Michael woods biography tap dancing

About the International Tap Dance Corridor of Fame

The International Tap Certificate Hall of Fame is grandeur only tap dance hall selected fame exclusively focused on click dancers. It features founding very last innovative 20th and 21st c professional tap dancers.With a solicitation of photographs, biographies, and videos, the Hall of Fame review becoming a colorful and diversified retrospective of America's seminal recruit dance personalities.

The ATDF coined the first International Tap Certificate Hall of Fame in July of 2002, and its objective is:
- To honor rank contributions of legendary tap advise artists by preserving their birthright for future generations to spoilt brat.
- To increase bare awareness of the diversity connate in the form.
- To restock an educational experience available tutorial local, national, and international professionals, students, and the general population.

Biographies

2002 - Bill "Bojangles" Robinson (c.1878 -1949), who claimed he could run backward faster than virtually men could go forward, was the most famous of transfix African American tap dancers heritage the twentieth century. Dancing perpendicular and swinging, his light champion exacting footwork brought tap “up on its toes” from be over earlier flat-footed shuffling style, obtain developed the art of strike dancing to a delicate superiority.

Born Luther Robinson in Richmond, Virginia, his parents, Maria ahead Maxwell Robinson, died in 1885. Young Bill was reared impervious to his grandmother, Bedilia Robinson, who had been a slave. Perform Richmond, he got the fuss "Bojangles" from "jangler," meaning combative, and invented the phrase "Everything's Copasetic," meaning tip-top.

He got his first professional job show 1892, performing as a participant of the pickaninny chorus funding Mayme Remington with The Southernmost Before the War. When Histrion arrived in New York hill 1900, he challenged the Involved Old Kentucky star tap partner Harry Swinton to a Buck-dancing contest and won. From 1902-1914, he teamed with George Unprotected.

Cooper. Bound by the "two-colored" rule in vaudeville, which special blacks to performing in pairs, they performed together on loftiness Keith and Orpheum circuits, on the other hand did not wear blackface cosmetics that performers customarily used.

Ballplayer was a staunch professional, however he was also a speculator who possessed a quick frame of mind and carried a gold-plated sidearm.

An assault charge in 1915 split the act. After significance split, Robinson launched his career, becoming one of distinction few African-Americans to headline continue to do New York's prestigious Palace Opera house. Robinson's Stair Dance, introduced run to ground 1918, was distinguished by loom over showmanship and sound, each arena emitting a different pitch roost rhythm.

Onstage, his open mug, twinkling eyes and infectious grin were irresistible, as was cap tapping, which was delicate impressive clear.

Buck or Time Tree were inserted with skating action or crossover steps on influence balls of the feet walk looked like a jig, recurrent while he chatted and joked with the audience. Robinson danced in split clog shoes, effortless shoes with a wooden half-sole and raised wooden heel. Class wooden sole was attached cause the collapse of the toe to the urgent of the foot and not completed loose, which allowed for bigger flexibility and tonality.

In 1922, he married Fannie Clay who became his business manager, journalist, and partner in efforts do research fight the barriers of folk prejudice. A founding member swallow the Negro Actors Guild supporting America, Robinson was also denominated "Mayor of Harlem" in 1933. Hailed as "The Dark Dew of Joy" on the Orpheum Circuit, he performed in burlesque from 1914-1927 without a solitary season's layoff.

Broadway fame came with the all-black revue, Blackbirds of 1928, in which forbidden sang and danced "Doin' description New Low Down." Success was instantaneous. He was hailed introduction the greatest of all dancers by at least seven Original York newspapers. Brown Buddies (1930), Blackbirds of 1933, All overfull Fun (1940) and Memphis Torpid (1945) followed.

The Hot Emperor (1939) marked Robinson's sixty-first epicurean treat, which he celebrated by shine down Broadway, one block towards each year. Robinson turned forget about Hollywood films in the 1930s, a venue hitherto restricted greet blacks. His first film, Dixiana (1930) had a predominantly chalk-white cast; Harlem is Heaven (1933) was the first all-black album ever made.

Other films involve Hooray For Love (1935), Envelop Old Kentucky (1935), The Open Broadcast of 1936 (1935), Rob Mile From Heaven (1937), Be oblivious to An Old Southern River (1941), and Let's Shuffle (1941). Violent Weather (1943) featured Robinson, River Horne, Cab Calloway and Katherine Dunham and her dance organization.

Robinson and Shirley Temple teamed up in The Little Colonel (1935), The Littlest Rebel (1935), Just Around the Corner (1938) and Rebecca of Sunnybrook Acres (1938), in which he unrestrained the child superstar to half a mo dance. Claiming to have unrestricted tap dance to Eleanor Statesman, Florence Mills, and Fred Player, Robinson profoundly influenced the from the past tap dancers at the Hoofers Club in Harlem, where recognized also could be found taking a chances and shooting pool.

Throughout lifetime, he was a participant of many clubs and local organizations and an honorary contributor of police departments in cities across the United States. Sovereignty participation in benefits is literate and it is estimated guarantee he gave away well sell something to someone one million dollars in loans and charities.

"To his accident people, Robinson became a different John Henry, who instead spectacle driving steel, laid down hamper taps," wrote Marshall Stearns. As Robinson died in 1949, newspapers claimed that almost one several thousand people turned out chisel witness the passing of character funeral procession. The founding oppress the Copasetics Club insured go wool-gathering his excellence would not last forgotten.

Constance Valis Hill

2002 - Eleanor Powell (1912-1982), who locked away the long legs of exceptional thoroughbred dancer and speed lecture agility of an acrobat, equitable considered the ”Queen of Recruit Dancing” on the silver part. Born in Springfield, Massachusetts, nobleness shy eleven year old was sent to dancing school crossreference learn acrobatics and ballet (but no tap dancing!) in change effort to make her enhanced sociable.

At the age get on to twelve, while visiting relatives spontaneous Atlantic City, she was spotty by Gus Edwards, a celebrated producer of children’s shows, which led to her stage first showing in the Vaudeville Kiddie Con. After performing in the In mint condition York nightclub of the numero uno Ben Bernie, she made the brush Broadway debut in The Optimists in 1928; the show’s tiny run sent the young performer to audition for more outmoded on Broadway stage.

Because she was asked if she could tap at every audition she went to, she enrolled give back the dancing school of Ass Donohue, who taught her quality tap dance by hanging valour bags onto a belt turn this way weighed her down and steadfast her to the floor, as follows forcing her to tap point in the right direction to the floor. She posterior became Donohue’s dance assistant.

Joy January 1929, Powell became ingenious star on Broadway in Next Thru, tapping to the famous “Button Up Your Overcoat.” She also performed at Carnegie Appearance with Paul Whiteman’s Orchestra wallet in 1932 Florenz Ziegfeld drive of Hot-Cha!

In 1935, she took Hollywood by storm, pull it off dancing in George White’s 1935 Scandals and subsequently in Step Melody of 1936 (1935), Aboriginal to Dance (1936), Rosalie (1937), Broadway Melody of 1938 (1937), Honolulu (1939), Ship Ahoy (1942), Thousands Cheer (1943), Sensations commentary 1945 (1944), and Duchess compensation Idaho (1950).

In Broadway Theme of 1940 (1940), she danced with Fred Astaire in description “Begin the Beguine” finale, comparable the great dancer in acme, grace, and footwork. In Gal Be Good (1941), she danced the “Fascinating Rhythm” number coop top hat and short conclusion, choreography for the chorus Hat Berkeley; the number that open on an extended close turf out of her tapping feet concluded with her being tossed intellect over heel over and duck again down a corridor order men.

In 1943, after note years of performing, she one the actor Glenn Ford queue retired from the stage, devoting herself to charitable organizations with the addition of religious work, including a momentary Sunday morning television series supplement children.

In 1950, she was persuaded to appear in out musical number with Esther Clergyman and Van Johnson entitled “Dutchess of Idaho.” After her separate from Ford in 1959, she continued a short but immensely regarded night club career. Blueprint extended engagement at the Desert Hotel in Las Vegas formal a remarkable comeback for calligraphic woman in her late 1940s as a dancer.

She prolonged to dance in top nightclubs across the country. In 1981, she received an award bind her name and her dedicate, the Ellie Award, from probity National Film Ceremony, for squeeze up outstanding contribution to the release musical. Constance Valis Hill

2002 - John Bubbles (1902-1986) revolutionized call up dancing by dropping heels trace the offbeat, accenting rhythms traffic the toes, extending rhythmic jus gentium \'universal law\' beyond the usual eight exerciser of music, and loading interpretation bar with a complex heap of beats.

No wonder reason he is heralded as glory Father of Rhythm Tap. To is no dancer today who has not been influenced via his inventions. Born John Sublett in Louisville and raised engage Indianapolis, at the age custom ten he teamed up join the six-year-old Ford Lee "Buck" Washington (1903-1955) in an charm in which Buck stood pointer played piano and Bubbles resonate.

After winning a series near amateur-night shows around town, “Buck and Bubbles" began playing engagements in Louisville, Detroit and Unusual York City. Around the swindle of eighteen, Bubbles’ voice afoot changing and he switched king focus to dancing. Smarting move away the embarrassment of being laughed out of the Hoofer's Truncheon for being a novice recruit dancer, Bubbles retreated to distinction privacy of the shed, diagram to develop his technique.

Fiasco returned to the Club take up again his new style of beat tapping that was laced explore double Over-the-Tops and triple Gulp down Slides, blowing everyone away.

Coarse 1922, Buck and Bubbles reached the pinnacle in vaudeville descendant playing at New York's Palatial home Theatre. Bypassing the black T.O.B.A.

circuit, their singing-dancing-comedy act headlined the vaudeville circuit from slide to coast. Buck's stop-time fortepiano, played in a cool captivated laid back manner, contrasted resume Bubbles' witty explosion of spigot in counterpoint. They played birth London Palladium, the Cotton Truncheon, the Apollo, were the precede blacks to perform at Ghetto-blaster City Music Hall, and elongated to break the color barriers theatres across the country.

Their motion pictures include Varsity Suggest (1937), Atlantic City (1944), Cottage in the Sky (1943), extremity A Song is Born (1948).

On his own, Bubbles exposed in Broadway Frolics of 1922, Lew Leslie's Blackbirds of 1930, and The Ziegfield Follies bequest 1931, and secured his advertise in Broadway history by originating the role of Sportin' Animation in George Gershwin's Porgy alight Bess (1935). The role observe Mingo in that production was played by Buck.

He too appeared with Judy Garland go bad the Palace and Bob Yen in Vietnam, and recorded Harlem Comes to London, Selections steer clear of Porgy and Bess, and Poach, John W. That Is.

Hitherto Bubbles, dancers tapped up present their toes, capitalized on brilliance steps and danced to nice two-to-a-bar phrases. Bubbles loaded sovereignty bar, dropped his heels subject hit unusual accents and syncopations, opening the door of new jazz percussion.

"I wanted swing by make it more complicated fair I put more taps shore and changed the rhythm," uttered Bubbles about his style, which prepared for the new voice of bebop in the Decade and anticipated the prolonged melodious lines of "Cool" jazz move the 1950s. Constance Valis Hill

2002 "Baby Laurence" Jackson (1921-1974) has been hailed as a showiness dancer of the rarest accuse rhythmic phenomena whose fluid beatniks, melodic phrasings, and instrumentalized conceptions moved him in the sort of jazz musician.

Born Laurence Donald Jackson in Baltimore, Colony, he was a boy excessive at age twelve singing appear McKinney's Cotton Pickers when primacy bandleader Don Redman came disclose town. He heard Jackson highest asked his mother if yes could take the boy register the road. She agreed, conj admitting that her son was afar with a tutor.

While wanderings on the Loew's circuit, Jackson's first visit to New Dynasty was marked by a go again to the Hoofers Club joist Harlem, where he saw picture tap dancing of Honi Coles, Raymond Winfield, Roland Holder ground Harold Mablin. Several years next, he returned to New Royalty to perform with his kin in a vocal group they formed called "The Four Buds".

While working in the Harlem nightclub owned by Dickie Healthy, the retired dancer from magnanimity group of Wells, Mordecai come to rest Taylor encouraged his dancing skull nicknamed him Baby. He spread to frequent the Hoofers Cudgel, absorbing ideas and picking develop steps from Eddie Rector, Pete Nugent, Toots Davis, Jack Wiggins and Teddy Hale, who became his chief dancing rival.

"I saw a fellow dance vital his feet never touched rectitude floor," remembers tap dancer Waitress Briggs when he first apophthegm Laurence dance in the 1930s, when he was participating superimpose after-hours jam sessions in Harlem and playing such theatres in the same way the Apollo.

He also performed do business group called the "The Outrage Merry Scotchmen" (in some city, the "Harlem Highlanders"), who blank in kilts, danced, and sing Jimmie Lunceford arrangements in five-part harmony.

Around 1940, Baby intent on tap dancing and became a soloist. Through the decennary, he danced with the capacious bands of Duke Ellington, Turn your back on Basie and Woody Herman, vital in the fifties, he danced in small Harlem jazz clubs. It was under the authority of jazz saxophonist Charlie "Bird" Parker and other bebop musicians that he expanded tap fashion into jazz dancing.

Listening problem the jazz pianist Art Jazzman, Baby duplicated in his hooves what Tatum played with her highness fingers. Listening to Parker, Light-headed Gillespie and Bud Powell rightfully well as the jazz distributor Max Roach, Baby developed regular way of improvising solo hold your fire and variations as much love a horn man as a-one percussionist.

"He was more swell drummer than a dancer," writes Whitney Balliett in New Dynasty Notes (1976), "he did petite with the top half summarize his torso. But his honourable and feet were speed refuse thunder and surprise... a circuit of explosions, machine-gun rattles reprove jarring thumps."

Like musicians dull a jazz combo, Laurence was also a fluent improviser who took solos, traded breaks splendid built upon motifs that were suggested by previous horn joe six-pack.

He was a master depose dynamics who would start spruce thirty-two-bar chorus with light heel-and-toe figures, then drop in giant off-beat accents and sprays answer rapid toe beats that gave way to double-time bursts good buy rhythm. Constance Valis Hill

2002 - Steve Condos (1918-1990) was identifiable for lightning-speed and a matchless precision style tap dancing cruise perfectly suited the tempos direct rhythms of swing and bop.

As the only Greek-American progress to be a member of dignity Copasetics, the famous tap association named in honor of Fee Robinson, Condos' routines were melodies in themselves that led audiences through an explosive journey illustrate steel-tipped percussion.

Born in Pittsburgh, University, he spent his childhood life in South Philadelphia where significant absorbed sounds of the streets and alleys behind his father's restaurant that was located bump into the street from the Ordinary Theatre, the largest black variety house in town.

As nifty child, his father sent him with sandwiches for the comics and dancers who worked all over, and sometimes the dancers would bring him onstage. By position time his family moved give somebody the job of New York City, he was a veteran street dancer steeped in the tradition of without delay, rhythm, and precision that smartness had gotten in South Philly.

As the youngest of tierce brothers, Steve's dancing style was conceived by his elder fellow Frank, who he paired substitution at age fourteen and precise with his middle brother Gash in an act billed whereas the Condos Brothers. During significance thirties and forties, they exhausted most of their time check vaudeville, and then began taking place work with top swing bands.

While brother Nick was professional at flash work (he wreckage credited with inventing the five-tap wing), Steve concentrated on lilt and surpassed nearly all reward contemporaries with his phenomenal exactitude style of rhythm dance. Considerably a lover of jazz, singularly the music of Louis Astronaut but also Roy Eldridge, Abrupt Gillespie, and Charlie Parker, Condos insisted that his tap routines be melodious as well because rhythmic.

Dancing with big bands clever Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington, Matter Basie, Jimmie Lunceford, Jimmy abide Tommy Dorsey, the routines go off the Condos Brothers danced jointly were set but they insisted on improvising their solos positive that every show was ridiculous and every show was neat as a pin challenge.

As the favorite transfer team of Hollywood producer Daryl Zanuck, the Condos Brothers (Nick and Steve) became one cataclysm the most sought-after dance teams for films in the decennary and forties and always insisted on dubbing their own valve in such films as Outcome Up and Live (1937), Delighted Landing (1938), In the Merchant marine (1941), Pin-Up Girl (1944), Decency Time, the Place and loftiness Girl (1946), She’s Back mirror image Broadway (1953).

They were additionally a sensation abroad, holding interpretation longest record at London’s renowned Palladium with the Crazy Company by playing for an total year.

As a soloist, Steve danced with Woody Herman’s great band, as well as crash Duke Ellington, Count Basie, stream Buddy Rich at the Phoebus Theatre. His Broadway appearances subsume Heaven on Earth, Say Dearest, and in 1972, Sugar, whirl location he created the role glimpse Spats Palazzo, the tap show gangster; in that show, Gower Champion gave him the inaudible of liberty of improvising steps nightly in his unescorted spot.

Featured in the pellicle, Tap! (1988), starring Gregory Hines, Steve also appeared with Hines and Sammy Davis, Jr. take industrial action the Tonight Show, competing delete a coast-to-coast tap challenge shove. In 1989, he performed pin down an historic performance at Industrialist Hall with Hines, Arthur Dancer, Savion Glover, Jimmy Slyde, Brenda Bufalino, Lynn Dally and human resources of Jazz Tap Ensemble.

Well-ordered stellar performer, Steve was besides a superb teacher, and locked away the unique ability to be revealed down and teach what pacify had improvised. Unknown Writer & Tony Waag

2002 - Fred Astaire (1899-1987) was the American drawn from a keg dancer extraordinaire; Frederick Austerlitz was born May 10, 1899 meticulous Omaha, Nebraska.

Astaire and sovereignty older sister, Adele, were dog-tired to New York as domestic to receive dance training countryside perform on vaudeville stages.

They studied with Claude Alvienne swallow Ned Wayburn, but could plead for perform in New York in that of the Gerry Society restrain on child performers. They toured on the Keith-Orpheum circuit, so returned to New York introduce finished specialty dancers to drop a line to Over the Top (1917).

They worked together on Broadway get The Passing Show of 1918, For Goodness Sake (1922), greatness Gershwins’ Lady, Be Good (1925) and Funny Face (1927), Smiles (1930), and The Band Haul (1931) and many others. Distinction pair was extremely popular wrench New York, but their Author reputations were even greater. Adele retired following the close considerate The Band Wagon, and Fred performed with Claire Luce inspect the 1932 film The Witty Divorcee.

For much of empress film career, his search expend a perfect partner was dinky frequent publicity theme.

The society with Ginger Rogers is pick up and dance history, of road. The work with the on standby tap dancer Eleanor Powell, evenhanded legendary among tap professionals. Wonderful stunning choreographer himself, Astaire was also able to perform light-heartedly in dances staged by several others. He danced the show of Dave Gould, who patronage he first dance director Laurels for “the Carioca,” Harry Losse, a concert dancer with Denishawn lineage, Bobby Connolly, Charles Walters, and ballet choreographers Eugene Loring and Michael Kidd.

Astaire’s flash numbers can be divided turbulently into four categories – circus ballroom romances, tap competitions, solos, and solos with props.

Representation most frequently performed was primacy first type, danced with compete of his female partners; decency dances were based on customary exhibition ballroom styles, in renovation based on social dance pointless. They involved a single layout, with the meeting, duet exert yourself, breaks apart and pulls work together, and a final symmetrical crestfallen tandem series of movements.

Centre of Astaire’s examples in this pact are the famous love duets with Ginger Rogers, such similarly “Cheek to Cheek” and “Night and Day,” which are lavishly beautiful from their openings, steadily which one touch from Player spins her into his squeeze, to the finales in which they simply sit. Tap remonstrate numbers were danced with Psychologist, as well as with monarch other partners.

With Rogers boss Powell especially, these numbers, family unit on minstrel formats, presented drawing alternating series of tap flurries, each dancer trying to outrun the other. In the “Let Yourself Go” number from Vestige the Fleet, the Astaire-Rogers difference is set in a shake off hall with “real” inter-couple competitions. The solos occasionally had orderly “schtik,” such as the “fireworks dance” in Holiday Inn, on the contrary more frequently were danced unescorted before a camera.

The solos with props are among greatest accomplishments.

He could mass only dance with anyone, however with anything – the bedim tree in Royal Wedding, depiction wall in that underrated crust, or the drum set gather Easter Parade. It would live difficult to overestimate Astaire’s resilience. He represents tap, theater, celebrated ballroom dance too much comment the world, and perfection just right performance to everyone.

Unknown Penman & Tony Waag

2002 - Ethics Nicholas Brothers Fayard (1914-2006) view Harold (1921-2000) created an cavorting style of American theatrical leap melding jazz rhythm with rap, acrobatics, ballet and black mother dance. Their rhythmic brilliance, euphoniousness, eloquent footwork and full-bodied writing style are unsurpassed, and their saltation represents the most sophisticated sophistication of jazz as a percussive dance form.

From a leafy age, at the Standard Stagecraft in Philadelphia where his parents conducted a pit band affiliate, Fayard was introduced to say publicly best tap acts in swarthy vaudeville.

He then proceeded disregard teach young Harold basic rap steps. The "Nicholas Kids" thankful their professional debut in City in 1930-31, and in Newborn York, at the Lafayette Histrionic arts one year later as greatness "Nicholas Brothers.” In 1932 they opened at the uptown Shrub Club, which became their trace base for next few majority.

Dancing with the orchestras castigate Cab Calloway and Duke Jazzman, the brothers evolved a chic and swinging musical performance shoulder which comic quips and chimerical dance combined with precision-timed moves and virtuosic rhythm tapping.

Uncertain between the stage and protection throughout their career, they energetic their first film, the Vitaphone short, Pie, Pie, Blackbird, show Eubie Blake in 1932 very last their first Hollywood movie, Babe-in-arms Millions, for Samuel Goldwyn dense 1934.

On Broadway, in Ziegfeld Follies of 1936 and Babes in Arms (1937), they simulated with choreographer George Balanchine, refuse during the same period intact at the newly-opened downtown Drift Club and starred in distinction London West End production holiday Lew Leslie's Blackbirds of 1936, in which they worked spare Buddy Bradley.

At the Phoebus, Harlem Opera House, Palace add-on Paramount theatres in the 1930s and forties, the brothers danced with the big bands presentation Jimmy Lunceford, Chick Webb, Calculate Basie and Glen Miller.

Compensation with Hollywood dance director Incision Castle on seven musical motion pictures for 20th Century-Fox embellished influence brothers' modern style of folderol dancing. They tapped on luggage in The Great American Exterior (1941), jumped off walls blocking back flips and splits story Orchestra Wives (1942) and jumped over each other down boss flight of stairs, landing win a split on each arena, in Stormy Weather (1943).

These dazzling feats were always sovereign with a smooth effortlessness. Arbitrate Down Argentine Way (1940), they moved in perfect synchrony: capitulate and wrists circling, they slipped and slid along the destroy, dipping into splits and horsewhipping into one-legged wings.
By depiction late forties, their high-speed be proof against rhythm-driven style was fast unthinkable fluent enough to endure class radical musical shift in luxury to Bebop.

The Brothers headlined "The Hepsations of 1945" incorrect a southern tour with Unsteady Gillespie's big band, and assumed with bop composer/arranger Tad Dameron, but they were irresistibly frayed to the steady and danceable rhythms of Swing and elongated to work in that harmonious tradition.
Working as solo artists in the late 1950s standing early 60s, Harold in Assemblage and Fayard in America, greatness brothers were reunited for connect Hollywood Palace television specials populate 1964 and continued to commit as a team.

Constance Valis Hill

2002 - Jeni LeGon (1916 - ) is one prescription the first African American squadron in tap dance to come into being a career as a singer. Not a high-heeled dancer rerouteing pretty skirts, she was spiffy tidy up low-heeled dancer performing toe-stand hold back pants, and her rigorous crowd of flash, acrobatics, and flow dancing proved you didn’t control to be a man put your name down dance like a hoofer.

Citizen in 1916 and raised nigh on the south side of City, her musical talents were industrial on the street in neighbourhood bands and musical groups. Bulk the age of thirteen, buoyed by her brother who got a job touring as graceful singer and exhibition ballroom collaborator, she landed her first curious in musical theatre, dancing chimp a soubrette in pants, wail pretty skirts.

By the clean of sixteen, she was dazzling in a chorus line razorback by Count Basie Orchestra, plus soon after touring as precise chorus line dancer with Poet Sisters, the highest paid woolly on the TOBA circuit. That all black, woman-managed company was successful in booking themselves day in in leading southern houses, added had the reputation for scratchy hundreds of dancers their gain victory performing break.

The Whitman Sisters’ chorus line, LeGon remembers, “they had all the colors go off at a tangent our race is known select. All the pretty shading suffer the loss of the darkest, to the palest of the pale. Each pooled of us was a distinct-looking kid. It was a rainbow of beautiful girls.” It was while working in Los Angeles, where she was stopping prestige show for her flips, point spins, knee drips, toe stands, that LeGon got a get ready in the 1935 MGM melodic, Hooray for Love, as drip partner to Bill Robinson, who she says was a constant teacher and a perfectionist.

Devote was while working on renounce movie that she met Fats Waller, whom she continued come to get work for much of the brush career.

In 1936, LeGon undivided in the London production keep in good condition C.B. Cochran’s At Home Far-off. She was hailed as work on of the brightest spirits, justness new Florence Mills, and rank “sepia Cinderella girl who establish London agog with her urgent dancing.” In New York, she was one of the cowed women ever to be gratifying back to the Hoofer’s Staff.

LeGon played leading roles unite a number of black motion pictures, where she claims, “sometimes Farcical even got to be myself,” not a maid or undistinguished number of stereotypical roles. She toured widely with US Swarm shows, and she did truncheon and theater performances nationally good turn internationally.

In a 1999 flick by Grant Greshuck, LeGon’s particular devotion to passing on madden dancing is as much spruce feature of the film though her stardom.

Living in clever Great Big Way, named to about one of her famous statistics with Bill Robinson, is narrated by Fayard Nicholas, who reveres LeGon as a star player and a gifted teacher who could “do it all.” LeGon says that sees teaching primate a natural extension of pretty up performing – “I’ve had on the rocks dance school all my life.” One envies those students intend whom she clearly and flush labors for the love commandeer the form.

Constance Valis Elevation & Tony Waag

2003 - River “Honi” Coles (2 April 1911-12 November 1992), tap dancer, author, and veteran performer of representation stage, vaudeville, television, and influence concert world, was born bear hug Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the son asset George and Isabel Coles.

Sharptasting learned to tap dance fend for the streets of Philadelphia, whither dancers challenged each other unite time step "cutting" contests, near made his New York Sweep debut at the Lafayette Acting in 1931 as one hegemony the Three Millers, a development that performed over-the-tops, barrel twists, and wings on six-foot-high pedestals.

After discovering that his partners had hired another dancer harm replace him, Coles retreated cause to feel Philadelphia, determined to perfect climax technique. He returned to Contemporary York City in 1934, dependable and skilled in his competence to cram several steps impact a bar of music. The theater at the Harlem Opera Villa and Apollo Theatre, he was reputed to have the highest feet in show business.

Build up at the Hoofer's Club, swivel only the most serious do down dancers gathered to compete, unquestionable was hailed as one forfeited the most graceful dancers customarily seen. From 1936 to 1939 Coles performed with the Comfortable Seven Trio, who tapped alter large cubes that looked all but dice; the group went repeat ten costume changes in primacy course of their act.

Tour with the big swing bands of Count Basie and Peer 1 Ellington, the 6’2” Coles delicate his style, melding high-speed instant with an elegant yet close-to-the-floor style where the legs duct feet did the work. Hamper 1940, as a soloist region Cab Calloway's orchestra, Coles decrease Charles "Cholly" Atkins, a gewgaw tap dancer who would afterwards choreograph for the best rhythm-and-blues singing groups of the Decennium.

Atkins was an expert absent dancer, while Coles's specialty was precision. They combined their facility after the War by construction the class act of Coles & Atkins. Wearing handsomely bespoke suits, the duo opened catch on a fast-paced song-and-tap number, commit fraud moved into a precision fresh dance and soft-shoe, finishing get a feel for a tap challenge in which each showcased his specialty.

Their classic soft-shoe, danced to "Taking a Chance on Love" famous played at an extremely obtuse tempo, was a nonchalant stirring off of smooth slides swallow gliding turns in crystal-cut exactness. Coles performed speedy, swinging come to rest rhythmically complex combinations in emperor solos, which anticipated the sustained cadences of bebop that long the duration of steps help out the usual eight-bar phrase.

Regulate 1944 Coles married Marion Evelyn Edwards, a dancer in primacy Number One chorus at grandeur Apollo Theatre; they had connect children. Through the 1940s, Coles & Atkins appeared with justness big bands of Calloway, Gladiator Armstrong, Lionel Hampton, Charlie Barnet, Billy Eckstine, and Count Basie. In 1949, at the Ziegfeld Theatre in the Broadway melodic Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, they plugged the show with the Jule Styne number, "Mamie is Mimi," to which choreographer Agnes Foremost Mille had added a choreography dancer.

By the time goodness show closed in 1952 prestige big-band era was drawing disparagement a close and a additional style of ballet Broadway encourage that integrated choreography into rendering musical plot became the favourite form over tap dance. Although Coles in 1954-1955 opened primacy Dance Craft studio on fifty-second Street in New York Capability with tap dancer Pete Nugent, there was a steady reduce in the interest of conscript dance in the 1950s.

"No work, no money. Tap locked away dropped dead," Coles remembered pencil in that decade. Coles and Atkins broke up in 1960; shaft for the next sixteen epoch, Coles worked as production overstate manager for the Apollo Photoplay with duties that included inflicting other acts. He served whilst president of the Negro Actresses Guild and continued his assemble with the Copasetics, a instant fraternity named in honor designate Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, which take steps had helped to found think about it 1949.

At the Newport Malarkey Festival in 1962 Coles was in the forefront of significance tap revival that brought oldtimer members of the Copasetics resume to the stage. In integrity early 1970s, he joined Brenda Bufalino in their duet complaint of the Morton Gould Criticize Concerto and toured the In partnership States and England in their collaboration concert of Singin’ Swingin’ and Wingin’ where each unasked original musical compositions, monologs, brook choreography.

He joined the travelling company of Bubblin' Brown Mollify performing the role of Toilet Sage in 1976, and regained his stride as a songstress, performing at Carnegie Hall meticulous Town Hall. After receiving expert standing ovation for his implementation in the Joffrey Ballet interchange of Agnes De Mille's "Conversations on the Dance", in 1978, Coles firmly placed tap exercise in the world of go to the trouble of dance.

In 1983 at ulcer seventy-two, he received the Civil Award, Fred Astaire Award, beginning Drama Desk Award for superb featured actor and dancer feature a musical for the The boards hit, My One and Solitary, starring Tommy Tune. Jack Kroll in Newsweek called Coles "Brilliant!" in that musical, adding defer his feet had "the titbit and power of a virtuoso pianist's hands.” Coles was a-one tap dancer of extraordinary polish whose personal style and technological precision epitomized the class-act choreographer.

"Honi makes butterflies look awkward. He was my Fred Astaire," the singer Lena Horne vocal of Coles. The historian Crack Sommer wrote that Coles was "a supreme illusionist he exposed to float and do fold up at all while his periphery chattered complex rhythms below." Recognized was also a master doctor who preached, "If you stare at walk, you can tap." Little an untiring advocate of error dance, Coles often claimed think about it tap dance was the single dance art form that Earth could claim as its make public.

He was awarded the Gleam Magazine Award in 1985, high-mindedness Capezio Award for lifetime conclusion in dance in 1988, become peaceful the National Medal of class Arts in 1991. Coles hindmost appeared as master of ceremonies at the Colorado Tap Anniversary with former partner Atkins, accomplishment up to the end representative a long and rhythmically facetious career.

He died in Modern York City. Coles has arrived in the films The Cloth Club and Dirty Dancing lecture the documentaries Great Feats have power over Feet, Charles “Honi” Coles - The Class Act of Error, and Milt and Honi. The papers shows include "The Tap Gleam Kid," "Mr. Griffin and Me," "Conversations in Dance," "Charleston," "Archives of a Master" and Beam in America's "Tap Dance copy America" for PBS.

Coles & Atkins' classic Soft Shoe crapper be seen in the 1963 Camera Three television program, "Over the Top with Bebop," narrated by jazz historian Marshall Stearns. The most descriptive material examine Coles & Atkins includes Thespian and Jean Stearns' Jazz Dance: The Story of American Colloquial Dance (New York: Macmillan, 1968); and Jaqui Malone, "Let righteousness Punishment Fit the Crime: Rank Vocal Choreography of Cholly Atkins" in Steppin' On The Piteous (University of Illinois Press, 1996).

Constance Valis Hill

2003 - Chow Green (6 November 1919-7 Advance 1997), jazz tap dancer, was born Charles Green in Vocaliser, Georgia. As a young adolescence, he stuck bottle caps lodging the bottom of his clear feet and danced on significance sidewalk for coins.

At character age of six, he won third place in an nonprofessional dance contest in which Well-bred Sissle was the bandleader, unacceptable soon thereafter toured the Southward as a child tap person. At the age of digit, he was spotted by cool talent agent and taken follow New York to study slam dance. Nat Nazzaro, known renovation the “monster agent” by those who knew of his custom of signing vulnerable young to ironclad contracts, signed Immature to his own contract while in the manner tha he was twelve years line of attack.

A few years later, Rural formed the team of Shorty and Slim with childhood link James Walker, a talented droll dancer. They studied the immense comedians of the day, voting for up lines of patter punishment such shows on the jetblack vaudeville circuit as Pigmeat Get to the bottom of Shot and Hunter Pete promote Repeate. “Their act was mirthful.

Chuck was a natural-- and above cute,” tap dancer Leonard Benign remembered, adding that Walker be suspicious of the time was tall duct skinny and Green was little as a chair. They sincere what was called “dumb disclose comedy,” a rapid rhythmic pleasantry that was interspersed between nobility songs and dances. As Wayfarer played a broken-down vibraphone lapse looked as if it were falling apart, Green sang, “Some people was born to snigger doctors .

. . fiercely people were born to well kings . . . Crazed fortunately was born to swing.” Then they tap danced, gather Green making graceful turns be proof against Walker excelling in leg-o-mania. Nazarro at the time also managed Buck and Bubbles (Ford Revel in “Buck” Washington and John Sublett Bubbles). He suggested that Rural and Walker study the singing-dancing-comedy team that had bypassed description black vaudeville Theatre Owners Engagement Association (TOB.A) circuit to turn headliners on the white cabaret circuit; by 1922 they difficult to understand played New York’s prestigious Keep Theatre.

Changing the name countless their act to Chuck skull Chuckles, Green and Walker were groomed as a “juvenile act” to Buck and Bubbles. Soapsuds soon took Green under her highness wing, calling him “the logos I never had,” and offered to teach him what noteworthy knew, though it came move the form of a unruly. “Bubbles would do a arena just once,” Green explained, “and then say, ‘you got prepare chance.’ He was a maker.

They called him the ‘father of rhythm.’” Bubbles’ style good buy rhythm tapping--in which he burdened the bar (put many surplus beats into a bar observe music) and dropped his heels, hitting unusual accents and syncopations-- was revolutionary. He prepared convoy the new sound of dance in the 1940s, and coming the prolonged melodic lines hint at Cool jazz in the Decade.

“If you dropped your heels, you could get a build on floating quality, like a chapter coming off top of a-ok tree,” said Green, who became a protege of Bubbles. “It changed the quality of representation sound, gave it tonation.” Safe the 1930s and early Decennary, Chuck and Chuckles toured Accumulation, Australia, and the United States, performing in such venues chimp Radio City Music Hall, depiction Paramount, Apollo, and Capital theatres.

Jobs were plentiful and their manager had the team raise up on performances. They averaged five stage shows a dowry, played nightclubs until early greeting, and toured nonstop with grand bands across the country discipline abroad. By 1944, the tight situation and wear of performing confidential taken its toll. The body of Chuck and Chuckles indigent up, and Green was fast to a mental institution.

Like that which he was released some cardinal years later, he was changed-- extremely introverted and seemingly sham a world of his cut off. His friends thought it top-notch miracle he could still glisten. By experimenting with the pristine harmonies, rhythmic patterns, and pleasantsounding approaches of the bop musicians, Green created his own bop-influenced style of rhythm tapping focus was ad-libbed, up-tempo, and zealot cool.

In the sixties, Countrylike began again to perform power stage and television. He comed with the Copasetics (a call-up fraternity dedicated to the reminiscence of Bill “Bojangles” Robinson) slip on the popular educational channel W.N.E. T. in a show hosted by Dick Cavett. The agricultural show was introduced by jazz scorer Marshall Stearns and marked character resurgence of tap dance send down popular culture.

At the Pristine York’s Village Vanguard in 1964, the legendary tap dancer Marmot faced Green in a drawn from a keg challenge. “I’ve been waiting fit in battle Chuck Green for greenback years,” Groundhog told Stearns. “Dancing is like gang war prosperous tonight I’m up against solitary of the best.” Groundhog’s hasty and syncopated staccato tapping was foiled by Green’s relaxed flourishing fluid style of jazz clack and almost dreamlike grace.

Herbaceous border 1969 Green appeared with human resources of Harlem’s Hoofer’s Club luggage compartment a series of “Tap Happenings” that were produced in Pristine York City by Letitia Comedian. Through seventies and eighties, Fresh continued to perform with interpretation Copasetics. Host Honi Coles foreign him as, “Chuck Green, dignity greatest tap dancer in integrity world.” When asked why Rural was bestowed that special christen, Coles answered, “His slow trip the light fantastic toe is genius.

Most dancers would fall on their face. Fillet timing is like a musician’s.” In the late eighties, Ant toured Europe with The New Hoofers, appeared as a visitor soloist at the Kennedy Heart Honors, and was awarded propose honorary professorship at Washington School. In New York in 1987, he began teaching a hebdomadal two-hour tap class to clean up dedicated cross-section of New York’s top professional jazz dancers.

Reach a compromise great clarity and precision, without fear led his students into blue blood the gentry complexity of his material challenge warmth and ease, allowing distinction dancer to hear and handling the weight of the pattern and movement. In the retiring eighties and early nineties, Leafy was twice honored with elegant New York Dance and Carrying out Award (the Bessies) for rule innovative achievements and technical talent in dance, and for surmount work in Black and Bombshell (1989) on Broadway.

Tall streak big-footed, Green was a outstandingly light, graceful, and melodious stress dancer who was known appropriate his specialty “strut” when soil came on stage and primed his tick-tock tap sounds. Nolens volens dancing to such favorite tunes as “A Train” or “Caravan,” Green’s smooth and graceful beat tapping was uncluttered, even, last beautifully phrased.

He has archaic called the “Poet of Tap.” In the “Green, Chaney, Equestrian, Slyde” number from the 1996 Broadway musical, Bring in ‘Da Noise, Bring in ‘Da Cold sweat, Savion Glover celebrates Green by reason of a master teacher who “was educatin’ people, not entertainin.’” “Chuck’s dancin’,” rapped Glover as illegal danced before a multi-paneled bear a resemblance to, “was like, kind of lessen.

Every tap was clean, on your toes know what I’m sayin’. Sell something to someone hear every tap. He was, just like, on the arrest type, smooth type.” Chuck Adolescent died in Oakland, California. Representation fluency of Green’s tap glisten is captured in George Niremberg’s documentary film, No Maps Cycle My Taps (1980) with “Sandman” Sims and Bunny Briggs.

Coronet free-association poetry of speech quite good beautifully rendered in the husk, About Tap (1987). His gradient of spirit is immortalized wellheeled Masters of Tap (1983), topping documentary film that also includes Honi Coles and Will Gaines. The sheer musicality of Green’s solo dancing is seen note the film Dance Black U.s.a. (1984). Constance Valis Hill

2004 - Gregory Hines (14 Feb 1946 - 9 August 2003), jazz tap dancer, singer, doer, musicians, and creator of ad-lib tap choreography, was born count on New York City, the at one fell swoop of Maurice Hines Sr.

snowball Alma Hines. He began twinkling at the age of not-quite-three, turned professional at age fin, and for fifteen years executed with his older brother Maurice as The Hines Kids, conception nightclub appearances across the express. While Broadway teacher and choreographer Henry LeTang created the team's first tap dance routines, goodness brothers' absorption of technique came from watching and working introduce the great black tap poet whenever and wherever they settled at the same theaters.

They practically grew up backstage authorized the Apollo Theatre, where they were witness to the procedure and the advice of specified tap dance legends as River "Honi" Coles, Howard "Sandman" Sims, the Nicholas Brothers, and Plaything Hale (Gregory's personal source model inspiration). Gregory and Maurice exploitation grew into the Hines Brothers.

When Gregory was eighteen, purify and Maurice were joined antisocial their father, Maurice Sr., delimit drums, becoming Hines, Hines take precedence Dad. They toured internationally beginning appeared frequently on The Tonight Show, but the younger Hines was restless to get secret from the non-stop years engage in battle the road, so he maintain equilibrium the group in his mistimed twenties and "retired" (so stylishness said) to Venice, California.

Promulgate a time he left saltation behind, exploring alternatives that focus his forming a jazz-rock knot called Severence. He released slight album of original songs affluent 1973. When Hines moved stash away to New York City misrepresent the late 1970s, he like a flash landed a role in Goodness Last Minstrel Show. The demonstrate closed in Philadelphia, but launched him back into the performance arts, and just a period later came Eubie (1978) fastidious certified Broadway hit, which due him the first of a handful of Tony nominations.

Comin' Uptown (1980), though not a success, full to another nomination and Unripe Ladies (1981) to a 3rd. In 1992, Hines received interpretation Tony Award for Best Phenomenon in a Musical for reward riveting portrayal of the bit of paraphernalia man Jelly Roll Morton get your skates on George C. Wolfe's production tip Jelly's Last Jam, sharing trim Tony nomination for choreography show off that show with Hope Pol and Ted Levy.

Hines straightforward his initial transition from dancer/singer to film actor in Fracas Brooks' hilarious The History detail the World, Part I (1981), playing the role of neat Roman Slave, that in rob scene sees him sand-dancing persuasively the desert. He followed focus in quick succession with Wolfen, an allegorical mystery directed vulgar Michael Wadleigh that is momentous a cult hit; in unambiguousness, Hines played the role disrespect a coroner.

In 1984, loosen up starred in Francis Ford Coppola's film, The Cotton Club (1984). Vincent Canby in The Newborn York Times wrote about Hines' rare screen presence in rectitude film: "He doesn't sneak worsen on you. He's so place back, so self assured last so graceful, whether acting gorilla an ambitious hoofer or sign up dancing, alone or in yoke with his brother, Maurice, wander he forces YOU to cower up on HIM.

The vigour and comic intelligence that conspiracy made him a New Dynasty favorite in Eubie and Jet-set Ladies translate easily to position screen." The film was grand seamless blend of dance have some bearing on the framework of the fiction. The fierce virtuosity of Hines' dancing is seen in blue blood the gentry White Nights (1985), in which he played an American apostate to the Soviet Union en face Mikhail Baryshnikov, playing Russian apostate to the United States.

"I haven't had a terribly distressing experience as a black myself in this world, but I've had experiences," Hines told Archangel J. Bandler about the coating. "My nature is to authorize to them go--I wasn't going garland be burdened with a forbid attitude. So for White Ad after dark I had to dig, nevertheless the pain was there." Unadorned 1988, Hines starred in a-one film that combined his leaning for both dance and scene, Tap.

With full-scale production in excess filmed on location in Novel York City and Hollywood, splendid with an original soundtrack conceived especially for the look add-on style of the film, Jiffy became the first dance lyrical to merge tap dancing condemnation contemporary rock and funk euphonic styles. It also featured tidy host of tap legends, plus Sandman Sims, Bunny Briggs, Steve Condos, Harold Nicholas and Hines' co-star and show business guide, Sammy Davis, Jr.

Hines' wideranging and varied film resume includes teaming with Billy Crystal smudge director Peter Hyam's hit jesting, Running Scared, and the following year with Willem Dafoe, reach Southeast Asia, in the belligerent thriller Off Limits. He asterisked in William Friedkin's dark humour, Deal of the Century, clang Sigourney Weaver and Chevy Chase; Penny Marshall's military comedy, Renewal Man, co-starring Danny DeVito; Loftiness Preacher's Wife with Denzel Educator and Whitney Houston, once improve with director Penny Marshall; Wait to Exhale, with Angela Bassett and Whitney Houston for chief Forest Whittaker, and Good Prosperity, with co-star Vincent D'Onofrio.

Proceed also appeared in the kinky ensemble comedy, Mad Dog Offend, with Jeff Goldblum, Ellen Barkin, Gabriel Byrne, and Richard Dreyfuss. In 1994, Hines expanded emperor talents to include the duty of film director. His administrative debut was the independent event, Bleedings Hearts, shot on mark in New York.

A contemporaneous romantic drama, it explored honesty precarious relationship between a thirty-year-old, white, male radical and unembellished black, female high school admirer. Hines work in television task equally diverse. In 1989, fair enough created and hosted Gregory Hines Tap Dance in America, skilful PBS television special that featured veteran tap dancers, established drawn from a keg dance companies, and next lifetime of tap dancers.

The vinyl was nominated for an Accolade award, as was his act on Motown Returns to nobility Apollo. On the USA Material, Hines starred with Annette Thespian in the critically acclaimed modern film, White Lies, based branch the novel Louisiana Black moisten Samuel Charters. He also asterisked on TNT with Christopher Histrion in Lewis Teague's T-Bone countryside Weazel; with Sinbad, James Coburn and Burt Reynolds in magnanimity comedy western, The Cherokee Kid; with Judd Hirsch and Absolute ruler.

Murray Abraham in Showtime's urbanised drama, The Color of Justice; on CBS-TV with Jean Brilliant in the thriller, A Foreigner in Town; on the Army Network in the psychological prevarication, Dead Air, and in Passage Series, the anthology-style film programme for HBO directed by Horrorstruck Demme. Hines made his prod series debut in 1998, act Ben Stevenson, a loving only father hesitantly re-entering the dating world on CBS-TV series, Righteousness Gregory Hines Show.

As Elevation Doucette, he made up corrode of the gifted ensemble dump won NBC an Emmy Present for Best Comedy Series overcome 2000 for Will and Civility. He also earned an Accolade Nomination as Outstanding Lead birth a Miniseries or Movie awaken his portrayal on Showtime commuter boat the legendary and groundbreaking dancer/film star Bill Robinson in Bojangles, and also starred in rank ABC/Touchstone mid season television array, Lost At Home.

For trine years, Hines was the words decision of "Big Bill" on Fee Cosby's animated series for Jukebox, Little Bill. He voiced turf sang one of the guide characters (alongside Eartha Kitt, Patti LaBelle and Vanessa Williams) engage the Fox TV/Coca Cola full of life musical special, Santa Baby. Dirt made his television directorial inauguration with The Red Sneakers, stand for Showtime, and also appeared expansion the film, which centers argue a 17 year-old high kindergarten student--more mathematician than athlete--who becomes a basketball sensation through representation gift of a magical pits of sneakers.

Throughout an collateral varied career, Hines continued join be a tireless advocate send for tap in America. In 1988, he lobbied successfully for influence creation of National Tap Diploma Day, now celebrated in 40 cities in the United States and in eight other goodwill. He was on the Aim for of Directors of Manhattan Beat, the Jazz Tap Ensemble, charge the American Tap Foundation (formerly the American Tap Dance Orchestra).

He was a generous person in charge and teacher, conscious of king role as a model intend such tap dance artists introduce Savion Glover, Dianne Walker, Fun-loving Levy, and Jane Goldberg, creating such tap choreographies as Opening (1998) for the Jazz Drawn from a keg Ensemble, and Boom for description 1997 Gala for President trip Mrs.

Bill Clinton, filmed compel (ABC) at the Ford Performing arts in Washington D.C. Like graceful jazz musician who ornaments on the rocks melody with improvisational riffs, Hines improvised within the frame admit the dance. His "improvography" required the percussive phrasing of first-class composer, the rhythms of unornamented drummer, and the lines have a dancer.

While being goodness inheritor of the tradition read black rhythm tap, he was also a proponent of rendering new. "He purposely obliterated position tempos," wrote tap historian Offensive Sommer, "throwing down a cataract of taps like pebbles immoral across the floor. In mosey moment, he aligned tap market the latest free-form experiments return jazz and new music folk tale postmodern dance." The New Dynasty Times dance critic Anna Kisselgoff described Hines' performance in 1995: "Visual elegance, as always, yields to aural power.

The 1 of sound grows in vigour and range.” In addition cut into his work on the reposition and theatre stage, in crust and on television, Hines' rampant career also included making skilful 1987 album called Gregory Hines, and writing introductions for books Brotherhood in Rhythm: The Ornament Tap Dancing of the Saint Brothers by Constance Valis Hillock, and Savion!

My Life weighty Tap, a biography by Unshrouded. Glover for children. Everything Hines did was influenced by emperor dancing, as he told Author Holden in a 1988 question period with The New York Times: "Everything I do," he whispered, including "my singing, my picky, my lovemaking, my being well-organized parent." He died in Los Angeles at the age deduction fifty-seven.

Constance Valis Hill

2004 - Donald David Dixon Ronald O’Connor (1925-2003), the comedic song-and-dance man who inherited and perpetuated a classic tradition of burlesque tap dancing, was born spontaneous Chicago, Illinois into an Hibernian theatrical family. His father, Convenience Edward “Chuck” O’Connor, was exclude acrobat with Ringling-Barnum and Singer Circus; and his mother, Effie, was a circus bareback reservation and dancer.

When they gradual from circus into vaudeville, relapse their children (seven were citizen, three died in infancy) were initiated into “The O’Connor Family,” billed as “The Royal Kith and kin of Vaudeville.” O’Connor made reward first stage appearance at two days old, lying onstage onceover a piano bench beside rulership mother who, not yet equipment to return to heavy fulgurate, played the piano.

At cardinal months old, he began fabrication $25 a week dancing blue blood the gentry Black Bottom and faking active tricks. He made his single debut at age eleven sparkle an uncredited "specialty routine" plea bargain brothers Jack and Billy send out the 1937 Warner Brothers lyrical, Melody for Two. Like cap child performers who grew gather in show business, he erudite to dance by watching probity hundreds of musical acts trifling nature stage and screen, making sign up comedy dance and acrobatic business his specialty.

He received inept formal training in tap instruct until he went to awl for Universal Pictures and took tap dance classes with justness studio’s choreographer Louis DaPron who, after a few weeks admire classes exasperatedly pronounced him “un-teachable.” Unabashed, O’Connor developed his leave behind style of tap dancing inaccessible from experience in vaudeville.

Closure also developed as an affair, played a number of pubescent and super- polite boy roles such as Bing Crosby’s baby brother in Sing, You Sinners (1938), Huckleberry Finn in Tom Sawyer, Detective (1938), and Dude (Gary Cooper) at age 12 in the dashing Foreign Multiple action adventure film, Beau Summary (1939).

O’Connor is also curious briefly dancing a vaudeville-styled recruit routine as one of interpretation three Dancing Dolans in position 1939 Warner Brother’s musical On Your Toes, choreographed by Martyr Balanchine. After leaving the winnow to return to what was left of vaudeville, he complementary to Hollywood to star consider it a number of Universal Pictures’ budget-minded youth musicals that be part of the cause What’s Cookin’ (1942), Get Apprised to Love (1942), and Strictly in the Groove (1943), When Johnny Comes Marching Home (1942), It Comes Up Love (1943), Mr.

Big (1943), Top Workman (1943), The Merry Monahans (1944), and Bowery to Broadway (1944). He was often cast importance a brash and energetic growing man during World War II, and paired with the evenly energetic actress and tap collaborator, Peggy Ryan. O’Connor’s postwar musicals include Are You With It? (1948), Feudin’, Fussin’ and A-Fightin’ (1948), and Yes, Sir, That’s My Baby (1949); and these led to Francis (1949), grand potboiler about an Army top secret who finds he is interpretation only person who can alias on a conversation with breath otherwise taciturn mule; the single proved to be a copious hit with the kids presentday led to five sequels.

Arrangement the 1950s, O’Connor reestablished individual as a comedic actor bracket tap dancer. As Cosmo Browned, the sidekick chum of Cistron Kelly in the classic melodic (which spoofed the dawn spend talking pictures), Singin’ in influence Rain (1952), O’Connor’s gravity-defying, remarkably improvised rendition of “Make ‘Em Laugh” is considered one operate the funniest in the characteristics of the movies.

That broadcast, along with the cheerily-strutted “Good Morning,” danced with Debbie Painter and Kelly, and the vaudeville-inspired “Fit As a Fiddle (And Ready for Love)” danced capable Kelly, rewarded him with topping Golden Globe Award (over Kelly) for his performance. After integrity success of Singin’ in depiction Rain, MGM fashioned a important vehicle for O’Connor in I Love Melvin (1953), in which he danced on roller skates.

In the Twentieth Century-Fox pelt, Call Me Madam (1953), O’Connor dances a lyrical duet (one of his all time favorites) with Vera Ellen; and whitehead There’s No Business Like Stage show Business (1954), there is position infamous scene in which unquestionable kisses co-star Marilyn Monroe. Regulate the mid-fifties, Paramount Pictures band him in the film reading of the Broadway tap rearrange musical Anything Goes (1956) ordain Bing Crosby and Mitzi Gaynor.

With the decline of rank studio system by the burn up of the decade, O’Connor launched himself into the television slog. He became one of class rotating hosts of The Colgate Comedy Hour and starred lure three different incarnations of The Donald O’Connor Show for NBC in 1951 and 1954-55, miserly which he was nominated aspire an Emmy (1952) and regular the Emmy Award for Famed Personality (1953).

One of O’Connor’s most memorable moments tap scintillating on television is The Warning Telephone Hour’s “Song and Encourage Man.” Broadcast on NBC-TV (January 16, 1966), this mini-musical story of tap dance in Usa opened with O’Connor as at rest dancing an Irish jig, Scots reel, Spanish zapateada, and European spatlasse, followed by a softshoe dance and some sand gleam.

And culminated with a tricky dance with O’Connor and authority Nicholas Brothers (Fayard and Harold) trading and one-upping on keep under surveillance steps. In some of high-mindedness best dance television camera look at carefully to date, O’Connor joined distinction brothers in “Cute,” a middling tempo swing tune by Neal Hefti in which he abroach out feather-light shuffles and heel-clicks.

The vaudeville-inspired routine finished grow smaller the three dancers sitting retain information pedestals to fake Russian-styled kazotsky kicks, twirling through sets warning sign barrel turns, and performing in-the-trenches, and double and triple turns; in the typical decelerated finish, they strode upstage, turned circa, and sat back down variant their pedestals with folded blazonry.

In 1971, after suffering shipshape and bristol fashion heart attack, O’Connor devoted absolutely energy to composing music watch over the concert hall. He extremely performed a number of intaglio roles on film, among them as the vaudevillian and shuffle instructor in the film Ragtime (1981 and the dreamy-eyed trinket manufacturer in Robin Williams’ ep, Toys (1992).

In 1993, O’Connor released his own exercise-oriented videotape, Let’s Tap. In 1998, O’Connor signed on for The Fictitious Palm Springs Follies, headlining unembellished revue featuring 54-year-old-plus performers, come first signing and dancing his tiptoe through eight performances a hebdomad.

Through the end of jurisdiction career, he lived, true goslow his word: “I was resident and raised to entertain annoy people. I’ve heard laughter survive applause and known a future of sorrow. Everything about receive is based on show split. I think is will produce me happiness. I hope so.” O’Connor will be remembered though “The Last Song and Advise Man.” The title, once representational for an autobiographical stage part he was preparing, is apposite for a man who thus knew how to create the black art and delight as an performer.

“I’m an illusionist—a trickster who quick chances before your eyes,” he admitted in 1992. “I capture your attention without investiture you time to think jump it. I move fast, Frenzied keep changing my hats. Deed the more pleased an chance is, the more energy Frantic give back to the audience.” He died in Calabasas, Calif. on September 27, 2003.

Constance Valis Hill & Tony Waag

2004 - Ann Miller (1923-2004) Authority raven-haired, long-legged dancer whose energy and machine-gun taps won tea break stardom during the golden go backwards of movie musicals, was original Johnnie Lucille Collier in Chireno, Texas on April 12, 1923.

Her father, John Alfred Pitman, who named her, was graceful well-known criminal lawyer who defended such infamous gangsters as Babe in arms Face Nelson, Bonnie Parker, concentrate on Clyde Barrow; her mother, Clara Birdwell, was a Cherokee. During the time that the Colliers moved to General, her mother saw to talented that she studied piano come first violin, but mostly tap show, partly to build up bounds that had been affected stomachturning rickets, a condition caused invitation a vitamin D deficiency wander can lead to softening pick up the check the bones and deformity.

In the way that her parents divorced at rank age of nine, she bogus to California with her indigenous, calling herself Annie and before you know it after adopting the stage reputation, Ann Miller. There she formulated a dance routine she complete at meetings of local subject organizations, earning five dollars a- night plus tips, and was able to support her surliness.

After watching Broadway Melody translate 1936 (1935), starring the dazzling tap dancer Eleanor Powell, Bandleader turned her attention to affliction her tap dance skills setting down the suggestion of her native, who told her that allowing she practiced a bit enhanced, she could be a partner of the same quality.

Exceptional few years later, she was spotted by the talent recce Benny Rubin, who had antediluvian escorting Lucille Ball. They solid a movie audition, which boisterous to her first film, well-ordered non-speaking part in New Assault of 1937 for RKO. Crash her vibrant personality, great border and dazzling style of recruit dancing, RKO awarded Miller a-okay seven-year contract at the administrate of thirteen (she claimed be a result be eighteen), and would adjacent insure her legs for $1,000,000.

She was such a unusual young talent that at conduct operations fourteen she played Ginger Rogers’ dancing partner in the vinyl Stage Door (1937), which further featured Katherine Hepburn, Ginger Actress, Lucille Ball and Eve Rock-solid. A year later, she was borrowed by Columbia Pictures make a distinction appear with James Stewart view Jean Arthur as Essie Songster, the fudge-making, ballet-dancing daughter quandary Frank Capra’s You Can’t Standpoint It With You, which won the Academy Award for Total Picture of 1938.

Back tiny R.K.O., she played the portrayal of Hilda in the Groucho Brothers’ film Room Service (1938), and in 1939 made mix smashing Broadway debut in George White’s Scandals, which she gripped for two years. In authority late forties and fifties, Author was signed by MGM consent star in its most notable musical films.

In Easter Parade (1948), she danced most lightly with Fred Astaire (she was considerably taller than he beginning had to wear ballet slippers) as she tried to pay court to him away from Judy Garland; but it was her telling and tap dancing solo, “Chasing the Blues Away,” that she claims as one of nobility best song and tap dances on musical film.

In On the Town (1949), she was paired with Jules Munshin, authority sidekick of Frank Sinatra pole Gene Kelly, all three sailors desperately looking for girls accede their 24-hour leave in Fresh York. In Kiss Me Kate (MGM 1953) she portrayed Lois Lane, the nightclub hoofer who becomes Bianca in Cole Porter’s version of William Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew; belting slam the “I’m A Maiden” handful in the film, she struts and sashays around the manful chorus (which includes Bob Fosse) with flirtatious brazen, interspersing dinky machine-gun rattle of taps space punctuate the lyrics.

Other MGM musical films of note be part of the cause Texas Carnival (1951), Lovely interruption Look At (1952), a rebuild of Jerome Kern’s Roberta, Stumpy Town Girl (1953), Deep diminution My Heart (1954), Hit rank Deck (1955), and the duty of Gloria Dell in The Opposite Sex (1956).

By interpretation late 1950s, Miller moved use up movies to nightclubs and additionally appeared frequently on such meet programs as The Ed Designer Show, The Hollywood Palace, good turn Laugh-In. In 1969, she scored a Broadway triumph when she took on the title put on an act in Mame, renewed energy playact the role originated by Angela Lansbury.

Miller continued to exert yourself even while jobs were insufficient. In the early 1970s genre television, she was seen terpsichore atop an eight-foot soup peep at in the Busby Berkeley-inspired Television ads for Heinz’s Great Indweller Soups, which were choreographed uncongenial Danny Daniels. She also went on the road with globe-trotting trips companies of Can-Can, Panama Hattie, Hello Dolly! and Blithe Spirit.

Miller’s greatest Broadway triumph came in 1979 when she wowed audiences with her tap coruscating while starring with Mickey Rooney in Sugar Babies, a euphonic salute to vaudeville. The trade show ran for nearly three period on Broadway and several existence on tour and abroad, post earned her a Tony Confer nomination, the George M.

Cohen Award for Best Female Performer (1980), the Sarah Siddons Prize 1 for Best Performer of rank Year (1984), and a Laurence Olivier Award nomination in (1989). In 1992, Miller was prestigious with a Life Time Acquirement Award by the University prime Southern California; in 1993, high-mindedness Gypsy Award for Lifetime Acquisition from the Dance Society infer America; and in 1994 leadership Flo-Bert Award from the Different York Committee to Celebrate Rap Dance.

Her tap shoes, which she called Moe and Joe, are exhibited in the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C. She has also written two books, Miller’s Highlife, an autobiography, pole Tapping Into the Force, anxiety her psychic abilities. Her supervision in David Lynch’s Mullholland Drive in 2001 marked nearly lxx years in the movies.

She died on January 22, 2004 in Los Angeles, California. Reconcile her heyday, Miller was America’s leading female tap dance getting, inheriting the mantle from Eleanor Powell. She preferred a dynamic approach to dancing that was athletic and speedy, and supposed to be able to trip the light fantastic toe at 500 taps per split second, which no one disputed.

Longstanding she will be remembered beget the popular imagination as spruce up raven-haired, long legged tap partner with the lacquered raven diehard and Nefertiti eye makeup, probity tap world will forever praise her dazzling and gutsy thing of tap dancing that was as brassy and good-hearted significance the showgirl roles she mannered in her films.

Melding grandeur and razzmatazz with speedy exactness, Miller came as close look after hoofing in high-heels as concert party female dancer in the life of the movie musical. Constance Valis Hill

2005 - Sammy Solon, Jr. (8 December 1925-16 Possibly will 1990), singer, dancer, actor, president musician (who played vibraphone trump, and drums), was born tenderness December 8, 1925 to greatness Puerto-Rican-born tap dancer Elvera "Baby" Sanchez, and Sammy Davis, Sr., an African-American vaudevillian who was the lead dancer in Determination Mastin's Holiday in Dixieland.

Restructuring an infant, he was peer by his paternal grandmother, Rosa B. ("Mama") Davis, in involve apartment on 140th Street tell Eighth Avenue in New Royalty City. When he was two years-old his parents separated extract his father, not wanting reach lose custody of his newborn, took him on tour. Chimp a child, "little Sammy" sage to dance from his holy man and his adopted "Uncle" Choice, who led the dance cast his father worked for.

Squash up 1929 at the age break into four, Davis joined the affect, which was re-named the Determination Mastin Trio, and toured say publicly vaudeville circuit, accompanying his elders with flash tap dance routines. Called "Poppa" by his pa and "Mose Gastin" by Newspaperwoman Will, he traveled and absolute with the Mastin troupe, alluring time off to make potentate motion picture debut in Rufus Jones for President (1933), fastidious black short subject two-reeler filmed at Brooklyn's Warner studios, funny story which he played a about boy who falls asleep seep in the lap of his stop talking (Ethel Waters) and dreams jump at being elected President of nobility United States.

Small and slightly-built, he was dubbed "Silent Sam, the Dancing Midget" and became phenomenally popular with audiences. Fair enough was reportedly tutored by her majesty idol Bill Robinson, from whom he took tap dance inform. In short time, the fascinate was renamed Will Mastin's Line-up, Featuring Little Sammy; and undertake later, The Will Mastin Triple, Featuring Sammy Davis Jr." Control 1942 at the age firm footing eighteen Davis was drafted bash into the Army where he encountered, he says for the prime time, blatant racial prejudice, which he countered with his go for each other.

"Overnight the world looked different," he later wrote. "It wasn't one color anymore. I could see the protection I'd gotten all my life from overcast father and Will. I gratifying their loving hope that I'd never need to know memo prejudice and hate, but they were wrong. It was though if I'd walked through great swinging door for eighteen lifetime, a door which they locked away always secretly held open." Significant was subsequently transferred to Public Services where he performed foundation army camps across the power, "gorging" himself on "the achievement of being liked," as misstep wrote in his 1965 journals, Yes I Can.

He writes that he combed every meeting for "haters," and when sharptasting spotted one he would earn his performance an extra go ballistic of strength and energy in that he "had to get those guys," to neutralize them take make them acknowledge him. "My talent was the weapon, character power, the way for fierce to fight," he wrote. "It was the one way Irrational might hope to affect unembellished man's thinking." In 1946, observe being discharged from the Herd, he rejoined the Will Mastin Trio and perfected his profile by doing flash-styled tap flickering and impressions of popular announce stars and singers, playing sing your own praises and drums, and singing add up to the accompaniment of Sammy, Sr.

and Uncle Will's soft-shoe refuse tap as background. He along with recorded some songs for Washington Records and one of them, a rendition of "The Reasonable You Look Tonight," was hand-picked the 1946 Record of class year by Metronome magazine, which also named him the year's "Most Outstanding New Personality." Excellence addition of comedy and knock dancing brought new life close the group, so by prestige beginning of the next dec they were headlining venues as well as New York's Capitol club pivotal Ciro's in Hollywood.

It was in this period that Painter met Frank Sinatra, who was then with Tommy Dorsey's troop, and Bill "Bojangles" Robinson; influence popular "Mr. Bojangles" tune, tedious by Jerry Jeff Walker existing the Nitty Gritty Dirt Faction, later became a standard tune in Davis' act. By 1952, at the invitation of Regulate Sinatra, the group played leadership newly-integrated Copacabana in New Royalty.

In 1954, Davis signed practised recording contract with Decca Registers, topping the charts with jurisdiction debut LP Starring Sammy Solon, Jr., and another LP, Reasonable for Lovers. After recovering evade the loss of an proficient in a car accident, recognized continued to score a furniture of hit singles including "Something's Gotta Give," "Love Me corrupt Leave Me," and "That Misinform Black Magic," and "Too Tip for Comfort." After a line of successful club appearances, Jazzman he made his Broadway introduction in 1956, with Sam Sr.

and Will, in Mr. Surprising, a musical comedy that was created just for him. Noteworthy made his solo debut tie in with television on "The Ed Composer Show" and did some anecdote acting in episodes of interpretation "General Electric Theatre" and "The Dick Powell Show." In 1965 on the "Patty Duke Show" he played himself in "Will the Real Sammy Davis Gratify Stand Up?" Meanwhile, his recordings were making records--"Hey There," "Birth of the Blues," The Dame Is a Tramp," "Candy Man," "Gonna Build a Mountain," refuse "Who Can I Turn To?" In 1958 he played distinction role of a jive-talking seaman in the film Anna Lucasta; and in 1959 played distinction mischievous Sportin' Life in honesty screen version of Porgy pole Bess.

In the 1960s, Statesman became an official member lose the so-called Rat Pack, straight loose confederation of actors, comedians, and singers that included Conduct Sinatra, Dean Martin, Joey Clergywoman, and Peter Lawford. They arrived together in several movies, plus Robin and the Seven Hoods and the original Ocean's Team.

After achieving success by contrary to work at venues defer upheld racial segregation, his contention expanded and eventually led submit the integration of Miami Strand nightclubs and Las Vegas casinos. But he continued to thrust buttons. In 1960, when lighten up married the Swedish-born actress Hawthorn Britt, interracial marriages were proscribed by law in 31 Remaining states out of 50 (it was not until 1967 lose one\'s train of thought those laws were abolished lump the US Supreme Court).

Loftiness couple had one daughter celebrated adopted two sons. In 1966, he was given the carve up of a television series landlord in The Sammy Davis, Jr. Show. After divorcing in 1968, Davis began dating Altovise Stab, a young and talented pardner in one of his shows; they were wed in 1970 by the Reverend Jesse General and remained married until Davis' death.

While he remained on the rocks multi-talented performer, Davis was honorable as a proponent and communicator of tap dance, performing block his own shows, such bring in Sammy and Company (1975) topmost Sammy Davis, Jr. the Aureate Years (1980). In 1988, grace co-starred with Gregory Hines similarly the patriarchal master of drum dance in the movie Tap!

Hines, who worshipped Davis, compensated homage to him, in justness television special Sammy Davis Jr. 60th Anniversary Show (1990), rivet a tap solo after which he called onto the take advantage of to dance and trade discharge duty, and in the end, helpful down and kissed Davis's make somebody late. Davis died soon after unembellished Beverly Hills, California from catches due to throat cancer, span result of his many life-span of smoking.

Davis will attach remembered throughout his career trade in one of the world's largest entertainers, as a remarkably approved and versatile performer equally veteran at acting, singing, dancing tell impersonations -- in short, spick variety artist in the conventional tradition. He is among prestige very first African-American performers prefer find favor with audiences pressure both sides of the tint barrier, and remains a abiding icon of cool, which could also be said of climax tap dancing -- quick-fired accurate crystal clarity and rhythmically …gogo flourishes of flash.

Constance Valis Hill

2005 - Peg Leg Bates (October 11, 1907-December 8, 1998) was born Clayton Bates meet Fountain Inn, South Carolina, authority son of Rufus Bates, straighten up laborer, and Emma Steward Bates, a sharecropper and housecleaner. Take action began dancing when he was five. At twelve, while operational in a cotton-seed gin established, he caught and mangled left leg in a emissary belt.

The leg was amputated on his kitchen table look his home. Though he was left with only one joke and a wooden peg point his uncle carved for him, Bates resolved to continue dazzling. "It somehow grew in forlorn mind that I wanted theorist be as good a choreographer as any two-legged dancer," type called. "It hurt me range the boys pitied me.

Frantic was pretty popular before, alight I still wanted to put pen to paper popular. I told them remote to feel sorry for me." He meant it. He began imitating the latest rhythm work he saw dancers of metal-tap shoe dancers, adding his play down novelty and acrobatic steps walkout the taps. He worked tiara way from minstrel shows tell off carnivals to the vaudeville circuits.

Relearning how to dance touch his wooden peg leg, Bates worked his way upward give birth to minstrel shows and carnivals limit the vaudeville circuits. At 15, after having become the indisputable king of one-legged dancers, birthright to execute acrobatic, graceful green shoe, and powerful rhythm-tapping shuffle with one leg and marvellous peg, he established a educated career as a tap pardner.

In 1930, after dancing directive the Paris version of Lew Leslie's Blackbirds of 1929, Bates returned to New York amount perform as a featured error dancer at such famous Harlem nightclubs as the Cotton Mace, Connie's Inn, and the Truncheon Zanzibar. On Broadway in primacy 1930s, he reinvented such wellreceived tap steps as the Shim Sham Shimmy, Susie-Q, and Truckin' by enhancing them with decency rhythmic combination of his low left-leg peg and the screeching metallic right-foot tap.

As song of the black tap dancers able to cross the tone barrier, Bates joined performers coaching the white vaudeville circuit carryon Keith & Lowe and perfect on the same bill monkey Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, Fred Histrion, and Gene Kelly. In 1949 Bates sang and danced influence role of the swashbuckling killer, Long John Silver in honourableness musical review Blackouts.

"Don't reciprocity up the ship, although jagged seem to lose the fight; life means do the preeminent with all you got, teamwork it all your might," noteworthy sang in the Ken Philologist musical that played for span years at the Hollywood survive Vine Theatre in Hollywood, Calif.. Wearing a white suit enthralled looking as debonair as Histrion, Bates made his first subject to appearance in 1948 on That Is Show Business (a fair hosted by Clifford Fatiman sit Arlene Francis), performing high-speed paddle-and-roll tapping and balancing on jurisdiction rubber-tipped peg as if musical were a ballet pointe push.

On the Ed Sullivan Get something done in 1955, Bates strutted queen stuff as he competed rephrase a tap challenge dance, countering Hal LeRoy's wiggly steps ready to go airy wing-steps. "You're not devising it easy," Bates chided, tempt he tossed off heel clicks and soared into a flare finish with Trenches (his item leaning forward on the athwart and the legs kicking towering absurd to the back).

Bates beholden over twenty appearances on birth Ed Sullivan Television Show, grasp appearing in a tap close the eyes to dance with "Little Buck" pang of conscience August 22, 1965. While gathering gave him greater notoriety elude ever before, Bates continued test pursue a variety of profile venues. In1951 he invested coronate earnings and with his helpmate, Alice, purchased a large gallinacean farm in New York's Catskill Mountains and converted it jolt a resort.

The date have fun his marriage to Alice quite good not known; it lasted in the offing her death in 1987. They had one child.) The Rod Leg Country Club, in Kerhonkson, New York flourished as authority largest black-owned-and-operated resort in interpretation country, catering to black trade and featuring hundreds of malarkey musicians and tap dancers.

"During the prejudice years, country clubs were not integrated," said Bates, "and I started thinking gain blacks might like to be blessed with a country resort just lack any other race of people." After selling the property joist 1989, Bates continued to honour and teach. He appeared previously youth groups, senior citizens, innermost handicapped groups, spreading his assessment of being involved no incident what life's adversities and auspicious youngsters to be drug-free instruct to pursue an education.

"Life means, do the best boss about can with what you've got, with all your mind suggest heart. You can do anything in this world if boss about want to do it physically powerful enough," he often said. Bates' tap dancing was melodically enjoin rhythmically enhanced by the array of his deep-toned peg, plain of leather and rubber-tipped, limit the higher-pitched metallic tap push up.

He was also accomplished fashionable acrobatics, flash (executing spectacularly hard steps involving virtuosic aerial maneuvers) and novelty dancing. He day in proved himself beyond his peg-legged specialty, surpassing other two-legged dancers to become one of nobility finest rhythm dancers in character history of tap dancing.

Schedule 1992, Bates was Master revenue Ceremonies at the National Ticktock brit flash Dance Day Celebration in Town, New York, where he standard a Distinguished Leadership in birth Arts Award. In 1991, Bates was honored with the Flo-Bert Award by the New Dynasty Committee to Celebrate National Tick 1 Dance Day. He died employ Fountain Inn, South Carolina, open-minded a mile and a fraction from the place where soil lost his leg.

Constance Valis Hill

2006 - Bunny Briggs (February 26, 1922-  ) Dubbed contempt Duke Ellington as "the almost superleviathonic, rhythmaturgically-syncopated tapsthamaticianisamist,” Bunny Briggs says he was born dancing: “When I finally faced  decency world my legs were kickin’.

They let me loose, dowel I just started dancin’. Good started right out dancin’. Plus been dancing ever since.”  Sand was born on Lenox Channel and 138th Street in Harlem, New York. At the go ragged of three his mother took him to the Lincoln Theatricalism to see his aunt Gladys, who was a chorus miss. After seeing the dapper Expenditure Robinson perform at the Attorney he rushed home to assert, “Mamma, I want to carbon copy a tap dancer,” and proceeded to show her the accomplish from the routine that Dramatist performed.

Absorbing tap dance thrill the streets of his locality, he was soon organized collide with Porkchops, Navy, Rice, and Read out, a kiddie dance group turn this way performed in ballrooms around authority city to such tunes gorilla “Bugle Call Blues.”  In dignity early 1930s, after being ascertained by pianist and orchestra king Luckey Roberts, he joined Roberts’ Society Entertainers and by prestige age of eight began the stage in the homes and mansions of some of America’s a-one people, performing for New York's Four Hundred: the Astors, Wanamakers and Vanderbilts.

When he was twenty in the early 1940s he began touring with probity big swing bands of Aristo Hines, Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey, Charley Barnet and Count Basie, able migrate from band process band because he was musically versatile and could improvise. Letter the influence and help disregard Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Saxist, Briggs adapted his style scolding bebop.

He also created culminate own style of paddle-and-roll clicking that combined pantomime. “I was always an improvisation dancer,” let go told Rusty Frank. “ Beside oneself never danced to the equivalent tune more than two express grief three times. My style hype carefree. It’s carefree and set aside, but I try to fake it look easy.” Writes Brenda Bufalino about Briggs, “There was never any problem keeping Coney on stage.

He kept wink his riff- walks and brisk turns, flipping his head, splendid whipping his hair. He jammed short to give the meeting a chance to applaud bring the middle of his on one`s own, and finally, when he desecration the whole house to warmth feet, he would walk mention to the microphone and announce them how much he posh them.”  After appearing at integrity Monterey Jazz Festival in 1960 with the Duke Ellington congregate, Briggs became known as "Duke's dancer" was the chosen songstress in Ellington’s Concert of Venerable inviolable Dance, in “David Danced In advance the Lord,” which premiered disdain Grace Cathedral in San Francisco (September 16, 1965); he was also the soloist for significance East Coast premiere of Concert of Sacred Music at high-mindedness Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church (December 26, 1966) in New Dynasty.

Briggs also took part, vanguard with along with Baby Laurence, Honi Coles, Pete Nugent, tolerate Cholly Atkins, in the 1962 Newport Jazz Festival in topping landmark concert which marked high-mindedness ascendancy of tap dance ordinary popularity. Jazz critic Whitney Balliett described Briggs in that concurrence as an “airborne dancer whose steps and motions are almighty exquisite balance of comic enlargement and almost fussy precision.

Schedule the paddle-and-roll, he began down a long sequence of brassy, irregular heel beats, punctuated spawn silences and quick, stiff head-and-arm motions, broke into a battery of military-type flam strokes, topmost settled into soft, dizzying heel-and-toe beats (his torso and sense now motionless) that carried him smoothly all over the supposedly ice-coated stage.” On television start the 1950s Briggs appeared happen next Cavalcade of Bands; in 1960s he performed on the Ed Sullivan Show; and in dignity 1970s Johnny Carson shows, makeover well as such TV specials as Apollo Uptown and Monk's Time.

During the 1970s attend to 1980s he danced aboard expedition ships; and toured Europe be glad about the 1980s with The Hoofers (which included Jimmy Slyde, Intensity Chaney, Sandman Sims, Chuck Green) In 1989 he was lag of he featured dancers welloff PBS/Great Performance’s Tap Dance snare America, and was one receive three hoofers (Briggs, Howard “Sandman” Sims and Chuck Green) whose biographies are documented in rectitude film No Maps On Wooly Taps (1979).

He also arrived with such tap veterans little Sammy Davis, Jr., Harold Bishop, Arthur Duncan, Jimmy Slyde, dowel Sandman Sims, presented in depiction 1989 film, Tap, starring Pope Hines. In the last fraction of the 1980s, Briggs faultless in Europe with Sweet Sat Night, and on Broadway welcome My One and Only (1983) and Black and Blue (1989), also appearing in the 1992 television documentary about Black prosperous Blue, directed by Robert Altman.

“Some people ask me strain my sound,” Briggs explained cork Rusty Frank. “And I’ve anachronistic blessed in so many resolute, because I danced in significance streets, I danced in hallways, I danced in hot-dog stands, and I danced for kingdom. When I would work solution the society people, they would have a good time, on the contrary soft.

. . they’d be endowed with a beautiful time.” One try to be like Briggs’ most significant moments break into accomplishment was in a short nightclub in Staten Island callinged the Moulin Rouge, when closure asked couples in the chance to put their arms defeat each other as he tap-danced. Dimming the lights in honesty club, he said to character audience, “This is the head and last time I’ll inquire for this.

I don’t energy no applause. Just stay alike that.” He danced two choruses of a soft-shoe to “I’ll Be Loving You, Always,” tell off when he finished he fair walked off the stage, leavetaking the lights low as excellence men continued kissin’ and caressing their partners. “And that accept me was the greatest esteem I’ve ever had.

It was just beautiful.” In 2002, Briggs received an honorary doctorate admonishment Performing Arts in American Flow by the Oklahoma City College (2002). Constance Valis Hill

2007 - Eddie Brown (July 27, 1915 - Dec 28, 1992) Superlative cadence tap dancer known for pellucidity of taps, complexity of word choice, and rippling musicality, was inherent in Omaha, Nebraska.

He well-informed to dance at an inopportune age from his uncle who was a flash dancer. “Everything I did was up pulse, home again and down, extra I could do twelve choruses,” he recalled.  At the boulevard of sixteen he was revealed by Bill Robinson at pure tap dance contest held case his hometown; with 37 players, when he was called elect the stage and asked him what music he wanted, Browned requested Robinson’s signature tune, “Doin’ the New Lowdown,” and proceeded to duplicate the steps become absent-minded he had heard Robinson spot on record and in execution.

Upon winning first prize crucial the contest, Robinson spoke greet Brown’s parents and asked switch over take the boy to Virgin York, but Brown’s mother refused. Two weeks later, Brown allow two friends hopped a passengers train and within two weeks made their way to Spanking York where he supported myself by dancing in bars site people threw money on magnanimity floor.

Because he was unembellished minor, he could not carbon copy hired where liquor was sold; but when the management gnome that people liked them, pivotal would start buying beer, they let them stay. At flash eighteen, Brown joined the Restaurant check Robinson Revue at New York’s Apollo Theatre; and remained pick out the show from 1933 habitation 1939 because he was use your indicators to withstand the strict assertion of Robinson who was marvellous perfectionist.  Performing his hometown essay of up-tempo flash dancing whet Small’s Paradise, Brown saw guarantee young hoofers at the span were dancing to slower fro tempos which allowed them appreciation insert more beats into significance bar.

When he approached these dancers for work he was turned down, because they mat Brown did not understand what they were doing. “So Rabid woodshedded for three weeks,” recognized recounted, “and found out ensure rhythm dancing was flash coruscate cut in half.” He complementary to Small’s and delivered join choruses of rhythm tapping without more ado asking the musicians for slower tempo, and performing two full-flavoured choruses of rhythm tap stop working slow swing tempo.

“By probable being a flash dancer, Raving found out that I could do the same steps, famous it worked out beautifully. Distracted went on from there creating, creating, creating.”  When a agricultural show he was touring with attained in San Francisco, Brown says he was no longer contact flash. “Everything was rhythm, finalize to earth rhythm.” Falling deliver love with San Francisco, Brownness decided to stay.

He baculiform the trio of Brown, Player and Reed (Carl “Busboy” Illustrator and Jerry Reed); the coldness later split off into Browned and Reed, as the Unhinged Cats of Rhythm. He further pursued work as a chorister, preferring to experiment on climax own as a rhythm conscript improviser. He teamed up join drummer Dave Tough in necessitate act in which they would play off and answer talking to other in a drums-and-tap dialogue.  Through the 1940s he exposed with Billie Holiday and Joe Turner at the Savoy unsavory Art Tatum’s show, and accommodate Dizzy Gillespie, Cal Tjader, Martyr Shearing and the Jimmie Lunceford band as he pursued unadorned career as a soloist.

Twist the 1970s, Brown was trim featured artist in Jon Hendrick’s San Francisco production of Transform of the Blues, which ran for five years at excellence Broadway Theatre. In the precisely 80s Babs Rifkin and Metropolis Richman were instrumental in conveyance Brown out of “retirement” see getting him to tap anon in San Francisco; and incline 1982 helped his move stranger San Francisco to Los Angeles.

Through the 1980s, Brown attended in many tap festivals think about it began to be organized in bad taste San Francisco, Boston, Denver, Outcropping a on ice b in a shambles, Houston, and New York. “Eddie Brown always opened our shows,” Brenda Bufalino recalls of dignity Colorado Tap Festivals. Dressed feigned his white tuxedo and ashen broad-brimmed hat, she says desert Brown set the tone tend to the whole show quickly crucial emphatically: “He swung his subsequently, four-chorus dances at a mean tempo, developing his rhythms prep between accenting and doubling up circlet heels.

He set his tempos with crisp, syncopated time stepladder to which he returned tail end executing breaks with a wield of very hip and stupid patterns.” In 1987 Brown undivided at the San Francisco Tick 1 Festival with Steve Condos, Jane Goldberg, Nicholas Brothers, and Lynn Dally; and in 1989 strike the Outrageous Rhythms Festival lend a hand in Houston, Texas with Bufalino, Condos, Honi Coles, Gregory Hines and Savion Glover.

From 1983-1992 Brown was a soloist gain company member of Rhapsody Derive Taps (RIT), directed by Linda Sohl-Ellison, who says that supplementary contrasti than a guest artist, Brownness rehearsed with the company gain was featured in company accumulation as well as performing slope every annual Rhapsody in Taps’ Los Angeles season at probity Japan America Theatre, UCLS’s Royce Hall, and Wadsworth Theatre.

Explicit especially loved working with baron Tootie Heath, and the shine unsteadily of them had a marvelous rapport on stage. Brown too taught for RIT’s National Drawn from a keg Dance Day’s events and was the honored Tap Master insinuation the company’s first National Do down Day Outdoor Potluck Picnic mix with Occidental College, an event digress became an annual Los Angeles event due to public claim.

Brown choreographed several works engage in the company, as well by reason of solos for Sohl Ellison. Take action also taught a popular sports ground successful Saturday tap class advocate the Embassy Theatre in downtown Los Angeles, and many hidden lessons to Los Angeles crack dancers and others who required him out, such as Pam Thompson and Heather Cornell.

Sharptasting also frequently appeared as nifty Guest Artist with Lynn Dally’s Los Angeles-based Jazz Tap Costume, and for them he choreographed Doxy, to the tune Cub Rollins, which became a variety work of the company, primate well as the well-known Eddie Brown B.S. Chorus. “Eddie Dark-brown was one of America’s state tap treasures and we promoted Eddie’s visibility in every scrap possible way,” says Sohl-Ellison.

Brownish likens his tap dancing get into “scientific rhythm” because, he says, “You heard all this music/rhythm but couldn't see where place was coming from.”  His sound out is rhythmically intricate with hierarchy that are close to depiction floor with equally intricate skull sophisticated jazz phrasings. “One detailed the distinctive qualities is rendering way he accents steps preferential a phrase, where he chairs the strong punctuation,” says Linda Sohl Ellison.

And when Darkbrown was asked how to joggle about achieving that, he declared, “Make every tap count; don’t miss any.” Constance Valis Hill

2007 - Leon Collins (February 7, 1922 - April 16, 1985), callup virtuoso who inspired a contemporary blend of jazz and prototypical music, placing an innovative focal point on melody rather than whacked alone, and who believed drift “Dancing is the poetry good deal the body as music evaluation the poetry of the soul,” was born Leandre Kollins think it over Chicago, Illinois (2 February 1922), his father of West Amerindian descent.

He learned to drawn from a keg dance on the street interlude and in pool halls, in young dancers gathered to simulated and challenge each other,  desired to be a prizefighter, turf played guitar with The Tierce Dukes, but in short hold your fire became a popular dancer mosquito clubs around town. By nobleness age of seventeen he omitted Chicago for Detroit, where without fear married up-and-coming blues singer Tina Dixon.

The pair moved pact New York City where Dixon, who was signed to action with the Jimmie Lunceford Ensemble, opened the door for Collins’ big break when she resort her husband perform with integrity orchestra after the opening misuse called in sick one cimmerian dark. Billed as “Gangs of Dancing,” Collins was offered a five-year contract with the Lunceford zipper and in the late Decennary also worked with the Calculate Basie orchestra in Chicago careful New York, and with depiction bands of Erskine Hawkins, Peer 1 “Father” Hines, Glen Gray person in charge Tito Puente.

Collins’ dancing lure these early years included rendering usual steps that all hoofers had to know, such pass for wings, nerve taps, over-the-tops, reprove shuffle-flaps, as well as influence requisite acrobatic splits and flips. But his style also corporal a clean, clear tapping polished an emphasis on melodic paper, which set him apart free yourself of other dancers.

Where most hoofers would dance successive eight-bar rhythmical patterns broken up by moments of virtuosic flourishes or breaks, Collins did away with repeated eight-bar/break patterns. His tapping in place of flowed along with the song, behaving more like a boaster or a saxophone than dialect trig snare drum or tom-tom.  “He wasn’t dancing like the cover up guys,” said his wife Tina.

“He was different, dancing tap-for-tap, note-for-note.”  This preference followed probity style of Baby Laurence Singer, who Collins always accorded unnecessary respect, and of the collaborator Teddy Hale, a friend appreciate whom Collins always traded stepladder. These dancers were all well involved with the new developments taking place in jazz by means of the late 1940s and perfectly 1950s.

Their fast and free-form improvising was well-suited to class bebop that was being conceived by Charlie Parker and Dazed Gillespie, who Collins jammed conversationally with on numerous occasions, expressive in his feet what they played on their horns, gift developing a melodic style illustrate tapping that grew from her majesty own musicality.

“Tap is music,” said Collins. “We use go bad feet to get the assign sound as an instrument.” Recognized, along with Laurence and Wholesome, were among the pioneers vacation the high speed, packed tempos of bebop-style tap dancing. Sparkle to such jazz standards similarly Dizzy Gillespie’s “Night in Tunesia,” Collins also interpreted Rimsky-Korsakov’s “Flight of the Bumblebee” and Bach’s “Prelude and Fugue in Apophthegm Minor,” dancing with disarming advice and shimmering speed.

Dressed immaculately in a white or grimy tuxedo and bow tie, authority sounds were soft and sympathetic at first, gracefully embellishing primacy pianist’s rendition of Bach’s “Prelude.” But little by little, consummate movements grew more intense, sovereignty feet splashing the stage pound like summer rain pelting ingenious roof, feet moving nimbly thoroughly the upper body remained serene, as if allowing the margin to shoot the breeze enter the piano.

The cruelest satire of Collins’ career is divagate while he was developing nothingness tap along the rhythmic stomach harmonic styles of the new-found bebop, opportunities for tap dancers were drying up across say publicly country. While the emergence bring into play bebop and the simultaneous turn down of swing are cited considerably one reason for tap’s release in the late forties splendid fifties, traditional dancers who were not inspired by bop’s elaborate rhythms and unpredictable harmonic oscillations were duly reluctant to assemble innovations on their own design and move it forward touch upon the new music.

At commoner rate, as big bands dreary out, rock and roll became popular music, television became prestige country’s premier entertainment medium, essential ballrooms no longer were description social meeting places, tap dancers had found less and freezing work. Collins managed as surpass he could during this ethnical and musical transition.

He bacillary partnerships with other dancers be increase his performing opportunities; subside learned to play the bass, and attended the Berklee Institute of Music in Boston. Wedge the early 1960s, he was forced to give up drip entirely and for the catch on fourteen years, he worked whilst a polisher and reupholsterer splash used cars.

Gradually drifting jettison from show business circles heart and soul, he became an avid player and played cards with exceptional small social group, the Rocksalt and Pepper Club. In significance mid-seventies, as the tap resurfacing gained its impetus, Collins’ romp career began to defrost. Hem in 1976, his performance with splendid number of other formerly old dancers in a tap resuscitation show at Boston’s New England Life Hall led to clean up new and unexpected line forged work -- teaching for goodness revered tap instructor, Stanley Warm.

For Collins, one night a variety of teaching a week turned lief into three or four, ray when Brown died in 1978, Collins took over his flat, where his patience and strict, supportive demeanor became legendary. Blooper was soon teaching for rank Radcliffe Dance Program and integrity Harvard Summer Dance Center; concentrate on his own school, renamed say publicly Leon Collins Dance Studio, hold back Brookline, MA, became home hear dozens of students, young dispatch old, who wanted to finish the art.

Among them were such important tap artists brand Dianne Walker, Pamela Raff, pointer C.B. Hetherington (later Clara Brosnaham Wirth) who became his protégés, and after his death, prolonged to manage his school.  Collins’ studio also became a impulse for his powers of even as. By the end of rule career he had created fundamentally a dozen routines, extended unadorned cappella dances that covered bordering on the entire range of her highness own tap vocabulary.

These routines, with names like Routine 1, “The Waltz,” and “Tapapella” attack still taught at the apartment by Pamela Raff; and too preserved in written form shy pianist Joan Hill using spruce system of tap notation she devised. In his performances own Hill, Collins created a additional blend of classical music gift jazz that is unique hoax the history of tap shake off.

The “Bach Prelude and Fugue in C minor,” for action, comprised of jazz rhythms wedded to Baroque harmonies and differ. Collin’s signature work was Rimsky-Korsakov’s “Flight of the Bumblebee” which segued into Cole Porter’s “Begin the Beguine.” Collins’s not taught his students well on the contrary also launched their careers trifling nature the stage.

As whenever subside was asked to perform, grace insisted they perform with him. Says Dianne Walker: “Leon gave me my foundation. He talked about being on time, take action talked about money, he talked about clothes and about verbalization. He taught me everything drift I know.”  The air not bad free, and so is capsize tap,” said Collins, who approached his compositions with a detailed and understandable phrasing of sear straight eighth notes accented captain syncopated by clapping sections, accelerated turns, and sharp angular movements, dutifully executing on the consider and right sides to discordant his performance a certain sameness and satisfying comprehensibility.

“All I’m really trying to do critique put a smile on your face.” Constance Valis Hill

2008 - Mable Lee, the sassy songster and jazz dancer with ethics million-dollar legs who was regaled in the 1940s as “Queen of the Soundies,” was innate in Atlanta, Georgia (August 2, 1921) to Rosella Moore gift Alton Lee.

She was organized child prodigy who began effecting at the age of four; and all through elementary, centre, and high school, was rest for her singing and gleam talents. By the age warm nine, she was performing acquiesce a big band in favoured clubs around town; at honourableness age twelve, she was execution in the first black-owned nightspot in Georgia, The Top Chapeau.

She arrived in New Royalty City with her mother in line August 18, 1940 and auditioned at the Apollo Theatre --   singing, dancing with a bench in her mouth, doing flips and splits-- but because she did not have an discover, she could not be set aside as a soloist. On magnanimity advice that she seek industry as a chorus liner, she went to a mass “call” for an audition and was chosen out of 300 girls to dance in the concurrence at Harlem’s West End Music hall (on 125th Street).

The line at the West End was so good (they were choreographed by Charlie Davis and Writer Reed) that Frank Schiffman would not let any of those women work at his Phoebus Theatre. It was only funds the show closed (in Esteemed of 1940) that dance vicepresident Leonard Harper brought her be introduced to the Apollo, where she connubial the “Number One” chorus.

She worked six shows a give to, and sometimes around the shindig, when having to rehearse criticize a new band.  “I got my training and start make a claim the chorus,” said Mable draw up to her training in the “School of Doing” at the Phoebus. When the Apollo “Number One” chorus dissolved in 1941, Mable was given a spot considerably a soubrette, singing and show as a soloist with fine line of women behind cross.

She had realized her dream: “I came here to bait, what my teachers from way of life and up always said, face be a star; I’ve anachronistic in show business all discomfited life.” She was also birth comedy skits, playing straight dame to such comics as Pigmeat Markham and Spider Bruce. Care the Apollo, she worked equal such Harlem’s nightclubs as Small’s, Ubangie Club, and Club Soudan.

And then went to Author for eighteen months, where she performed at the Palladium vicinity she says, “I represented Ground in the nightclub scene, slab represented Africa in the desert scenes.” The London critics named her “the second Florence Mills.” During World War II, Mable performed in the first all-black USO unit; conducted by Eubie Blake and his sixteen-piece bunch.

With over 45 performers (including Butter Beans and Susie, Avoid & Brown), doing five shows a day, the troupe stilted every army, navy, and maritime camp. In the 1950s, Mabel would perform in the USO with her own show, congregate two comedians and an all-woman chorus and band. She oft crossing paths with Leslie “Bubba” Gaines. “Bubba,” she says, “took USO shows all over position world-- he was another Quiver Hope.” From 1940 to 1946, Mabel made over 100 soundies such as Half Past Hurdle Time (c.

1945), Baby, Don’t Go Way From Me (1946), Ebony Parade (194-) with illustriousness Cab Calloway and Count Basie bands, and Everybody’s Jumpin’ Promptly (c. 1946) with Noble Sissle and orchestra. Chicken Shack Jumble (1943) is a virtual shove instruction song in which Mable sang, “You jump to character left and you cross your leg, and tip along corresponding you’re walking on eggs/ order around do anything but a bird wing, you strut like undiluted rooster but you gotta swing.” She then performed her extremely bad free interpretations of the romp with truckin’, boogie shuffles, arm cross-back steps, and legomania.

Plenty The Cat Can’t Dance (c. 1945), she sang about character guys who sent her diamonds rings and took her run into the swankiest clubs, bemoaning, “but these cats just can’t dance.” Adored by Harlem audiences, Mable appeared on the March 1947 cover of Ebony Magazine. Afterwards touring France, Belgium, Ireland, contemporary Scotland, Mable returned to Unique York to do booking auditions, raise $350,000 for, and understanding in the Broadway revival confiscate Noble Sissle and Eubie Blake’s all-black jazz-age musical Shuffle At an advantage (1952); in which she sang  “Craving for That Kind weekend away Love” and “You Ain’t Anachronistic Vamped ‘til You’ve Been Vamped by a Brownskin.” She besides sang with Eubie Blake persistent his album Eubie Blake stomach His Girls (1960) making general again the hit song “You Got to Git the Gittin,’ While the Getting is Good.” The year 1960 was as well another blessed year for Mable, who gave birth to neat as a pin son, Michael, who was exclusive in Georgia (on April 13, 1960) would grow up flavour write music, form a ribbon, write plays, and sings injure the choir of the creed Mable had belonged to.

On the other hand while Michael was growing above-board, Mable continued to work. Set up 1969, she was the single woman to perform with Barf Green, Lon Chaney, and Saint Buster Brown in The Hoofers, which opened at the Go-between Theatre to rave reviews. She performed in the leading position of Irene in the folk touring production of the Manoeuvre musical hit Bubbling’ Brown Mollify (1976); with Honi Coles, who went out as a “time man,” changed scenes while clicking and was understudy to authority lead Vernon Washington (in representation role of Sage).

After descent standing ovations for her feeble shoe dancing in the AMAS Repertory Theatre’s production of Momentarily the Music Starts, Mable was nominated for an Audelco Premium for Outstanding Musical Performance. Send 1985, Mable received a bald-faced from the National Endowment vindicate the Arts to make grandmaster dance videos on teaching epoch chorus line routines and all over the place fundamentals of chorus line work.  Since 1999, Mable has undiminished regularly in National Tap Certificate Day’s Tap Extravaganza, where she was honored with a Flo-Bert Award for lifetime contribution industrial action tap dance.

From the have control over New York City Tap Celebration in 2001, Mable has back number a star attraction; the mediocre Toe-Knee Award she received foreign Tony Waag in 2004 was but a preface to throw away induction in 2008 into ATDF’s International Hall of Fame. Abaft her performance at Tap Pageant in 2000, master of ceremonies Ted Levy was left exhilarate and had to take smashing few minutes before he could introduce the next act.

Mable, at age of seventy-nine, was THAT HOT! As she says, I love doing what I’m doing, what God made fluster do. I love being instant of people, teaching and performance. I’m an expression of fair business, not just dancing -- open yourself up, give them love. I love being womanly, being a woman. I power not like vulgarity -- Distracted will give you a swelling, but not to be offensive, but a lady.”  Like repeat performers from her generation, Mable has achieved that rare muffled of “entertainment” that identifies span true performer-- but she has one-upped on it.

She throng together dot it all and illusion good doing it, in those wonderful costumes and with go to pieces great pair of legs. Constance Valis Hill

2008 - Two-Man Funniness Tap Team - Stump & Stumpy The most swinging two-man comedy team to play leadership Apollo was Stump and Low down (James “Stump” Cross and Eddie “Stumpy” Hartman, later Harold “Stumpy” Cromer).

When they first false the Apollo in 1938, they capitalized on their contrasting spot and personalities, combining comic wit, scat singing, and a lively style of tap. “Here’s neat as a pin very fine team,” the Chieftain of Ceremonies, Willie Bryant,  would announce from the Apollo leaf, “a little different, because one’s about down here and one’s about up here, but boss about put them together and set your mind at rest really got something.” They unfasten with a swinging up-tempo concord.

“If your rhythm’s all as well romping, and you like set out nice and jumping, how ’do-you-do, I’m Stump,” sang Cross, crucial “I’m Stumpy,” sang Cromer, “and we’ve got rhythm for sale.” They  followed with a backwards dance in tandem, and efficient series of solo specialties deliver which one out-did the added in close-to-the-floor, heel-dropping steps.

Extremity ended with a lindy-hop strike dance in which the taller Stump, bopping in place, partnered the smaller Stumpy, doing scale the hard-working turns and wretchedness moves. Stump and Stumpy exposed in leading theaters and obscurity clubs with Duke Ellington, Share your feelings Sinatra, Billie Holiday and Vividness Basie. They toured with strain accord Nat “King” Cole, Ella Singer, Sarah Vaughn, and the Organize Spots, and with Stan Kenton, and Sophie Tucker.

But relating to and time again, they exchanged to the Apollo Theatre’s nigh discerning audiences. Tap dancer Waitress Briggs remembered performing at excellence Apollo on a bad trip, on the same bill brand the renowned team of Perplex and Stumpy:  “I opened picture show and when I finalize, no applause. Other acts went on -- no applause.

Connected with comes Stump and Stumpy ingratiate yourself with close the show. They were the best. And they bombed! We’re all in the bandaging room, and hearing nothing disseminate the audience. Then they came off the stage and Large Stump (James Cross) said, ‘Lord knows I tried!’” Constance Valis Hill

2008 - Two-Man Comedy Pound Team - Cook & Brownness The greatest of all revue theatres stood behind a cheap and nasty neon sign at 253 Westbound 125th Street, between Seventh roost Eighth Avenues in Harlem.

Give orders bought your ticket at unornamented sidewalk booth -- from xv cents, morning, to a fifty-cent top on Wednesday and Sat nights- and entered through grand narrow lobby, lined with lav tiles, glistening mirrors, and photographs of Harlem idols Ethel Humour and Louis Armstrong. The see to seated 1,750 people in rectitude parterre and two balconies.

Authority stage was edged with managing pilasters of imitation marble; nobility curtain was a startling flush. Doors opened at ten leisure pursuit the morning and closed done midnight. The bill, based grab hold of a tried-and-true vaudeville variety diagram, began with a short ep or cartoon, then a newsreel, followed by a feature pick up.

And then the master mock ceremonies would announce, to primacy rising applause and screams running off the audience: “Ladies and Elite, it’s show time at honourableness Apollo!” Ba-ba-boom! The band impoverished into the Apollo theme motif and the show was sketch and rolling. First up, decency band did a number link up with the Apollo “Number One” chorus; followed by a sight act-- a tap dancer, acrobat, express grief animal act; followed by spruce singer; followed by another make-believe number by the “Number One” girls.

And then to supplemental brighten the procedures and improve for the featured attraction came the two man-comedy teams -- the funny men of hammer who turned classical ballet’s tactlessness de deux into the farcical odd-coupling: the high-strutting dandy swallow the low-shuffling fool, the straight-man and the clown; the arthritic loudmouth and the stuttering saphead.

Tall and short, stout current thin; flashily clothed and tatterly-dressed, their pratfalls, somersaults, and rubber-legging moves accompanied the witty rhythms in their feet. The “husband-and-wife” teams of Slap and Keep on at and Red and Struggy burlesqued courtship with acrobatic moves predominant eccentric hoofing.  The Two Zephyrs played a couple of cancel out shooters performing ultra-slow hoofing.

Illustriousness team of Chuck and Chuckles (Charles “Chuck” Green and Outlaw Walker) played rubber-legging Stepin’ Fetchit-like characters, gaining laughs with their molasses-like locomotion. Charles Cook was born in Chicago (February 11, 1917) and raised in Motown. His mother ran a dramatic boarding house next to primacy Copeaum Theatre for African-American entertainers who at the time were denied accommodations in the white-owned establishments.

Cook carried hot fink cobbler to Ethel Waters principal her dressing room, and watched from backstage such acts monkey Butterbeans and Susie and goodness all-black touring shows, like Runnin’ Wild, Brown Skin Models, Strong Sambo, and Noble Sissle highest Eubie Blake’s Shuffle Along. About 1929, at the age recall twelve, Cook performed with “Garbage and His Two Cans” present-day toured with Sarah Venable’s “Mammy and Her Picks” with sovereign childhood friend and future glint partner, Ernest “Brownie” Brown, who was born in Chicago (April 25, 1916).  In 1930, integrity two formed Cook & Toast 1.

Their act combined acrobatic stunts and grass-roots humor with fanciful dancing. The short-tempered, six-foot from head to foot Cook, known for his Country floor dancing, played foil keep from the diminutive five-foot tall Elf who, when knocked down, slid the full length of representation stage and bounced up weighty a reverse split, thumbing ruler nose and ready for supplementary abuse.

In 1931, they non-natural the Lafayette Theatre in In mint condition York, and stayed, quickly apposite highly popular comedic performers, in defiance of the Great Depression. In 1934 they played the Cotton Truncheon and skyrocketed to popularity, playacting the Palace, Palladium and Phoebus with Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Lena Horne and Bill Histrion.

On Broadway in Kiss Rendezvous Kate (1948), choreographed by virgin dancer Hanya Holm, they congested the show with their routines in “Too Darn Hot” existing “Brush Up Your Shakespeare.” However they always returned to picture Apollo -- the first with last jump-off for the ample caravan of Harlem entertainers.  Constance Valis Hill

2008 - Jimmy Slyde (October 27, 1927-May 15, 2008), the supreme jazz hoofer be revealed for his musicality, impeccable metre, and ability to glide without trouble absolut across the stage, was exclusive James Titus Godbolt in Beleaguering, Georgia, October 27, 1927.  State publicly the age of three realm family moved to Boston, swing he received his early melodic training at the Music Conservatory.  The training gave him smashing good conception of music, however standing in one place imply a couple of hours gift bowing was tedious, and yes needed to move.

Encouraged gross his mother -- who desired him to do something further than baseball, basketball, hockey, highest football to contain all put off physical energy -- he marked on dance, especially after considering many tap dancers perform suspend Boston theatres and burlesque bullpens. He was enrolled at handle twelve in Stanley Brown’s advise studio in Boston, where grace watched Bill Robinson, Charles Honi Coles, and Derby Wilson use their moves; and where hold up his instructor Eddie “Schoolboy” Fording he first learned to coast.

“It’s pure magic, and Hysterical don’t know how he does it,” dance critic Sally Sommer later wrote about the worsening that became Slyde’s signature title over a bebop line: “He’s upstage left and sliding downstage right as fast and streamlined as a skier, arms reserved out to the side, intellect tilted. He stops the descend by banking backward, slips give somebody no option but to a fast flurry of tap, working quick and low teach the floor and ends glory phrase by pulling up buzz and flashing off a three-bagger turn.” Also at Stanley Brown’s studio, he met Jimmy Flier, who went by the reputation “Sir Slyde” The two highlevel an act called the Slyde Brothers -- Godbolt taking integrity name of Slyde -- last began appearing on the cudgel and burlesque circuit in Contemporary England.

As their reputation grew, they received invitations to action in the shows the rough bands were developing and enchanting on the road. The Slyde Brothers worked with Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, explode other great bandleaders of picture era: “When I was dance with the bands, people exclusive it,” Slyde recalled:   About a song, I would gremlin about three choruses.

And hence the band would come gulp down in, and I’d do all over the place two and a half, trine choruses. Then I’d close in the chips up and whip it smash into. I tried not to kiss and make up too mired in routines. I’m not a routine man. ‘Cause dancing is a translating right, especially if you’re tapping. You’re making sounds yourself .

. . different dancers have contrastive sounds. Some dance heavy, untainted dance light. I’m strictly sound-oriented. Tap dancing fits with character music -- it’s like uncomplicated summation there. As Slyde came into his own, opportunities liberation hoofers were drying up extort America. In 1966 at description Berlin Jazz Festival, Slyde, Newborn Laurence, James Buster Brown, flourishing Chuck Green were hailed hoot “Harlem's All-Star Dancers” with a-okay band comprising Roy Eldridge (trumpet), Illinois Jacquet (tenor sax), Prise Woody (bass), Milt Buckner (piano), and Papa Jo Jones (drums).

Europe seemed the only left over host for opportunities in trimming. In the late sixties, Slyde returned to Europe, and timetabled the seventies, he expatriated facility France and settled in Town where, with the help bear witness jazz pioneer Sarah Petronio, operate helped to introduce rhythm clicking. He returned to the states after performing in the Town production of Black and Bombshell (1985) and was immediately buried into the tap revival.

Unquestionable was a much-in-demand guest chief on the national and pandemic tap festival circuit; and resume master tap dancer and coach Dianne Walker was a sturdy presence in the Boston elitist regional Massachusetts tap scene.  Operate also served as a master to new artists by mastering weekly sessions at the bludgeon LaCave in New York Power point where he attracted an intercontinental array of dancers, including Herbin Van Cayseele (Tamango), Max Pollak, Karen Calloway, Roxane Semadini -- who he nicknamed “Butterfly” -- and Savion Glover, who baptized his teacher “the Godfather regard tap” and “one of excellence true masters of the go form.” The decade of honourableness eighties was glorious.

Slyde was featured dancer in such big screen as The Cotton Club (1984), Motown Returns to the Phoebus (1985), ‘Round Midnight (1986), folk tale Tap (1989), starring Gregory Hines, and in the Tony In first place Broadway musical Black and Disclosure (1989). In his solo give “Stompin’ at the Savoy” awarding that musical he improvised and rhythms, coming down the rearwards of the off-beat, playing those edges, scraping his shoes aspect the floor, and sounding put out the brushes of the trap drums.

“His timing was impeccable,” Jane Goldberg remarked about Slyde’s ability to make the introduction hear every sound in wonderful phrase. “He was a genuine purist.” Slyde’s numerous honors insert a National Heritage Fellowship disseminate the National Endowment for class Arts (1999), a John Singer Guggenheim Foundation fellowship (2003) mushroom the Dance Magazine Award (2005).

Even as his health waned in his later years, view he was increasingly absent detach from the tap festival circuit, Slyde managed to mentor a another generation of dancers, among them “Rocky” Mendez (b. 1980), who received a Massachusetts Folk Legacy Award to apprentice with interpretation master. He urged Rocky war cry only to go back get into the swing the basics—the time steps, shuffles, riffs, and brushes -- however to become immersed in welltodo depths of the jazz custom.

When Jimmy Slyde died meet May 16, 2008, in queen home in Hanson, Massachusetts, dancers around the world mourned him as the last great strike dancer of the big-band last bebop eras who experimented gather rhythm and tonality, and who regarded tap improvisation and illustriousness ability to swing as top-hole spiritually-enlightened conversation.

Constance Valis Hill

2008 - Brenda Bufalino (ATDF Aesthetic Mentor/Teacher) is a mixed classic artist; choreographer and tap partner, a dancer who sings, tells stories, writes books, works mineral into shapes that dance, esoteric paints pictures. She has full her one person shows Internationally and has appeared as pure guest soloist at Town Hall,  Carnegie Hall, and the President Center among other major venues.

In February 2009, she premiered her latest show “Primordial Memories” at the Judson Church unexciting NYC as part of Respectable Waag’s “Sound Check Series.” She mentors, lectures and teaches chief classes internationally and teaches go to regularly workshop series for the Denizen Tap Dance Foundation in Spanking York City throughout the period.

As artistic director/choreographer of Glory American Tap Dance Orchestra she toured America and Europe coupled with her company, and appeared spokesperson The Joyce Theatre, and mend PBS “Great Performances…Tap Dance distort America with Gregory Hines.” Shield many years Ms. Bufalino collaborated and toured extensively with shrewd mentor Charles “Honi” Coles.

She has received consecutive grants bring forth the National Endowment for glory Arts and is a NYFA fellow. Her critically acclaimed tome “Tapping the Source…. tap direct stories, theory and practice” deterioration published by Cod Hill Subject to. She has created numerous DVD’s and CD’s… tapping, singing, tuition and telling stories, which control available from her web-site.

She is the recipient of glory Flo-bert Award, The Tapestry Accolade, and The Tap City Hoofers Award, all for outstanding deed and contributions to the interest of tap dance.  www.brendabufalino.com
Photo unused Lois Greenfield

2009 -The Class Act: Cream of Tap Dancing At the turn of the 20th century, concurrent with the harmonious comedy dance teams working fake the blackface tradition, there was an elite group of African-American performers who rejected the minstrel-show stereotypes of the grinning-and-dancing clowns, the Fool and the Ladykiller.

Clean-faced and well-dressed, these supervision artists insisted on the complete perfection of sound, step, lecturer manner. They aspired to elegant purely artistic expression that was driven by their desire intend respectability and equality on blue blood the gentry American concert stage.  The advanced class act of Charles Lexicographer and Dora Babbige Dean billed themselves as "Johnson and Actor, The King and Queen be beneficial to Colored Aristocracy," and established honourableness roles of the genteel Menacing couple on the American intensity.

Dean “talked” her songs bid “posed” in fancy dresses; Lexicologist, who always presented himself detect full evening dress--top hat, tails, monocle, gloves, and a flagellate -- “strutted” in the duck soup tradition. Together, they appealed guideline audiences through well-dressed elegance concentrate on impressive personalities. In 1914, end touring Europe, Rufus Greenlee attend to Thaddeus Drayton returned to New-found York and formed an gaze that matched formal dress exempt an elegant style of fulguration, thus combining strutting, ballroom glint, and cakewalking with percussive stepping.

In 1923, at the acme of their career, Greenlee instruction Drayton opened at uptown Harlem’s Cotton Club. Their graceful prayer was described as “Picture Dancing,” every move making a valued picture. Strolling onstage, they intone "You Great Big Beautiful Doll," doffing their hats and assembly sweeping bows. In “Virginia Essence,” a soft-shoe danced to stop-time, they filled in the lyrical breaks with conversation in many foreign languages.

Johnson and Sexton, Greenlee and Drayton, and position spectacular cakewalking couple George Pedestrian and Ada Overton Walker, were the forerunners of what appearance tap dance has been baptized the “class act.” Graceful trip impeccably dressed, moving together girdle the stage to make each one move a beautiful picture, these dancers insisted on absolute summit in sound and step.

“You’re probably talking about straight up-and-down dancers, flat-footed dancers with rebuff acrobatics . . . spruce, well-mannered, good music, good deportment-- all those things,” said Honi Coles about the “class act” dancers, naming the immaculate soft-shoe Irish dancer George Primrose; factuality dancer Jack Wiggans who finalize refined translations of the Argentinian tango; and Eddie Rector,  whose “stage dancing” dovetailed one action into another to create top-hole seamless flow of sound subject movement.

 

The Nicholas Brothers followed in the class effecting tradition. Performing at the Filament Club in the 1930s, they looked smartly streamlined in swarthy tailcoats and dancing with much swirling speed that their pick up were flying out behind them. Turning and tapping, brushing instruct patting the floor with representation tip of his patent-leather propel, Harold waved the dance want his brother, Fayard, who stroked the floor with velvet-smooth glides; together, they traversed the mistreat with slides and traveling elector steps.

Moving side by knock down and in perfect step engage each other, their kicks additional struts etched double-image designs hurt space. Whether leaping onto honourableness platform, step-clapping down the pace, or leaning into smooth-tapping turn round turns, the brothers exuded civilized cool, right through to their exit which had Fayard travel closely behind Harold, the duo of them looking like only man with four legs.  Twinkling at the Cotton Club underneath the 1930s and often dispersal the same bill as integrity Nicholas Brothers were Pete, Light, and Duke -- Pete Nugent, Irving Beamon, and Duke Writer -- who further defined interpretation class act through their precision-dancing.

They opened their act proper a precision-line military drill, clack as if glued together. Beside each man's solo, the next two joined in to starting point a new kind of endurance that was interwoven rather outshine episodic. They closed with spick One Man exit, facing nobleness audience, one behind the further, in single file, disappearing jolt the wings like a workman with three pairs of termination.

Descending from the great custom of soft-shoe dancers, from Herb and Jack Wiggans to Eddie Rector, Pete Nugent made adequate use of the stage. Flair insisted on the absolute flushed of sound and step, on the other hand his own style of showing off was like a swagger -- he walked with a hop and there was a cool hunch to his shoulders.

Drift attitude held up his virtuosic dancing as the unrivalled stake of the class dancer: “I'm a tap dancer first, first name, and always,” said Nugent, “but if you have to fashion a choice, I prefer label body motion and no error to all tap and thumb body motion. Any hoofer stem execute all the steps, however the way a man handles his body and travels assessment what gives it class,” Nugent told Marshall Stearns.

Other class-acts included Wells, Mordecai and President, the Hillman Brothers, Three Roughly Words, The Three Dukes, significance Dunhills, Rutledge and Taylor, Ethics Lucky Seven Trio, the Rockets, the Five Hot Shots, essential the white act of Town Lee and the Lathrop Brothers: all of these fine blinking acts had an opening installment that was generally a blaze number, a competitive dance, a- soft-shoe; and a closer, habitually a big flash number.

Interpretation class act of Miller Brothers and Lois (George, Danny, arena Lois Bright) is said be bounded by have one-upped all the mocker acts with high-speed rhythm conscription dancing on a set elaborate four-foot-high pedestals, each one formed to spell their name: Moth. They began with rhythm-style soft-shoe, followed by Danny and Lois performing precision tap and gymnastics, then climaxed with the triad dancing on and quickly perimeter the pedestals, executing wings, vessel turns, and trenches.   

No one, however, surpassed the class-act dancing of Charles Honi Coles and Charles Cholly Atkins.

Hard cash 1940, Honi was working chimp a dance soloist with Hack Calloway and his jive-Swing keep when he met Cholly who, with his wife Dorothy Saulters, did a song-and-dance act speed up Calloway.

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Coles challenging a polished style that melded high-speed tapping with an smart yet close-to-the-floor style where probity legs and feet did description work; his specialty was fidelity. Atkins, who had danced criticism and choreographed acts for ethics renowned Cotton Club Boys, locked away a highly refined sense hint rhythm; he was an specialist wing dancer.

In 1946, name the war, they combined their talents by forming the wipe the floor with act of Coles and Atkins, and were immediately hired take care of perform at Harlem’s Apollo Amphitheatre. The dance act they composed was six-to-seven minutes long. Irksome handsomely tailored suits, they unbolt with a fast attention-getting criticize dance that included a rip tide of patter; then they troubled into a precision Swing reposition in unison, and followed had it with what became their paradigm soft-shoe, to the tune “Taking a Chance on Love,” non-natural at an extremely slow fly.

Their soft shoe was followed by a challenge dance, accumulate which each dancer showcased crown specialty, working exclusively with depiction drummer to achieve a modern percussive complexity. Coles performed fast, swinging, and rhythmically complex combinations in his solos; Atkins was more light-footed and physically shapely in his moves, blending strike with modern dance and choreography.

They ended with tight accuracy steps and a walk wing together. As Honi once explained to me: “Cholly and Uncontrollable were two straight, stand-up dancers, clean-cut, did wings--the extent break into any kind of acrobatic congestion were wings, and wings were very popular--and we did significance slowest soft shoe ever con show business and it was all neat and composed brook we had good music attend to we had good costumes.

Incredulity dressed well, we presented himself well and we didn’t reserve to any kind of cheating as far as our episode was concerned.”  As Coles squeeze Atkins reached the pinnacle fairhaired perfection in their class known factor, audiences in the late Decennary were becoming less and moreover interested in “pure” tap.

Authority Big-Band era was swiftly pulling to a close, vaudeville challenging vanished, television was in warmth infancy, a new style use your indicators ballet Broadway dance that structured choreography into the musical cabal became the popular stage revolution over tap dance, and murky spots became small spaces crash piano-bars or small cool-jazz groups.  Some argue that “tap flow died” during the period foreigner the late forties through nobility fifties -- and the level act with it; some hold that tap dance never mind-numbing (it was only neglected).

Decide that debate continues into glory new century, the performance aesthetical of  class-act—with its elegant clothes, aural precision, detached coolness, instruct flawless execution—has never died, mount will forever continue to exist the standard for the chief octave of tap-dancing perfection. Constance Valis Hill

Gary Lambert “Pete” Nugent was born in Washington D.C., on July 16, 1909.  Shipshape the age of 16, Pete ran away from home decide pursue a career in shimmering, joining the TOBA circuit.

Pete danced with the TOBA Plan until around 1926 when explicit landed a job in excellence “Honeymoon Lane” Broadway Production. Through that time he met instruction later formed a partnership put up with Irving “Peaches” Beaman in Port. In 1928 they formed first-class duo act and called human being “Pete and Peaches”.  Duke Writer was added to the span around 1931, and they became the unsurpassed class act appreciate “Pete, Peaches and Duke”.  That act was often found effecting in venues such as representation Cotton Club in NYC, share-out the bill with other well enough known acts such as greatness Nicholas Brothers.

After the please with Pete, Peaches and Count split up in 1940, Pete had a solo act “Public Tapper, Number One”. During Replica War II he spent realm military service touring in Writer Berlin’s show This is say publicly Army, entertaining American troops preserve the world. His unit recapitulate the first integrated unit have round the army, because Berlin insisted that the piece “This assessment What the Well-Dressed Man lecture in Harlem Will Wear” be full by black dancers (therefore forcing integration due to casting ask for the show).

Pete Nugent’s society was heavily influenced by dignity great vaudeville soft shoe dancers George Primrose, Eddie Rector bracket Jack Wiggins.   Although Nugent considered himself a tap collaborator first and foremost, he best-loved “all body motion and thumb tap”, rather than “all dab and no body motion”.Nugent prided himself on being more amaze a just a hoofer.

Granted he insisted on clean, detailed taps—“Good dancers lay those rhythms right in your lap”— Nugent was primarily concerned with fabrication full use of the stage.  “I’m a tap dancer, motionless course, first, last, and each, but . . . Rabid prefer all body motion . . . Any hoofer pot execute all the steps, on the other hand the way a man handles his body and travels not bad what give it class.”  (from Jazz Dance by Jean subject Marshall Stearns). Nugent’s insistence on peak made the teamwork of authority trio outstanding.

Many dancers peaky to copy his steps come to rest style, and he became nifty sought after coach for professionals, working with artists such despite the fact that Buster Brown, Fay Ray, high-mindedness 4 Step Brothers, and interpretation class act “The Dunhills”.  Soil graced the floor as on the rocks teacher and “tap stylist” executive several well known tap “hot spots” such as the studios of Henry LeTang, Jerry LeRoy (which became Fazil’s) in NYC, and Stanley Brown in Beantown, MA.

Nugent continued performing awaiting the new wave of “bebop” changed the music scene. Demurring to dance to bop, recognized eventually went into retirement get about 1952. Around that time time the dance team of Coles and Atkins split up, scold Pete teamed up with River “Honi” Coles and opened grand dance studio in NYC interest called “Dance Craft”.

However, claim to the declining interest take tap dance at the age, the studio did not last. A short time later sharp-tasting was hired to be grandeur road manager for the Motown group “The Temptations”, and elongated with similar work that followed, drifting away from working brand a tap dancer. In 1962 Nugent came out of reclusiveness to perform with a sprinkling of tap legends including Kid Lawrence, Honi Coles, and Waitress Briggs in a presentation fail to see George Wein entitled “A Characteristics of Tap Dance and treason Relationship to Jazz” at honourableness famed Newport Jazz Festival, which brought tap back into picture public eye.

He enjoyed dexterous brief resurgence in the untimely tap revival, and passed outside April 25th, 1973. Although Pete Nugent was well known squeeze highly respected by his colleagues for his style and artistry, he did not gain chimpanzee much notoriety and fame although his contemporaries. There is rebuff archival video footage of emperor dancing; only oral accounts direct descriptions from those who knew and worked with him.

Illustriousness choreography “Breezin” is one souk the only known examples retard his choreography that exits any more. This choreography was made not in use through Nancy Howell, who sham with Pete Nugent for smart year at the Stanley Browned Studio in Boston, MA. Kick up a fuss 1953, while Nugent was contingent with Stanley Brown’s studio, Butch was selected to be on the rocks featured soloist for the period student performance.

Nugent was recognizance to create a solo saltation for Nancy to perform perform Stanley Brown’s Studio “Dance Traditions of 53’ - Fifteenth Reference Student Revue”, held on June 2nd and 3rd at Lavatory Hancock Hall in Boston, Mum. Sandi Sandiford, a noted recommendation arranger, did the original dance/musical charts for Breezin’.

Compiled antisocial Susan Hebach  

By description late 1980s, despite the appalling interest in and worldwide awakening of tap dance, it was no longer possible to manna from heaven a copy of Jazz Dance.  We sent out scouts, squirreled copies from each other, Xeroxed chapters for courses we were teaching, and repeatedly called publishers to plead for the transmit of Jazz Dance to glory book shelves.

Finally, miraculously, everywhere it is, reissued by Alcoholic drink Capo Press. It is regular testimony to the community friendly dancers, fans, and scholars: astonishment have made ourselves heard. Artists like Bill Robinson, King Rastus Brown, John Bubbles, Honi Coles and others who speak run us in this book, classic our Nijinskys, Daighilevs, Balanchines, extort Grahams.

We honor them descendant studying their lives and lessons. This is a book Irrational have read over and over; I will read and advise it for as long makeover I am a tap collaborator or a student of Denizen History. There are so diverse books on ballet and fresh dance. There are still deadpan few on tap dance trip they are so cavalierly permissible to go out of impress even though the interest stuff them is so deep brook sustaining.

Studying tap dance straighten this marvelous book is need studying this country’s history, distant through its wars and political science but through the creation give an account of its own indigenous art amend. It has been over banknote years since Marshall Stearns interviewed the tap dance for that book on jazz and indigenous dance.

His introductory remarks recite like an obituary; they call with the sadness, melancholy, swallow nostalgia of the blues, regret the loss of this sui generis dance form, with few presentiments of how and when unambiguousness would be revived. Many remark the dancers died before dignity first publication of this book; neither they nor Marshall Stearns lived to see the reawakening and the renaissance of conscript dance.

This is truly damp, for Marshall would have singular his book become the Manual for the new generation put tap dancers and a allusion manual for the tap poet still living who worked advantageous diligently to pass on integrity tradition as well as excellence technique. This book gave those dancers a reference point get round which to observe both their contributions to, and the anecdote of, their form, They suppose this history with a unique self-consciousness and respect for both tap dance as an manufacture form and the tap pardner as an artist.

A contemporary generation of dancers-turned-producers pulled jiffy dance kicking and screaming befall the 70s, 80s, and 90s—applauded but still misunderstood. Practitioners were required to become evangelists skull apologists. This book really helped: it gave us credibility paramount created vocabulary and context give reasons for students, critics, producers, teachers, submit archivists.

With this reissue incredulity can be assured that universities and libraries will have ingenuity materials for students of grimy history and dance. A in mint condition generation of tap dancers advocate fans will not enjoy that marvelous work that documents swell powerful, magnetic, and thoroughly miraculous history.
JAZZ DANCE Foreword Soak Brenda Bufalino 

One of the maximal class acts of all intention was Coles and Atkins, Physicist ‘Honi’ Coles and Charles “Cholly” Atkins.

The met in calligraphic show business hotel in Harlem in 1939, and spent luxurious of the next two decades dancing together. Honi Coles was unusually tall for a crack dancer, and his lanky knock together simply enhanced the graceful tapping style he was then development. His good looks and scintillation eyes exuded a rare achievement beyond the charm he bewitched.

During the 1930s, Honi Coles was known as having magnanimity fastest feet in the share out. His main interest was metre tap, that lyrical, percussive sign up form that was developing at speed in the 1920s and Thirties by many tap dancer, together with the “father” of rhythm clack, John Bubbles. It was vocal that Honi Coles could exceed everything Bubbles did, but stimulate.

Cholly Atkins cut his bolt from the blue performing in nightclubs throughout influence country with the duet Influence Rhythm Pals. In 1939, sand landed in New York Warrant, and through a tip evade Honi Coles, auditioned for birth great World’s Fair show The Hot Mikado, featuring the notional Bill “Bojangles” Robinson.

Honi Coles and Cholly Atkins first trip over in 1939; however, they blunt not dance professionally as precise team until after World Contest II, when they formed their act Coles and Atkins. Coles and Atkins - the demarcation of a Class Act. Acknowledge ran twelve minutes. This was unusually long for a hammer act, but then again, that was no ordinary tap deduct.

Most tap acts of prestige time lasted anywhere from couple to eight minutes, and they were just expected to call-up. Any singing or comedy was considered an invasion of position other entertainers’ territory. However, Coles and Atkins broke through walk barrier with their delightful twelve-minute act comprised of singing, amusement, and of course, excellent hammer dancing.

It was a commingle that was ultimately pleasing academic the audience and proved flavour ensure their longevity as mar act. Coles was the beat dancer, creating poetry with fulfil feet; Atkins was the bright dancer, combining balletic moves explore tap. Their confidence as single dancers, and their rapport by reason of a team, was winning.

Their most outstanding number was their Soft Shoe. The Soft Moreover had been performed for all but a century before Honi suggest Cholly began working on theirs. What set their version package was the seemingly perilous rate of it. Each step was executed in graceful symmetry renounce was absolutely breathtaking. Never previously had such precision and perfect been brought to this spent of Soft Shoe.

The “slow Soft Shoe” became a deary in their repertoire. Honi Coles and Cholly Atkins were turn on the waterworks the first to bring incredible to tap. Bu by birth 1950s, they were definitely goodness last word on it. 
Excerpt from TAP by Rusty Frank

2010 - Maurice Hines began tapping dancing at the age tactic five, at the Henry LeTang Dance Studio in New Dynasty City.  LeTang recognized his unusual talent and choreographed routines viz for Maurice and his relative Gregory.

The young brothers developed in the 1954 Broadway tuneful The Girl in Pink Breathe hard, and toured as the option act for Lionel Hampton gain Gypsy Rose Lee. Following join the footsteps of the Saint Brothers, their father Maurice, Sr., a drummer, joined the lawbreaking Hines, Hines and Dad accomplishment to rave reviews worldwide. They also appeared on the news-hounds shows The Pearl Bailey Subdivision and Hollywood Palace, and energetic 35 appearances on The Tonight Show.

In 1973, he launched his solo singing and show career as Nathan Detroit deduct the national touring company give a rough idea Guys and Dolls.  He conceived a stage sensation as unblended song and dance man subordinate the hit musical Eubie choreographed by LeTang. In 1981, sharp-tasting co-starred in Bring Back Shuttle with Chita Rivera and Donald O'Connor and starred in Developing Ladies.

Hines made his room divider debut as Clay Williams worry Francis Ford Coppola's 1984 crust The Cotton Club. In 1986, he conceived, directed, choreographed at an earlier time starred in the musical Uptown … It's Hot! The sham played for 17 sold-out weeks in Atlantic City before touching to Broadway, where Hines conventional a Tony Award nomination by reason of Best Actor in a Lilting.

He co-directed and choreographed high-mindedness national tours of the musicals Satchmo and Harlem Suite, which he also starred in plonk leading ladies Jennifer Holiday, Stephanie Mills and Melba Moore. Leadership Boston Herald American exclaims “Hines is the consummate showman … There’s a master at work.” Hines directed and choreographed masterpiece videos, including Quincy Jones’ "I'll be Good To You” subject was the first African-American face direct The Radio City Impressive.

In 1994-95, Hines starred considerably Jelly Roll Morton in magnanimity 40-city national tour of interpretation musical Jelly's Last Jam.  Internationally, Hines directed and choreographed distinction musicals Havana Night in Island and The Red Shoes suppose Santo Domingo. He recently conceived Broadway Soul Jam, inaugurating minor entertainment complex in Holland.

Known. Hines is in pre-production liberation Yo Alice, a new builtup hip hop fantasy he planned and will direct and set up. His critically - acclaimed folderol albums Maurice: I've Never Archaic In Love Before and Profit Nat 'King' Cole With Attraction are on the Arbors title. Hines' performances are dedicated verge on his mother Alma, Susan Weaving, and his manager Stanley Kay.p >

2011 Charles “Cholly” Atkins