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Early life - Bill "Bojangles" Robinson was born Luther Robinson in Richmond, Virginia, on May 25, 1878. His father, Maxwell, worked in a machine shop, while his mother, Maria, was a choir singer. After both of his parents died in 1885, Robinson was raised by his grandmother, Bedilia, who had been an enslaved person earlier in her life. According to Robinson, he used physical force to compel his brother, Bill, to switch names with him, since he did not care for his given name of Luther. Additionally, as a young man, he earned the nickname "Bojangles" for his contentious tendencies.

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Bill "Bojangles" Robinson is a famous american tap dancer in the mid 1900s who was famous for his Broadway Performances and films.

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Who is Bill "Bojangles" Robinson - Shaanya

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Who is Bill "Bojangles" Robinson - Shaanya

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Bill "Bojangles" Robinson was a vaudeville performer who actually went from Broadway to Hollywood in the 1930s-1940s. He was a well-liked tap-dancer.

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Tap Dancing orginiated from the African-Americans with the roots of the Irish. These step dance traditions have medival and ancient roots.From the African rythms

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Tap dance is a form of dance characterized by using the sounds of tap shoes striking the floor as a form of percussion. Two major variations on tap dance exist: 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 is made by shoes that have a metal "tap" on the heel and toe. There are different brands of shoes which sometimes differ in the way they sound.

"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 is currently considered to be modern tap, but has since declined in popularity.

Tap dance has its roots in the fusion of several ethnic percussive dances, primarily African tribal dances and Scottish, Irish, and English clog dancing, hornpipes, and jigs. Tap dance is believed to have begun in the mid-1800s during the rise of minstrel shows. Under the stage name Master Juba, William Henry Lane became one of the few black performers to join an otherwise white minstrel troupe, and was influential in the development of tap dance.

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 was "Buck and Bubbles," which consisted of John "Bubbles" Sublett tap dancing and Ford "Buck" Washington playing a piano. The duo performed 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, a protégé of Alice Whitman of The Whitman Sisters around 1904 (then '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 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 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.

During the 1930s tap dance mixed with Lindy Hop. "Flying swing outs" and "flying circles" are Lindy Hop moves with tap footwork. In 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, the Emmy award winning PBS documentary of 1979, helped begin the recent revival of tap dance. The outstanding success of the animated film, , 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, Savion Glover, Gregory and Maurice Hines, LaVaughn Robinson, Jason Samuels Smith, Chloe Arnold, Michelle Dorrance, Jason Janas, Sam Weber, Marshall Davis Jr, Heather Cornell, Dormeshia Sumbry-Edwards, and Dianne "Lady Di" Walker. Indie-pop band Tilly and the Wall also features a tap dancer, Jamie Pressnall, tapping as percussion.

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; 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.[citation needed ] Because the slaves were generally not allowed to practice their own culture and customs, they mixed their form of dancing with Irish step dance to create tap dances that could be concealed from slave owners and over-seers.[citation needed ] This is the origin of tap and what later evolved into (what most people know as tap now) "show tap" because it uses more arm movement. This form evolved because show tap was thought to be more exciting to watch and became famous when show tap was put on Broadway.[citation needed ]

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.[citation needed ] Savion Glover helped bring tap dance into mainstream media by choreographing , a film about a tap dancing penguin. Another well-known tap film is 1989's , 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 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.

Common tap steps include the shuffle, shuffle ball change, double shuffle, leap shuffle, hop shuffle, flap, flap ball change, running flaps, flap heel, cramproll, buffalo, Maxi Ford, Maxi Ford with 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, riffs, and single and double toe punches, hot steps, heel clicks, time steps, over-the-tops, military time step, New Yorkers, Shiggy Bops, drawbacks, and chugs. In advanced tap dancing, basic steps are often combined together to create new steps. Many steps also have single, double, and triple versions, including pullbacks, timesteps, and drawbacks. In tap, various types of turns can be done, including step heel turns, Maxi Ford turns, cramproll turns, and drag turns. Timesteps are widely used in tap and can vary in different areas. These consist of a rhythm that is changed to make new timesteps by adding or removing steps.

Tap dancing can also be done using an a cappella method, in which no musical accompaniment is provided and dancers create their own "music" through the sounds of their taps.

In group tap dances, the steps are typically kept simple and easy to control. The group of dancers must keep their steps at the correct speed to be in sync.

In the earliest years of tap dancing, tap shoes often had wooden soles, but most tap shoes since have had leather soles. Today, it is common for manufacturers of tap shoes to also produce and fix taps.[citation needed ] There are a variety of styles of shoe, the Oxford shoe being very common in jazz dance, and Mary Jane (shoe) is common for younger girls in tap classes.

Tap shoe makers include Bloch and Capezio.

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 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 though there is some debate whether this affects the sound.

Side view of tap shoe, showing taps mounted to bottoms of heel and toe

Metal tap on bottom of heel

Metal tap on bottom of toe

Taps are mounted to the sole of the shoe with screws, and sometimes adhesive as well. The screws are driven into a soundboard - a thin fiberboard integrated into the sole that can be firmly "gripped" by the screws - to reliably attach the tap to the shoe. When no adhesive is used, the screws can be loosened or tightened to produce different sounds, whereas tonal quality is fixed when adhesive is used.

Constance Valis Hill. Tap Dancing America: A Cultural History (Oxford University Press; 2010, 400 pages; Traces the history of tap from its origins in African-American and Irish forms.

Jerry Ames and Jim Siegelman, The Book of Tap: Recovering America's Long Lost Dance David McKay Co, 1977. 178 p. ISBN 0679506152

Seibert, Brian (2015). What the Eye Hears: A History of Tap Dancing. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux. ISBN 9781429947619.

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Tap dance is a form of dance characterized by using the sounds of tap shoes striking the floor as a form of percussion. Two major variations on tap dance exist: rhythm (jazz) tap and Broadway tap. Broadway tap focuses on dance; it is widely performed in musical theater.

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Bill "Bojangles" Robinson was an iconic African American tap dancer and actor known for his Broadway performances and film roles.

He started his career as a vaudeville performer, transitioning to Broadway and Hollywood films in the 1930s and 1940s. His delicate tap-dance style and cheerful demeanor made Robinson a favorite of both Black and white audiences. He died in New York City on November 25, 1949.

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Tap dance is an African 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 the American continent by immigrants and eventually grew to incorporate African rhythms and styles. These fused and evolved into 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.

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Tap dance is a form of dance characterized by using the sounds of tap shoes striking the floor as a form of percussion. Two major variations on tap dance exist: 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 is made by shoes that have a metal "tap" on the heel and toe. There are different brands of shoes which sometimes differ in the way they sound.

"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 is currently considered to be modern tap, but has since declined in popularity.

Tap dance has its roots in the fusion of several ethnic percussive dances, primarily African tribal dances and Scottish, Irish, and English clog dancing, hornpipes, and jigs. Tap dance is believed to have begun in the mid-1800s during the rise of minstrel shows. Under the stage name Master Juba, William Henry Lane became one of the few black performers to join an otherwise white minstrel troupe, and was influential in the development of tap dance.

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 was "Buck and Bubbles," which consisted of John "Bubbles" Sublett tap dancing and Ford "Buck" Washington playing a piano. The duo performed 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, a protégé of Alice Whitman of The Whitman Sisters around 1904 (then '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 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 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.

During the 1930s tap dance mixed with Lindy Hop. "Flying swing outs" and "flying circles" are Lindy Hop moves with tap footwork. In 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, the Emmy award winning PBS documentary of 1979, helped begin the recent revival of tap dance. The outstanding success of the animated film, , 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, Savion Glover, Gregory and Maurice Hines, LaVaughn Robinson, Jason Samuels Smith, Chloe Arnold, Michelle Dorrance, Jason Janas, Sam Weber, Marshall Davis Jr, Heather Cornell, Dormeshia Sumbry-Edwards, and Dianne "Lady Di" Walker. Indie-pop band Tilly and the Wall also features a tap dancer, Jamie Pressnall, tapping as percussion.

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; 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.[citation needed ] Because the slaves were generally not allowed to practice their own culture and customs, they mixed their form of dancing with Irish step dance to create tap dances that could be concealed from slave owners and over-seers.[citation needed ] This is the origin of tap and what later evolved into (what most people know as tap now) "show tap" because it uses more arm movement. This form evolved because show tap was thought to be more exciting to watch and became famous when show tap was put on Broadway.[citation needed ]

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.[citation needed ] Savion Glover helped bring tap dance into mainstream media by choreographing , a film about a tap dancing penguin. Another well-known tap film is 1989's , 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 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.

Common tap steps include the shuffle, shuffle ball change, double shuffle, leap shuffle, hop shuffle, flap, flap ball change, running flaps, flap heel, cramproll, buffalo, Maxi Ford, Maxi Ford with 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, riffs, and single and double toe punches, hot steps, heel clicks, time steps, over-the-tops, military time step, New Yorkers, Shiggy Bops, drawbacks, and chugs. In advanced tap dancing, basic steps are often combined together to create new steps. Many steps also have single, double, and triple versions, including pullbacks, timesteps, and drawbacks. In tap, various types of turns can be done, including step heel turns, Maxi Ford turns, cramproll turns, and drag turns. Timesteps are widely used in tap and can vary in different areas. These consist of a rhythm that is changed to make new timesteps by adding or removing steps.

Tap dancing can also be done using an a cappella method, in which no musical accompaniment is provided and dancers create their own "music" through the sounds of their taps.

In group tap dances, the steps are typically kept simple and easy to control. The group of dancers must keep their steps at the correct speed to be in sync.

In the earliest years of tap dancing, tap shoes often had wooden soles, but most tap shoes since have had leather soles. Today, it is common for manufacturers of tap shoes to also produce and fix taps.[citation needed ] There are a variety of styles of shoe, the Oxford shoe being very common in jazz dance, and Mary Jane (shoe) is common for younger girls in tap classes.

Tap shoe makers include Bloch and Capezio.

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 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 though there is some debate whether this affects the sound.

Side view of tap shoe, showing taps mounted to bottoms of heel and toe

Metal tap on bottom of heel

Metal tap on bottom of toe

Taps are mounted to the sole of the shoe with screws, and sometimes adhesive as well. The screws are driven into a soundboard - a thin fiberboard integrated into the sole that can be firmly "gripped" by the screws - to reliably attach the tap to the shoe. When no adhesive is used, the screws can be loosened or tightened to produce different sounds, whereas tonal quality is fixed when adhesive is used.

Constance Valis Hill. Tap Dancing America: A Cultural History (Oxford University Press; 2010, 400 pages; Traces the history of tap from its origins in African-American and Irish forms.

Jerry Ames and Jim Siegelman, The Book of Tap: Recovering America's Long Lost Dance David McKay Co, 1977. 178 p. ISBN 0679506152

Seibert, Brian (2015). What the Eye Hears: A History of Tap Dancing. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux. ISBN 9781429947619.

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Tap dance is a form of dance characterized by using the sounds of tap shoes striking the floor as a form of percussion. Two major variations on tap dance exist: rhythm (jazz) tap and Broadway tap. Broadway tap focuses on dance; it is widely performed in musical theater.

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Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, 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.

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Tap dance has a fascinating history! It started in the 1600s when African rhythms mixed with European dances like Irish jigs, thanks to enslaved Africans and European immigrants. In the 1800s, tap began to take shape in minstrel shows, with dancers like Master Juba creating intricate footwork. It exploded in popularity in the early 1900s through vaudeville and Hollywood films, with stars like Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. Legends like Bill "Bojangles" Robinson and the Nicholas Brothers brought even more creativity to tap. After fading a bit in the mid-1900s, it made a big comeback in the '80s and '90s with Gregory Hines and Savion Glover, who added fresh energy. Today, tap continues to evolve, blending jazz, hip-hop, and more, with dancers like Jason Samuels Smith and Chloe Arnold keeping it alive.

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Born in Richmond, Virginia, Bill Robinson began dancing in local saloons at the age of six. He became a popular fixture on the vaudeville circuit just two years after that. While still a child, he was given the nickname “Bojangles,” although even Robinson himself was unsure of the origin of that moniker.

In 1905, Robinson forged a partnership—lifelong, it turned out—with agent Marty Forkins, who gave the dancer a golden opportunity: the chance to develop a solo act. African American dancers of the time appeared exclusively in pairs.

Robinson made the most of his solo act, touring the United States and Europe until he settled in Harlem in 1928. That was the year he landed a role in the all-Black musical revue Blackbirds of 1928, which was staged by a white producer for white audiences. Robinson’s popularity soared.

Tap-dancing high on his toes and moving his upper body with understated grace, Robinson displayed a lightness and finesse never seen before. He shunned the frantic style of his predecessors for a more elegant, precise form of tap.

Robinson’s talent gave him entrée to two worlds—white entertainment and Black entertainment—yet he was never completely accepted in either one. White audiences adored the films in which he co-starred with Shirley Temple or Will Rogers, but his commercially successful roles were modeled on racist stereotypes, such as that of the genial Black servant. Though artistically satisfying, his few forays into Black films—notably Harlem Is Heaven—didn’t make him much money.

Robinson began performing at Harlem’s Cotton Club in the mid-1930s. In 1939, he joined the Broadway cast of an African American musical called Hot Mikado. The white establishment, meanwhile, cemented his celebrity status by naming him honorary mayor of Harlem—and mascot of the New York Giants baseball team. Many prominent African American individuals, however, found these distinctions to be demeaning and paternalistic.

Despite the racial tension that dogged his career, Robinson revolutionized his art, conquered both stage and screen, and triumphed as a Harlem legend.

https://www.kennedy-center.org/education/resources-for-educators/classroom-resources/media-and-interactives/artists/robinson-bill/

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Born in Richmond, Virginia, Bill Robinson began dancing in local saloons at the age of six. He became a popular fixture on the vaudeville circuit just two years after that. While still a child, he was given the nickname “Bojangles,” although even Robinson himself was unsure of the origin of that moniker.

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Tap dancing originated in the U.S. and brought together elements from a number of other ethnic dances, including West African step dances and Scottish, Irish, and English jigs. Many elements of modern tap dance, including syncopated rhythms, come from African tribal dances and songs.

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Tap dancing emerged in the United States during the 19th century, shaped by a fusion of cultural influences. African rhythmic footwork, which developed as an expressive response after enslaved individuals were prohibited from using drums, blended with Irish and British clog dancing traditions. Initially gaining traction in minstrel showsâ€”often within racially segregated settingsâ€”tap continued evolving into the early 20th century. Through vaudeville performances and the Harlem Renaissance, it absorbed jazz elements and improvisation, while the modern metal-tap shoe became widely adopted. The period from the 1930s to the 1950s is often regarded as taps Golden Age in Hollywood, where legendary performers like Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly popularized it on the silver screen. Although its mainstream appeal waned after World War II, the art form experienced a revival in the 1980s, thanks to Broadway hits such as 42nd Street.

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From Margins to Mainstream: A Brief Tap Dance History

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Tap dance originated in the US in the 19th century as a fusion of African and Irish American dance forms. Master Juba was known as the “father of tap dance”. Creating what we call ‘tap’ today, Juba imitated and evolved the dances he saw from his time. The ability to use your feet to make fast, repetitive movements to create sounds and rhythms gives tap dancing its unique qualities.

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From Margins to Mainstream: A Brief Tap Dance History

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History of Tap Dancing (Ethan Lau 9 Commitment)

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History of Tap Dancing (Ethan Lau 9 Commitment)

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Tap Dancing originally came from The USA, however, it is influenced by West African, Scottish, Irish, and English moves. It is believed that it was born in The USA when African and Irish Slaves saw each other's dance moves on a plantation in the 19th Century.

The Syncopated Rhythm is thought to be inspired by the rhythm of African Tribal Music. When African Slaves were unable to access their traditional instruments such as tribal drums, they resorted to using other methods to produce similar sounds. They realised that by tapping their feet in a specific pattern and rhythm, they were able to create that similar musical beat.

It was in the 1920s that tap shoes were added as a part of the dance. Previously tap shoes were not required to perform this music. This would become the type of tap dance that we recognise today, and was mastered by Dancers such as Bill "Bojangles" Robinson.

https://www.adanceplace.com/history-of-tap-dance/#:~:text=Tap%20dancing%20originated%20in%20the,African%20tribal%20dances%20and%20songs.

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Tap dance has a fascinating history that brings together cultures from around the world. It has evolved over time to create the dance style known today.

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The Savoy was originally modelled after Faggen's downtown venue, Roseland Ballroom. The Roseland was a European swing dance club. Back then, Swing was one of the most popular dances and quickly rose. This was because of the nature of the dance that brought black communities together. However, The Savoy Ballroom was unique in a way because it did not discriminate races unlike other swing ballrooms. From 1920s all the way up to the 1940s the Ballroom was thriving and made around 250,000 dollars a day.

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This article is about the ballroom in New York City. For the ballroom with the same name in Chicago, see Savoy Ballroom (Chicago).

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Davis was America’s first black superstar. He danced, sang, performed comedy and acted-and was good at them all. In August 1989, doctors found a tumor in Davis’s throat that turned out to be cancerous, and Davis was treated with eight weeks of radiation therapy but in 1990, examination big oral tumor. On May 16, 1990, Davis died in his home at age 64.

Ziva 9R Miss Arsenia class

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Oral Cancer Foundation | Information and Resources about Oral Head and Neck Cancer

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Sammy Davis Jr - Oral Cancer Foundation | Information and Resources about Oral Head and Neck Cancer

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Sammy Davis, Jr.’s death from oral/throat cancer in 1990 left the entertainment world bereft of a pioneer whose breadth of [...]

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Tap dance originated from the US and brought together different ethnic dances, such as West African step dance and Scottish, Irish, and English jigs. When enslaved people of African tribes couldn't use the drums to perform, they used their feet instead to keep their culture alive. Originally, normal shoes were used because the main focus was syncopated rhythms, but tap shoes were added to allow a more rhythmic and louder sound.

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Tap dance has a fascinating history that brings together cultures from around the world. It has evolved over time to create the dance style known today.

# data[].attributes.body
Scottish, Irish, and English clog dances, hornpipes, and jigs, as well as West African sacred and secular step dances (gioube), were the main influences on the development of tap in the United States. Up until the final decades of the 20th century, tap dancing was said to have originated from the observation of African enslaved people and Irish indentured servants' dances on Southern plantations. However, in the late 20th century, scholars proposed that tap was

fostered in urban settings like New York City's Five Points District, where a diverse range of ethnic groups coexisted in close quarters and were constantly exposed to the distinctively urban rhythms and syncopations of the machine age.

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tap dance, style of dance in which a dancer wearing shoes fitted with heel and toe taps sounds out audible beats by rhythmically striking the floor or any other hard surface.

Early history

Tap originated in the United States through the fusion of several ethnic percussive dances, primarily West African sacred and secular step dances ( gioube) and Scottish, Irish, and English clog dances, hornpipes, and jigs. Until the last few decades of the 20th century, it was believed that enslaved Africans and Irish indentured servants had observed each other's dances on Southern plantations and that tap dancing was born from this contact. In the late 20th century, however, researchers suggested that tap instead was nurtured in such urban environments as the Five Points District in New York City, where a variety of ethnic groups lived side by side under crowded conditions and in constant contact with the distinctly urban rhythms and syncopations of the machine age.

In the mid- to late 1800s, dance competitions were a common form of entertainment. Later called "cutting contests," these intense challenges between dancers were an excellent breeding ground for new talent. (One of the earliest recorded such challenges took place in 1844 between Black dancer William Henry Lane, known as Master Juba, and Irish dancer John Diamond.) Dancers matured by learning each other's techniques and rhythmic innovations. The primary showcase for tap of this era was the minstrel show, which was at its peak from approximately 1850 to 1870.

During the following decades, styles of tap dancing evolved and merged. Among the ingredients that went into the mix were buck dancing (a dance similar to but older than the clog dance), soft-shoe dancing (a relaxed, graceful dance done in soft-soled shoes and made popular in vaudeville), and buck-and-wing dancing (a fast and flashy dance usually done in wooden-soled shoes and combining Irish clogging styles, high kicks, and complex African rhythms and steps such as the shuffle and slide; it is the forerunner of rhythm tap). Tap dance as it is known today did not emerge until roughly the 1920s, when "taps," nailed or screwed onto shoe soles at the toes and heels, became popular. During this time entire chorus lines in shows such as Shuffle Along (1921) first appeared on stage with "tap shoes," and the dance they did became known as tap dancing.

Tap dance was a particularly dynamic art form, and dancers continually molded and shaped it. Dancers such as Harland Dixon and Jimmy Doyle (a duo known for their buck-and-wing dancing) impressed audiences and influenced developing dancers with their skill, ingenuity, and creativity. In addition to shaping dance performance, tap dancers influenced the evolution of popular American music in the early to mid-20th century; drummers in particular drew ideas as well as inspiration from the dancers' rhythmic patterns and innovations. Early recordings of tap dancers demonstrate that their syncopations were actually years ahead of the rhythms in popular music.

In the early 20th century, vaudeville variety shows moved to the entertainment forefront, and tap dancers such as Greenlee and Drayton, Pat Rooney, Sr., and George White traveled the country. A number of family acts formed, including that of the future Broadway actor, producer, and songwriter George M. Cohan, who with his sister, mother, and father formed the Four Cohans. The Covan brothers together with their wives formed the Four Covans, one of the most sensational fast tap acts ever. The comedian and dancer Eddie Foy, Sr., appeared with his seven tap-dancing children, the Seven Little Foys. By the late 1910s, more than 300 theatres around the country hosted vaudeville acts.

According to the producer Leonard Reed, throughout the 1920s "there wasn't a show that didn't feature tap dancing. If you couldn't dance, you couldn't get a job!" Nightclubs, vaudeville, and musicals all featured tap dancers, whose names often appeared on the many marquees that illuminated New York's Broadway. Stars of the day, including Fred Astaire and his sister, Adele, brought yet more light to the "Great White Way" with their elegant dancing. Bill Robinson, known for dancing on the balls of his feet (the toe taps) and for his exquisite "stair dance," was the first Black tap dancer to break through the Broadway colour line, becoming one the best-loved and highest-paid performers of his day.

Because this was an era when tap dancing was a common skill among performers, a tap dancer had to create something unique to be noticed. The Berry Brothers' act, for example, included rhythmic, synchronized cane twirling and dazzling acrobatics. Cook and Brown had one of the finest knockabout acts. King, King, and King danced in convict outfits, chained together doing close-to-the-floor fast tap work. Buster West tap-danced in "slap shoes"-oversized clown-style shoes that, because of their extended length, slapped audibly on the floor during a routine-and did break dancing decades before it had a name. Will Mahoney tap-danced on a giant xylophone.

The "challenge"-in which tap dancers challenged one another to a dancing "duel"-had been a major part of the tap dancer's education from the beginning. It filtered into many theatrical acts. Possibly the finest exponents of the challenge were the Four Step Brothers, whose act consisted of furious, flying steps, then a moment when each attempted to top the others.

From the outset, tap dancers have stretched the art form, dancing to a wide variety of music and improvising new styles. Among these innovative styles were flash (dance movements that incorporated acrobatics and were often used to finish a dance); novelty (the incorporation into a routine of specialty props, such as jump ropes, suitcases, and stairs); eccentric, legomania, and comedy (each of which used the body in eccentric and comic ways to fool the eye and characteristically involved wild and wiggly leg movements); swing tap, also known as classical tap (combining the upper body movement found in 20th-century ballet and jazz with percussive, syncopated footwork, a style used extensively in the movies); class (precision dancing performed by impeccably dressed dancers); military (the use of military marching and drum rhythms); and rhythm, close floor, and paddle and roll (each of which emphasized footwork using heel and toe taps, typically of a rapid and rhythmic nature).

For each one of these styles there were hundreds of dancers creating a unique version. John Bubbles, for instance, went down in history as the "Father of Rhythm Tap." Though he may not have been the very first tap dancer to use the heel tap to push rhythm from the 1920s jazz beat to the 1930s swing beat, he certainly was the most influential; generations of dancers learned his style. Three young dancers from Philadelphia-the Condos Brothers (Frank, Nick, and Steve)-became legendary among dancers for their exceptionally fast, rhythmic footwork; few tap dancers ever achieved Nick's mastery of a difficult move he is credited with inventing known as the five-tap wing. Of the eccentric and legomania dancers, Buddy Ebsen, Henry ("Rubber Legs") Williams, and Hal Leroy stand out. A unique style was invented by one of tap's greatest dancers, Clayton ("Peg Leg") Bates. After losing his leg at age 12, he reinvented tap to fit his own specifications-a peg and a shoe with two taps.

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Tap dance | Origin, History, Styles, & Facts

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Tap dance, style of dance in which a dancer wearing shoes fitted with heel and toe taps sounds out audible beats by rhythmically striking the floor or any other hard surface. It originated in the United States through the fusion of several ethnic percussive dances.