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81-472: Bojangles may refer to: People nicknamed "Bojangles" [ edit ] Bill Robinson (1877–1949), American dancer and actor Ron Atkinson (born 1939), former British football player and manager Media [ edit ] Bojangles (film) , a 2001 TV-movie about Robinson and starring Gregory Hines "Bojangles" (song) , by rapper Pitbull Other uses [ edit ] Bojangles (restaurant) ,

162-512: A jockey . In 1891, he was hired by Whallen and Martel, touring with Mayme Remington's troupe in a show titled The South Before the War , performing again as a pickaninny , despite his age. He travelled with the show for over a year before growing too mature to play the role credibly. He later teamed up with a young Al Jolson , with Jolson singing while Robinson danced for pennies or to sell newspapers. In 1898, he returned to Richmond where he joined

243-511: A check for having performed the routine. Robinson's talents transcended his famous stair dance. The steps were not essential to Robinson's performances; rather, Robinson would naturally shift into "a little skating step to stop-time; or a scoot step, a cross-over tap" or many other tap steps involved in his particular movement. Robinson changed rhythmic meter and tap steps and syncopated breaks seamlessly. Often Robinson would talk to his audience, share anecdotes, and act as if he were surprised by

324-403: A continuous base material along the underside of the shoes; a split-sole tap shoe has a gap in the base material under the arch of the foot, making them more flexible. Modern tap shoes have soles with heels of varying height (one inch or more) and are commonly made of wood or stacked leather. Some beginner tap shoes have heels made of plastic. The toe box of the tap shoe is located on the front of

405-605: A fast-food restaurant chain Bojangles Coliseum , an arena in Charlotte, North Carolina See also [ edit ] " Bojangles of Harlem ", a 1936 song from the Fred Astaire movie Swing Time Mr. Bojangles (disambiguation) Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Bojangles . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change

486-462: A few moments, we continued walking in silence. "Can I call you Uncle Billy?" I asked. "Why sure you can," he replied..."But then I get to call you darlin.'" It was a deal. From then on, whenever we walked together it was hand in hand, and I was always his "darlin.'" Temple had appeared in five films released in 1934 and had performed a tap routine with James Dunn in Stand Up and Cheer! After Robinson

567-497: A film about a tap dancing penguin. Another well-known tap film is 1989's Tap , starring Gregory Hines and many old-time hoofers. Early tappers like Fred Astaire provided a more ballroom look to tap dancing, while Gene Kelly introduced ballet elements and style into tap. This style of tap led to what is today known as Broadway style , which is popular in American culture. It often involves high heeled tap shoes and show music, and

648-401: A form of dance called "jigging", which was taken up by minstrel show dancers in the 1800s. Tap dance then became a popular stage entertainment. As minstrel shows began to decline in popularity, tap dance moved to the increasingly popular Vaudeville stage. Due to Vaudeville's unspoken "two-colored rule", which forbade blacks to perform solo, many Vaudeville tap acts were duets. One such duo

729-563: A huge success on Broadway, where it ran for over a year to sell-out performances. On stage, Adelaide Hall and Robinson danced and sang a duet together, captivating their audiences. From then on, Robinson's public role was that of a dapper, smiling, plaid-suited ambassador to the white world, maintaining a connection with the black show-business circles through his continuing patronage of the Hoofers Club , an entertainer's haven in Harlem . So successful

810-583: A lifetime member of policemen's associations and fraternal orders, and a mascot of the New York Giants . Robinson reciprocated with open-handed generosity and frequently credited the White dancer James Barton for his contribution to his dancing style. Despite being the highest-paid black performer of the first half of the 20th century, earning more than US$ 2 million during his lifetime, Robinson died penniless on November 25, 1949, from heart failure . His funeral

891-469: A protégé of Alice Whitman of The Whitman Sisters around 1904 (then known as "Willie Robinson"). Well versed in both Buck and Wing dancing and Irish Step dancing, Robinson joined the Vaudeville circuit in 1902 in a duo with George W. Cooper. The act quickly became famous, headlining events across the country, and touring England as well. In 1908, the partnership ended and Robinson began dancing solo, which

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972-516: A pullback, pullbacks, wings, Cincinnati, the shim sham shimmy (also called the Lindy), Irish, Waltz Clog, the paddle roll, the paradiddle, stomp, brushes, scuffs, spanks, single and double toe punches, hot steps, heel clicks toe stands, over-the-tops, military time step, New Yorkers, and Shiggy Bops. In the earliest years of tap dancing, tap shoes often had wooden soles. The soles of modern tap shoes are either full-sole or split-sole. A full-sole tap shoe has

1053-575: A short tour of UK variety theatres, headlining at the Holborn Empire and, during the week of July 19, the Brighton Hippodrome . As mentioned, the chapter of Stearns' Bill Robinson: Up on the Toes titled Jazz Dance (1966) describes how Robinson introduced dancing "up on the toes" to tap dance. This was a new addition to King Rastus Brown's popular "flat-footed wizardry." Moving primarily from

1134-488: A solo act, increasing his earnings to an estimated $ 3,500 per week. Forkins accomplished this by inventing an alternate history for Robinson, promoting him as already being a solo act. This technique succeeded, making Robinson one of the first performers to break vaudeville's two-coloured rule , which forbade solo Black acts. When the U.S. entered World War I , the War Department set up a series of Liberty Theatres in

1215-400: A step ahead of us, but when he noticed me hurrying to catch up, he shortened his stride to accommodate mine. I kept reaching up for his hand, but he hadn't looked down and seemed unaware. Fannie called his attention to what I was doing, so he stopped short, bent low over me, his eyes wide and rows of brilliant teeth showing in a wide smile. When he took my hand in his, it felt large and cool. For

1296-529: A teacher and mentor, Miller saying that he "changed the course of my life." Gregory Hines produced and starred in a biographical movie about Robinson for which he won the NAACP Best Actor Award . Despite being the highest-paid black performer of the time, Robinson died penniless in 1949, his funeral paid for by longtime friend Ed Sullivan . In 1989, Congress designated Robinson's birthday of May 25 as National Tap Dance Day . Bill "Bojangles" Robinson

1377-555: A ten-dollar bill?" Politely asking to borrow the manager's note for a moment, Robinson added six $ 10 bills from his own wallet and mixed them up, then extended the seven bills together, adding, "Here, let's see you pick out the colored one". The restaurant manager served Robinson without further delay. Robinson co-founded the New York Black Yankees baseball team in Harlem in 1936 with financier James "Soldier Boy" Semler . The team

1458-570: A troupe, more frequently with a partner, though not always as a dancer (Robinson also sang and performed two-man comedy routines). By 1912, Robinson was a full partner in the duo , which had become primarily a tap-dancing act, booked on both the Keith and Orpheum Circuits . The team broke up in 1914, and vaudeville performer Rae Samuels , who had performed in shows with Robinson, convinced him to meet with her manager (and husband), Marty Forkins. Under Forkins' tutelage, Robinson matured and began working as

1539-424: A variation with a pickup, which is essentially adding an additional brush sound. Popular steps with many variations include pullbacks, timesteps, riffs, and drawbacks. Time steps is an umbrella term that is widely used in tap for any combination of steps that follows a specific rhythm or pattern. These consist of a rhythm that is changed to make new time steps by adding or removing steps. There are many variations of

1620-451: A word of his own invention, copasetic , which he had used for years in his vaudeville shows, and which was added to Webster's Dictionary in 1934. The last theatrical project for Robinson was to have been Two Gentlemen from the South , with James Barton as the master and Robinson as his servant, in which the black and white roles reverse and eventually the two come together as equals, but

1701-404: Is an African-American artform that evolved alongside the advent of jazz music . Tap is a type of step dance that began with the combination of Southern American and Irish dance traditions, such as Irish soft-shoe and hard-shoe step dances , and a variety of both slave and freeman step dances. The fusion of African rhythms and performance styles with European techniques of footwork led to

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1782-550: Is cited as the first film with an all-black cast, even though all-black silent films preceded it and the cast of Harlem Is Heaven includes a white actor with a speaking part, as well as a few white extras. The movie was produced in New York and did not perform well financially, leading Robinson to focus on Hollywood-produced movies after that. The idea for bringing a black dancer to Fox to star with Temple in The Little Colonel

1863-453: Is currently considered to be modern tap, but has since declined in popularity. Basic tap steps are known as "one-sound steps" and are either weight shifting or non-weight-shifting steps. Common basic tap steps include heel drops, toe drops, a brush, scuff, chug, pull, hop, leap and step. In advanced tap dancing, basic steps are often combined together to create new steps. Many steps also have single, double, and triple variations, or can have

1944-464: Is exact and specific. He brought it on its toes, dancing upright and swinging," adding a "hitherto-unknown lightness and presence." His signature routine was the stair dance, in which he would tap up and down a set of stairs in a rhythmically complex sequence of steps, a routine that he unsuccessfully attempted to patent. He is also credited with having popularized the word copacetic through his repeated use of it in vaudeville and radio appearances. He

2025-469: Is famous for his dancing with Shirley Temple in a series of films during the 1930s, and for starring in the musical Stormy Weather (1943), loosely based on his own life and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry . He used his popularity to challenge and overcome numerous racial barriers. Robinson was one of the first minstrel and vaudeville performers to appear as black without

2106-576: Is made by shoes that have a metal "tap" on the heel and toe. Different shoes may differ in their sound. Tap dance is an indigenous American dance form with roots that go back 300 years to Irish and West African musical and step dance traditions, which themselves have medieval and ancient roots . During the 17th – 19th centuries, it was primarily developed from European step dance forms, such as jigs and clogs . These dances were brought to America by immigrants and eventually grew to incorporate African rhythms and styles . These fused and evolved into

2187-501: Is remembered for the support that he gave to fellow performers, including Fred Astaire , Eleanor Powell , Lena Horne , Jesse Owens and the Nicholas Brothers . Robinson was successful despite the obstacle of racism. A favorite Robinson anecdote is that he seated himself in a restaurant and a customer objected to his presence. When the manager suggested that it might be better if Robinson leave, he smiled and asked, "Have you got

2268-516: Is usually the type of tap first taught to beginners. Examples of this style are found in Broadway musicals such as Anything Goes and 42nd Street . "Soft-Shoe" is a rhythm form of tap dancing that does not require special shoes, and though rhythm is generated by tapping of the feet, it also uses sliding of the feet (even sometimes using scattered sand on the stage to enhance the sound of sliding feet) more often than modern rhythm tap. It preceded what

2349-502: The Palace Theatre in New York, Robinson performed the stair dance. Claims regarding the origin of the stair dance were highly disputed; however, Robinson was widely credited with the dance because he made it popular. The dance involved "a different rhythm for each step – each one reverberating with a different pitch – and the fact that he had a special set of portable steps enhanced his claim to originating

2430-746: The United States Army as a rifleman when the Spanish–American War started. He received an accidental gunshot wound from a second lieutenant who was cleaning his gun. On March 30, 1900, Robinson entered a buck-and-wing performance contest at the Bijou Theatre in Brooklyn, New York, winning a gold medal and defeating Harry Swinton, star of the show In Old Kentucky and considered the best dancer of his day. The resulting publicity helped Robinson to get work in numerous travelling shows, sometimes in

2511-534: The 369th's return from overseas. While numerous sources repeat the claim of Bill Robinson's appointment as drum major in the 369th Regiment Band, this is not mentioned in either Mr. Bojangles , the Bill Robinson biography by Jim Haskins and N.R. Mitgang, or A Life in Ragtime , the biography of James Reese Europe , the leader of the 369th regimental band. Tales about the origin of Robinson's nickname varied across

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2592-466: The Corner . Robinson and Temple became close friends as a result of his dance coaching and acting with her. Robinson carried pictures of Temple with him wherever he traveled, and Temple considered him a lifelong friend, saying in an interview "Bill Robinson treated me as an equal, which was very important to me. He didn't talk down to me, like to a little girl. And I liked people like that. And Bill Robinson

2673-892: The Emmy award winning PBS documentary of 1979, helped begin the recent revival of tap dance. The outstanding success of the animated film , Happy Feet , has further reinforced the popular appeal. National Tap Dance Day in the United States, now celebrated May 25, was signed into law by President George Bush on November 7, 1989. (May 25 was chosen because it is the birthday of famous tapper Bill "Bojangles" Robinson .) Prominent modern tap dancers have included Sarah Reich , Brenda Bufalino , Melinda Sullivan , The Clark Brothers , James "Buster" Brown , Savion Glover , Gregory and Maurice Hines , LaVaughn Robinson , Jason Samuels Smith , Chloe Arnold , Michelle Dorrance , Dormeshia Sumbry-Edwards , and Dianne "Lady Di" Walker . Indie-pop band Tilly and

2754-510: The Globe Theater in Richmond and offered him a job as a "pick" in a local minstrel show. At that time, minstrel shows were staged by white performers in blackface. Pickaninnies were cute black children at the edge of the stage singing, dancing, or telling jokes. In 1890, at the age of 12, Robinson ran away to Washington, D.C., where he did odd jobs at Benning Race Track and worked briefly as

2835-595: The U.S. and most frequently visiting Chicago , where Marty Forkins, his manager, lived. From 1919 to 1923, he was fully booked on the Orpheum Circuit and was signed full-time by the Keith Circuit in 1924 and 1925. In addition to being booked for 50 to 52 weeks (an avid baseball fan, he took a week off for the World Series), Robinson did multiple shows per night, frequently on two different stages. In 1926 Robinson made

2916-544: The Wall also features a tap dancer, Jamie Pressnall, tapping as percussion. During the 1930s and the 1940s, Americans were able to watch tap dancers perform on film. However, Black tap dancers found it difficult to be a part of these White films because segregation was prominent in America. This led to the creation of two different styles of tap dance: White tap dancers formed a Broadway style and Black dancers continued to evolve with

2997-600: The action of his feet. His amusing personality was essential to his performances and popularity. Robinson is said to have consistently performed in split-soled wooden shoes, handcrafted by a Chicago craftsman. In 1928, a white impresario, Lew Leslie , produced Blackbirds of 1928 on Broadway, a black revue for white audiences starring Adelaide Hall and Bill Robinson along with Aida Ward , Tim Moore and other black stars. The show originally did not include Robinson; only after three weeks of lukewarm reception did Leslie add Robinson as an "extra attraction." The show then became

3078-509: The basic time step, including the single, double, and triple time steps. Time steps consist of single- and multi-sound step combinations. In tap, various types of turns can be done, including step heel turns, Maxi Ford turns, cramp-roll turns, and drag turns. All tap turns can be practiced in both directions. Other common tap steps include the shuffle, shuffle ball change, double shuffle, leap shuffle, flap, flap ball change, running flaps, flap heel, cramp-roll, buffalo, Maxi Ford, Maxi Ford with

3159-590: The boat pilot and then Sir Joseph Porter in the play-within-a-play of H.M.S. Pinafore . Critics widely praised Robinson's performance and especially his dancing, with his stair dance cited as a high point of the show. After 1932, black stage revues waned in popularity, but Robinson remained in vogue with white audiences for more than a decade in some fourteen motion pictures produced by such companies as RKO , 20th Century Fox and Paramount Pictures . Most of them had musical settings, in which he played old-fashioned roles in nostalgic romances. Robinson's film debut

3240-447: The color line, a consequence of differing opinions of him by black and white people. To whites, for example, his nickname "Bojangles" meant happy-go-lucky, while the Black variety artist Tom Fletcher claimed it was slang for "squabbler." Robinson himself said he got the nickname as a child in Richmond, which is the most commonly-accepted version. Tap dance#Segregation's impact It

3321-406: The creation of tap dance. This fusion began in the mid-17th century but did not become popular until the mid-19th century. There are two major versions of tap dance: rhythm (jazz) tap and Broadway tap. Broadway tap focuses on dance; it is widely performed in musical theater . Rhythm tap focuses on musicality , and practitioners consider themselves to be a part of the jazz tradition. The sound

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3402-520: The dance." The popularity of the stair dance led Robinson to file for a patent through the U.S. Patent Office in Washington D.C., ultimately to no avail; however the lack of a patent did not diminish Robinson's professional command of the stair dance. The entertainment community began to associate the stair dance exclusively with Robinson as the routine became a standard part of his performances in 1921. Haskins reports that dancer Fred Stone sent Robinson

3483-460: The divorce was finalized in 1922. His second wife was Fannie S. Clay whom he married shortly after his divorce from Chase. They divorced in 1943. His third marriage was in 1944 to Elaine Plaines in Columbus, Ohio, and they remained together until Robinson's death in 1949. There were no children from any of the marriages. Political figures and celebrities appointed Robinson an honorary mayor of Harlem ,

3564-414: The edge of the shoe more, making them heavier as a result. A tap's "tone" is influenced by its weight as well as its surface shape, which may be concave or convex. The tonal quality of a tap can also be influenced by the material it is made from, and the presence of a soundboard. Taps are mounted to the sole of the shoe with screws, and sometimes adhesive as well. The screws are driven into a soundboard –

3645-659: The era, with some critics calling him an Uncle Tom . He strongly resented this, and his biographers suggested that critics were underestimating the difficulties faced by black performers engaging with mainstream white culture at the time, and ignoring his many efforts to overcome racial prejudice. In his public life, Robinson led efforts to persuade the Dallas Police Department to hire its first black policeman; lobby President Franklin Delano Roosevelt during World War II for equal treatment of black soldiers; and stage

3726-531: The fair. Robinson's next Broadway show, All in Fun (1940), was with an all-white cast. Despite having Imogene Coca , Pert Kelton , and other stars, the show received poor reviews at out-of-town tryouts in New Haven and Boston. When the white stars and co-producers Phil Baker and Leonard Sillman withdrew, Robinson became the star, the first time an African-American headlined an otherwise all-white production. Although

3807-640: The film's final dance sequence, performing to Calloway's "Jumpin' Jive", in what Fred Astaire called "the greatest movie musical number he had ever seen." In 2001, Stormy Weather was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant." From 1936 until his death in 1949, Robinson made numerous radio and occasional television appearances. The distinctive sound of Robinson's tap dancing

3888-492: The first black tap dancers to be acknowledged by America was Bill "Bojangles" Robinson , who performed duets with Shirley Temple . However, Bill Robinson's career was reduced to "minstrelsy," which can be defined as White performers using makeup to mock black culture or using black stereotypes in a performance. Black Americans joined these minstrel performances, where they would be forced to act on black stereotypes in their performances. James "Buster" Brown , got his start in

3969-473: The first integrated public event in Miami, a fundraiser which was attended by both black and white city residents. Robinson was a popular figure in both black and white entertainment worlds of his era, and is remembered for the support that he gave to fellow performers, including Fred Astaire , Eleanor Powell , Lena Horne , Jesse Owens and the Nicholas Brothers . Sammy Davis Jr. and Ann Miller credited him as

4050-545: The last movie Rogers made before his death in an airplane crash. Robinson and Rogers were good friends, and after Rogers' death, Robinson refused to fly, instead travelling by train to Hollywood for his film work. Robinson's final film appearance was a starring role in the 1943 Fox musical Stormy Weather . Lena Horne co-starred as Robinson's love interest, and the movie also featured Fats Waller in his final movie appearance before his death, playing with Cab Calloway and his orchestra. The Nicholas Brothers are featured in

4131-649: The latter is known as " a cappella " tap dancing. Hoofers are tap dancers who dance primarily "closer to the floor", using mostly footwork and not showing very much arm or body movement. This kind of tap dancing, also called rhythm tap , was employed by slaves in America. Steve Condos developed an innovative rhythmic tap style that influenced the work of later tap dancers such as Gregory Hines and Savion Glover . The majority of early hoofers, such as Sammy Davis Jr. , Glover, Hines, and LaVaughn Robinson were African American men. Savion Glover helped bring tap dance into mainstream media by choreographing Happy Feet ,

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4212-456: The link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bojangles&oldid=1237454439 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Bill Robinson Bill " Bojangles " Robinson (born Luther Robinson ; May 25, 1878 – November 25, 1949),

4293-447: The mid-to-late 1950s, the style of entertainment changed. Jazz music and tap dance declined, while rock and roll and the new jazz dance emerged. What is now called jazz dance evolved out of tap dance , so both dances have many moves in common. But jazz evolved separately from tap dance to become a new form in its own right. Well known dancers during the 1960s and 1970s included Arthur Duncan and Tommy Tune . No Maps on My Taps ,

4374-425: The movement as they perform, and the choreography is not prepared beforehand. There was also the "two-color rule," which made sure that black tap dancers were not able to perform solos onstage. This led to some tap dancers performing comedic tap duets. There were stereotypes placed on black Americans such as the "Uncle Tom" stereotype, and many tap dancers were forced to wear " black-face " onstage to perform. One of

4455-510: The movie "Stormy Weather" features the pair dancing up a staircase and then descending the staircase in a series of leapfrogs over each other into a full split from which they rise with no hands. "Stormy Weather" was a six-minute performance performed in one go with no retakes. The Nicholas Brothers danced on pianos and many other structures during this performance. During the 1930s, tap dance mixed with Lindy Hop . "Flying swing outs" and "flying circles" are Lindy Hop moves with tap footwork. In

4536-488: The result of conflicting stories put out by Robinson's second wife Fanny, or his manager, Marty Forkins, or by various show business associates of Robinson. There are also numerous documented instances in which Robinson gave conflicting stories to news reporters at different times. According to his biographer, Robinson had previously served in the Spanish–American War, where he sustained an accidental gunshot wound. He

4617-465: The reviewers were enthusiastic about Robinson, they panned the show, and it failed to attract audiences. All in Fun closed after four performances. Robinson's next foray on Broadway was the musical comedy Memphis Bound , which opened in May 1945. This production used an all-Black cast, including Robinson (who had top billing), Avon Long , Billy Daniels , Ada Brown , and Sheila Guyse . Robinson played

4698-426: The segregated clubs of the 1930s, but eventually earned international mainstream recognition and mentored younger more modern tap dancers in the 1990s. Tap dancers make frequent use of syncopation . Choreography typically starts on the eighth or first beat count. Another aspect of tap dancing is improvisation . Tap dancing can either be done with music following the beats provided, or without musical accompaniment;

4779-572: The service at the Abyssinian Baptist Church , and New York Mayor William O'Dwyer gave the eulogy. His honorary pallbearers were Duke Ellington , Joe Lewis , Bob Hope , Jackie Robinson , Joe DiMaggio , and Irving Berlin . Robinson is buried in the Cemetery of the Evergreens, Brooklyn , New York. Robinson was a popular figure in both black and white entertainment worlds of his era, and

4860-486: The shoe for the purpose of reinforcing the shoe; however there are tap shoes that use a soft leather instead. A single tap shoe has two taps: one under the heel, and another under the toes. Popular tap shoe makers include Bloch and Capezio . There are several styles of tap shoes: Depending on manufacturer and model, tap characteristics can vary considerably. For example, some taps have relatively low weight and small footprint whereas others may be thicker and fill out

4941-454: The show did not open. Robinson's final public appearance in 1949, a few weeks before his death, was as a surprise guest on Ted Mack 's The Original Amateur Hour , in which he emotionally embraced a competitor on the show who had tap-danced for the audience. A friend remarked "he was handing over his crown, like him saying 'this is my goodbye.'" Little is known of Robinson's first marriage to Lena Chase in 1907. They separated in 1916, and

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5022-640: The stage in The Hot Mikado , a jazz version of the Gilbert and Sullivan operetta. The show opened at the Broadhurst Theatre , with Robinson cast in the role of the Emperor. His rendition of My Object All Sublime stopped the show and produced eight encores. After Broadway, the show moved to the 1939 New York World's Fair , and was one of the great hits of the fair. August 25, 1939, was named Bill Robinson Day at

5103-411: The traditional rhythm based style. Broadway tap dance was performed in mainly Broadway musicals and film, and it did not emphasize classic jazz rhythms. Rhythm tap integrated more of the classic African roots of tap dance, and it emphasized jazz rhythms, musicality, and improvisation. Musicality is the dancer's understanding of the music they are performing to. Improvisation is where a dancer makes up

5184-467: The training camps. The Keith Circuit and Orpheum Circuit underwrote vaudeville acts at reduced fees, but Robinson volunteered to perform gratis for thousands of troops, in both black and white units of the expeditionary forces, receiving a commendation from the War Department in 1918. Throughout the early 1920s, Robinson continued his career on the road as a solo vaudeville act, touring throughout

5265-529: The use of blackface makeup, as well as one of the earliest Black performers to perform solo, overcoming vaudeville's two-color rule . Additionally, he was an early black headliner in Broadway shows. Robinson was the first black performer to appear in a Hollywood film in an interracial dance team (with Shirley Temple in The Little Colonel , 1935), and the first black performer to headline a mixed-race Broadway production. Robinson came under heavy criticism for his apparent tacit acceptance of racial stereotypes of

5346-406: The waist down, Robinson maintained impressive control of his body. Pete Nugent is said to have remarked "Robinson was the absolute tops in control ." That Robinson infrequently dropped his heels marked a significant change in popular tap technique. Due to his adroit ability to be both light on his feet and distinct in his percussive taps, Robinson was called the "Father of Tapology." In 1918 at

5427-399: Was "Buck and Bubbles," which consisted of John "Bubbles" Sublett tap dancing and Ford "Buck" Washington playing a piano. The duo performed a "Class Act", a routine in which the performers wore tuxedos, effectively distinguishing them from the older minstrel show concept of tap dancers as "grinning-and-dancing clowns." Another notable figure during this period is Bill "Bojangles" Robinson ,

5508-462: Was 36 when the U.S entered World War I, and received a letter of commendation from the War Department for his work during the war in boosting morale at training camps in the United States, not overseas. It has further been claimed that, along with serving in the trenches in World War I, Robinson was also the drum major for the 369th Hellfighters Band and led the regimental band up Fifth Avenue on

5589-537: Was Adelaide Hall's collaboration with Bojangles, that they appeared together on stage at the prestigious Palace Theatre (Broadway) before they were teamed up together again by Marty Forkins (Robinson's manager) to star in another Broadway musical titled, " Brown Buddies ," that opened in 1930 at the Liberty Theatre, where it ran for four months before commencing a road tour of the States. In 1939, Robinson returned to

5670-595: Was a successful member of the Negro National League until it disbanded in 1948 after Major League Baseball was desegregated . In 1989, a joint U.S. Senate/House resolution declared National Tap Dance Day to be May 25, the anniversary of Bill Robinson's birth. Robinson was inducted into the National Museum of Dance's Mr. & Mrs. Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney Hall of Fame in 1987. There are several commonly cited anecdotes about Robinson that are likely

5751-496: Was an American tap dancer, actor, and singer, the best known and the most highly paid black entertainer in the United States during the first half of the 20th century. His long career mirrored changes in American entertainment tastes and technology. His career began in the age of minstrel shows and moved to vaudeville , Broadway theatre, the recording industry, Hollywood films, radio, and television. According to dance critic Marshall Stearns , "Robinson's contribution to tap dance

5832-427: Was arranged and paid for by longtime friend and television host Ed Sullivan . Robinson lay in repose at the 369th Infantry Regiment Armory in Harlem, where an estimated 32,000 people filed past his open casket to pay their last respects. The schools in Harlem were closed for a half-day so that children could attend or listen to the funeral, which was broadcast over the radio. Reverend Adam Clayton Powell Sr. conducted

5913-539: Was born Luther Robinson in Richmond, Virginia on May 25, 1878, to Maxwell, a machinist, and Maria Robinson, a church choir director. He and his younger brother William were raised in Richmond's Jackson Ward neighborhood. His grandmother Bedelia Robinson, formerly enslaved , raised him after both of his parents died tragically in 1884: his father died from chronic heart disease and his mother from unknown causes. Details of his early life are known only through legend, much of it perpetuated by Robinson himself. He claimed that he

5994-460: Was christened Luther, a name that he did not like. He forced his younger brother William that they should exchange names, and they eventually did. His brother subsequently adopted the name of Percy and achieved recognition as a musician under that name. At the age of five, Robinson began dancing for small change, appearing as a "hoofer" or busker in local beer gardens and in front of theaters for tossed pennies. A promoter saw him performing outside

6075-518: Was extremely rare for a black man at that time. Despite this, he had tremendous success and soon became a world-famous celebrity. He went on to have a leading role in many films, notably in the Shirley Temple franchise. Shortly thereafter, the Nicholas Brothers came on the scene. Consisting of real life brothers Fayard and Harold, this team wowed audiences with their acrobatic feats incorporated into their classy style of dancing. A notable scene in

6156-411: Was first proposed by Fox head Winfield Sheehan after a discussion with D. W. Griffith . Sheehan set his sights on Robinson but, unsure of his ability as an actor, arranged for a contract that was void if Robinson failed the dramatic test. Robinson passed the test and was brought in to star with Temple and to teach her tap dancing. They quickly hit it off, as Temple recounted years later: Robinson walked

6237-448: Was frequently featured, but Robinson also sang, made sound effects, and told jokes and stories from his vaudeville acts. He also addressed the audience directly, something very rare for a black radio performer in that era. Robinson also made several recordings, including one in which he demonstrated each of his tap steps and their corresponding sounds. It was also on the radio and in his recordings that Robinson introduced and popularized

6318-498: Was imitating his steps. The sequence was the highlight of the film. Robinson and Temple became the first interracial dance partners in Hollywood history. The scene was controversial for its time, and was cut out in the South along with all other scenes showing the two making physical contact. Temple and Robinson appeared in four films together: The Little Colonel , The Littlest Rebel , Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm and Just Around

6399-593: Was in the 1930 musical Dixiana . RKO was formed in part by a merger of the Keith and Orpheum theater circuits, with whom Robinson had performed as a headliner for many years. He was cast as a specialty performer in a standalone scene. This practice, customary at the time, permitted Southern theaters to remove scenes containing black performers from their showings of the film. Dixiana was followed by Robinson's first starring role, in Harlem Is Heaven (1932), which sometimes

6480-497: Was signed by 20th Century Fox , it was decided that he would perform his famous stair dance with Temple. While Robinson liked the idea, he quickly realized that he could not teach his complex stair dance to a seven-year-old in the few days permitted by the shooting schedule. Instead, he taught Temple to kick the riser (face) of each stairstep with her toe. After watching her practice his choreography, Robinson modified his routine to mimic her movements, so that it appeared on film that she

6561-626: Was the best of all." Robinson refused to play stereotypical roles imposed by Hollywood studios. In a small vignette in Hooray for Love (1935), he played a mayor of Harlem modeled after his own ceremonial honor; in One Mile from Heaven (1937), he played a romantic lead with African-American actress Fredi Washington after Hollywood had relaxed its taboo against such roles for Blacks. Robinson appeared opposite Will Rogers in In Old Kentucky (1935),

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