Legends Of Tap Dance
Bill "Bojangles"Robinson
Before he hung out with Shirley Temple both onscreen and off, Bill Robinson could be found in numerous theater productions. He is known for re-igniting the tap craze during the 20th century, and bringing the genre from popular to the elite art level. He often challenged competitors in tap competitions, almost always coming out as the victor. He was also the choreographer of the now infamous stair dance found in the movie The Little Colonel. He inspired and coached Shirley Temple, one of Hollywood's littlest tap dancers, as well as teaching a young Sammy Davis Jr the art of Tap. Read more about Mr Bojangles and Sammy HERE
Fred Astaire
Perhaps there is no other name as synonymous with tap dancing as Fred Astaire. With his countless American films, including those with sidekick Ginger Rogers, Fred revolutionized the tap world's presence in movies. Many people recall his partnership with Ginger Rogers not only for the beautiful ballroom dances, but also for the tap dances, such as Let Yourself Go. His killer combination of a handsome face and a suave style, paired with his peppy dance numbers made him one of Hollywood's most cherished musical stars.
10 fact about Ginger Rogers HERE
Ann Miller
There are many who remember Ann Miller's sexy machine gun tap dance in the 1953 movie Kiss Me Kate, where she breaks into her iconic tap routine atop a coffee table, enthralling with her tap and long legs alike. She starred in a string of musicals during the 1940s and '50s and tapped with the tap legend Fred Astaire in Easter Parade. One of the few female tap dancers who made it big, her six-minute tap performance in the movie The Thrill of Brazil remains one of her notable performances.
Gene Kelly
Had it not been for Gene Kelly's mother's insistence, Gene would probably have been a hockey player and not the dancer par excellence that we know of him today. Gene's first brush with success came with the Pulitzer Prize-winning drama The Time Of Your Life, in 1939, where he got an opportunity to dance and choreograph. Since then, Kelly went on to entrance audiences worldwide with musicals like Cover Girl (1944), An American in Paris (1951), and his most notable, Singin' in the Rain (1952). Gene's epic performance is with the animated character Jerry mouse in Anchors Aweigh (1945). Gene's tap dancing was more ground bound and dynamic as opposed to Astaire's. His tap dancing was characterized by vigor, athleticism along with influences of jazz and ballet. Gene's phenomenal success as a dancer, choreographer, actor, director, and producer is testimony to his limitless capabilities.
Elanor Powell
She got her professional start in Atlantic City clubs, from where she moved into in revue in New York at the Ritz Grill and Casino de Paris at the age of sixteen. She started her career on Broadway in 1929, where her machine-gun foot work gained her the title of world champion in tapping. In 1935 she came to Hollywood where she starred in the great MGM musicals in the late 1930s, establishing herself as a Queen of Ra-Ta-Taps. In spite of the fact that she was primarily a solo performer she also danced with Fred Astaire and George Murphy.
Gregory Hines
Tap dancer, actor, musician, director, and the brainchild behind improvised tap choreography Gregory Hines began tapping when he was just 2 years old. Hines credited his understanding and skill as a tap dancer to African-American tap dancers like the Nicholas Brothers, Charles "Honi" Coles, Teddy Hale, etc., whom he watched and studied when they came to perform at the Apollo Theater. Hines also starred in many Hollywood movies like The Cotton Club (1984), White Nights, opposite Mikhail Baryshnikov (1985), and was known for his predilection for different genres of cinema. Hines is still remembered for improvisational tap in which he played around with tap steps, rhythmic drum beats, and tap sounds. A man with an abiding passion for his craft, Hines appealed for the creation of National Tap Dance Day which is celebrate in 40 cities in the United States.
