where he worked with over 600 elementary, middle and high school students. He also guest taught, and choreographed on the North Carolina State University’s “Panoramic Dance Project” He was also artist in Residence at NCSU and North Carolina Central University. The Justice Theatre Project commissioned Willie to choreographed and performed in “The Color Purple” where he worked with over 50 dancers and actors. He was also invited to set work on students from the Dance Institute of Washington, The National Dance Institute of New Mexico, The School of the Performing Arts in the Richmond Community (SPARC). Longleaf School of the Arts where he was on staff and Walltown Children’s Theatre.