Bill “Bojangles” Robinson was born in Richmond, Virginia on
May 25, 1878. He is an iconic African American tap dancer and actor. He was
best known for his Broadway performances and film roles. He started dancing at the age of five and
starting performing at local beer gardens. He joined Mayme Remington’s touring
troupe at the age of nine. In 1928, he starred in a Broadway musical, Blackbird, which featured his famous “stair
dance”.He became well-known for the
nickname “Bojangles”, which meant for his white fans, cheerful and bubbly. Although
he did some acting, he was best known for his tap-dance routines. He pioneered
a new form of tap dancing, shifting from a flat-footed style to a light, swinging
style that focused on elegant footwork. He was also famous for dancing with
baby Shirley Temple, and videos of them dancing are very famous on YouTube.
After his death, he remained a famous figure in history. In honor of his
living, his birthday, May 25th became National Tap Dance Day.
This website shows the three ways Bill Robinson changed in the dance history. The three ways were a performed solo, Appeared w/o blackface, and finally, he danced with white actors. It broke the "rules" and restrictions on the black performers.
http://atdf.org/awards/bojangles.html
This website shows how Bill Robinson was a influential person in the tap dance world and history. He changed the black performer history.
