Willie Hinton, a New York native, 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. He was also a scholarship student at the American Dance Festival, Durham, NC. The Governor’s School for Humanities and Visual & Performing Arts at Christopher Newport University presented Willie with the “Presidential Citation”. In 2013, the American Dance Festival awarded Willie the “Chuck Davis Scholarship”.  He received the “Trustee’s Scholarship” from the University of the Arts, Philadelphia, PA. He received a full scholarship to 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 The Chuck Davis African American Dance Ensemble (NC). 

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 North Carolina State University’s “Panoramic Dance Project”.  He was “Artist in Residence” at NCSU and North Carolina Central University. The Justice Theatre Project commissioned Willie to choreograph and perform “The Color Purple,” where he worked with 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), and Walltown Children’s Theatre. He was on staff at the Longleaf School of the Arts.

Willie’s passion to inspire awarded him the privilege to instruct students from the School of the Richmond Ballet where he taught Jazz/ Modern to all levels within the school. He was a mentor/teacher to the trainees and apprentices of Richmond Ballet's professional company, and a teaching artist for their outreach program “Minds in Motion'' an affiliate of the National Dance Institute founded by world-famous dancer Jacques d'Amboise.  Willie set works on the University of Richmond's dance company and choreographed their production of “RENT”.  He recently finished a two-year contract with NC Arts in Action, another National Dance Institute affiliate in Durham, NC, and Carolina Ballet’s summer intensive where he is a returning instructor.

Willie’s international teaching has taken him to Bolivia, South America where he oversaw the Jazz/Modern department at The Estudio de Capezio in La Paz. Bolivia. He was also a guest teacher at the University of Bolivia, and the American High School where he worked with their theatre department. Graceful Expressions School of Dance Education commissioned Willie to teach in the rural area of Kibera in Nairobi, Kenya, the Naivasha School in West Nairobi, and The Dance Centre of Kenya. 

Among many of Willie’s accomplishments he was nominated and won the “Artsy” award for “Best Choreography’’ (Black Nativity) in the Richmond community given by Richmond’s VA Theater Critics Choice for his work with the African American Repertory Theatre. Presently Willie is on staff at City Ballet of Raleigh, Cary Ballet Conservatory, and Graceful Expressions Dance Education and the school of the Carolina Ballet.