Bill robinson

Bill “Bojangles” Robinson

Bill Robinson, byname Bojangles, original name Luther Robinson, (born May 25, 1878, Richmond, Virginia, U.S.—died November 25, 1949, New York, New York), American dancer of Broadway and Hollywood, best known for his dancing roles with Shirley Temple in films of the 1930s. Robinson’s parents having died when he was a child, he was raised by a grandmother and received little formal schooling. He began dancing for pennies at the age of eight, when he had also begun to work as a stableboy. He…

Portrait of Bill "Bojangles" Robinson.

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Posts about Shirley Temple written by Mary Miley

Bill "Bojangles" Robinson

Florenz Ziegfeld featured tap in his revues, including 50 tap dancers in the first Ziegfeld Follies in 1907. Aside from featuring big names like Fred Astaire, he also hired choreographers and dance directors to ensure the form was receiving particular attention. Tap became more popular as a result. Ned Wayburn was a hugely influential dance director. Aside from inspiring Fred Astaire to switch from ballet to tap, he also coined the term ‘tap dance.’

At Black Then, we frequently see interesting photos that give us a glimpse into the past. They tend to show us a piece of black history that is often not covered in textbooks, in history classes, or shown in the media. In a photo that we found on Black History Album , we see this great image called

In this clip from 1935's "The Little Colonel," watch as 7-year-old child star Shirley Temple dances on the stairs with Hollywood and vaudeville tap dancer