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Bill Bojangles Robinson was an Actor, Tap Dancer, and activist that brought tap dancing “up on its toes.”

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Bill Bojangles Robinson was an Actor, Tap Dancer, and activist that brought tap dancing “up on its toes.”

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When he was five, he was a Pick, short for Pickanniny. A Pick is an offensive term for a small black child, but as a job, it means to play the role of a small black child in a show. Robinson was a pick in the show “The South Before the War”. Before he had a lot of popularity, the main thing that he did was solo dancing in clubs and bars. After he gained some popularity, he started to dance with a partner on stage because African Americans were not allowed to dance solo. His manager urged him to go solo. When he did, he became an actor in movies.  A breakthrough came when he was cast in Blackbirds of 1928. The white audiences loved him. His first film was titled Hello Bill in 1929 which showed off his dance skills, most importantly it showed off his signature routine. His biggest hit was when he acted with the child Shirley temple, they were a tap-dancing duo that took Harlem by storm. They were the first interracial couple to dance on T.V. and, there was a vast difference in their ages; Bill was in his 50s and Shirley was 6. "We held hands and I learned to dance from Bill by listening, not looking at the feet," she said. "It was kind of a magic between us.". Apart from tap dancing and acting, he was an activist. He fought for higher wages, which lead to him convincing President Franklin Roosevelt to implement a better pay deal for black soldiers fighting in wars. Robinson would give his money away to people in need and spend his money on things like gambling. But because of his generosity and gambling habits, he started to struggle financially. Broadway organized a benefit for him, but before it could pick up, Bill died from heart failure. Bill’s impact on the tap-dancing world will stick forever, His cheerful and intricate dances will be missed, as well as his cheerful and loud personality.

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1."Bojangles danced his way into film legend." Daily Telegraph [Sydney, New South Wales, Australia], 25 May 2018, p. 85. Gale OneFile: News, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A540112989/STND?u=nysl_me_rcs&sid=STND&xid=d6aec731. Accessed 28 Jan. 2021.
2."Celebrate World’s Greatest Tap Dancer, Bill “Bojangles” Robinson, with His Re-released Biography." PRWeb Newswire, 4 Feb. 2014. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A357511722/ITOF?u=nysl_me_rcs&sid=ITOF&xid=f12fdd08. Accessed 28 Jan. 2021.

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The cover of the Robinson's first hit. The Blackbirds

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The cover of the Robinson's first hit. The Blackbirds

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Age 40-50

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Bill Robinson performing his signature routine. The Stair dance.

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Bill Robinson performing his signature routine. The Stair dance.

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Bill "Bojangles" Robinson Stair Dance, 1932

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Bill Robinson acting with Shirley Temple. His biggest hit.

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Bill Robinson acting with Shirley Temple. His biggest hit.