Tap Dance: The Footprint Bill Robinson

Tap dance is a style of dance the incorporates complex foot work with rhythmic patterns. Performers wear metal-soled dance shoes that are fit to their feet and that allow them to create clicking patterns as they dance. Tap dance is an ever-changing style of dance that is practiced by people young and old all around the world. This entertaining style of dance originated in Africa and was brought to America by slaves. With African, Scottish, Irish, and British origins, tap has also become one of the greatest forms of dance entertainment in the Americas. Despite his personal shortcomings and the racial barriers of the time, Bill ‘Bojangles’ Robinson created a unique form of tap dance that is still relevant in the current world of dance. The footprint

In the world of tap dance, Bo reinvented the famous stair dances of the late 19th century and broke down many racial barriers. This opened the tap world up to solo African American dancers. After performing for a number of years on the streets, Bo began traveling with the Pickaninny Chorus group. With the onset of world war one, Bo found himself dancing voluntarily for soldiers to help with morale. In the early 1900’s Bill moved to New York. At the time, Vaudeville was gaining popularity. Although Bill would have prefered to dance alone, the two color rule made it mandatory for African American performers to perform in pairs. In order to be able to dance, Bill partnered with George W. Cooper. Together, Robinson and Cooper performed a piece that helped bann all racial stereotypes from the stage. The duet they performed was called “Yoi Yoi Yoi, Marry Ann”. This number was played in a heavy jewish accent which created an uproar among audiences. As his fame grew even more, he was seen in more films and Broadway productions. In the 1950s Bill joined his most successful partner, Shirley Temple. While he was working with Temple, he still practiced a solo career with some of his most memorable shows taking place on great Broadway stages. His first Broadway performance was called Black Birds of 1926. This show featured an all-African American cast even though it was performed for an exclusively caucasian audience. The show also featured his famous take on the stair dance. His stair dance was different from any other because the sound he created on each step demonstrated his complex footwork. Each step he made had a different pitch and rhythm. In addition to Robinson’s fame-filled life he went through many tragic experiences. He was faced with racism everyday in his professional life. In his film career, he always had to play the stereotypical African American parts such as butlers, servants, and slaves. Also, the racism of the