Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, an American tap dancer and actor, was the best known and most highly paid African American entertainer in the first half of the twentieth century. He began his career in the age of minstrel shows and then expanded his career to vaudeville, Hollywood, television, and radio. Robinson became popular with both black and white audiences as a cheerful and highly skilled performer who introduced his own unique style of tap dancing.
Robinson took advantage of his wide-reaching popularity to challenge racial barriers in and out of the film industry. Not only was he the first African American to headline a mixed-race Broadway show, but he also lobbied for President FDR to enact more equitable treatment of African American soldiers in World War II. He was considered a controversial figure at times for his portrayal of more stereotypical representations of African Americans, causing critics to refer to him as an "Uncle Tom" figure. Nonetheless, Robinson is best known today for his dancing with Shirley Temple during the 1930s as well as the musical Stormy Weather (1943), which is loosely based on his own life. |
Examples of Work:
The Little Colonel (1935) One Mile from Heaven (1937) Just Around the Corner (1938) Stormy Weather (1943) |
Fayard (1914-2006) and Harold (1921-2000) Nicholas, known as the dynamic duo the Nicholas Brothers, reached fame due to their iconic dance style and vaudeville acts. Growing up surrounded by vaudeville acts as children, they became stars of the jazz circuit during the heyday of the Harlem Renaissance and went on to have successful careers performing on stage, film, and television well into the 1990s. The Nicholas Brothers performed a highly acrobatic technique known as "flash dancing". With a high level of artistry and daring innovations, they were considered by many to be the greatest tap dancers of their day. Their performance in the musical number "Jumpin' Jive" featured in the movie Stormy Weather is considered by many to be the most virtuosic dance display of all time.
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Examples of Work:
Kid Millions (1934) Babes in Arms (1937) Stormy Weather (1943) "That's Dancing!" (1985) |