Bill "BoJangles" Robinson
Bill Robinson was born May 25, 1878 and died in on November 25
1949 (“Bill ‘Bojangles’ Robinson Biography”). Bill was born as Luther Robinson in
Richmond, Virginia. His parents Maxwell and Maria Robinson both died in 1885
leaving Bill to be raised by his grandmother, who had grown up a slave (“Bill ‘Bojangles’
Robinson”). Growing up Bill received
very little schooling. He began to dance at the age of eight to collect pennies,
as well as worked as a stable boy (“Bill ‘Bojangles’ Robinson Biography”). In Richmond is where he got the nickname “Bojangles”
from the word “jangler” meaning contentious. He performed as a member of the
Pickaninny Chorus for Mayme Remington as his first professional job in 1892.
After moving to New York Bill won a Buck Dancing contest against the “In Old Kentucky”
tap dancing star Harry Swinton. Bill Robinson teamed up with George Cooper and
performed on the Keith and Orpheum circuits, since the Vaudeville circuit would
not allow them to perform together. In 1915 Bill Robinson launched a solo career.
He became one of the few African American performers to headline at New York’s
Palace Theatre. Robinson was named “Mayor of Harlem” in 1933 because of his
efforts to fight the barriers of racial prejudice. Bojangles was hailed as “The
Dark Cloud of Joy” by the Orpheum circuit, which further led to his
performances in Vaudeville from 1914-1927 without a single season off. His
success was instantaneous; he was named the greatest of all dancers by at least
seven different newspapers in New York. Following
his instant fame, bill was featured in Brown Buddies (1933), Blackbirds of
1933, All in Fun (1940), and Memphis Bound (1945). In the thirties Bill began
to star in Hollywood films, which were previously restricted to African
Americans. His first film was Dixiana
in 1930 which has a predominantly white cast. Harlem in Heaven (1933) in which he also appeared was the first
all-black film ever made (“Bill ‘Bojangles’ Robinson”). He appeared in a total
of fourteen films, most notable The
Little Colonel (1935), In Old
Kentucky (1935), The Littlest Rebel
(1935), Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm
(1938), and Just Around the Corner
(1938). He was also seen in wartime all-black musical film Stormy Weather (1943) (“Bill ‘Bojangles’ Robinson Biography”). Robinson celebrated his sixty-first birthday
by dancing down Broadway, one block for each year. His Participation in
benefits is legendary. It is estimated that he gave away well over one million
dollars in loans and charities. According
to newspapers, at Bill Robinson’s funeral there were almost one hundred
thousand people who turned out to witness the passing of his funeral procession
(“Bill ‘Bojangles’ Robinson”). His earning reached $6,600 per week for at least
a year. Despite this he died in relative poverty because of his spendthrift
generosity (“Bill ‘Bojangles’ Robinson Biography”).
INTERESTING FACT: Bill
‘Bojangles’ Robinson was also famed for his unique ability to run backwards
almost as fast as other men could run forward (“Bill ‘Bojangles’ Robinson Biography”).
BoJangles' Dance style
Bill’s open face, twinkling eyes and infectious smile were irresistible
along with his delicate, clear tapping. Buck
or Time steps were inserted with skating steps or crossover steps on the balls
of the feet. This made his dance style
look like a jig. During his performances he also chatted and joked with his audience.
Robinson danced in Split Clog Shoes with a wooden half-sole and raised wooden
heal. The wooden sole was attached from the toe to the ball of the foot and
left loose for greater flexibility (“Bill ‘Bojangles’ Robinson”). His soft shoe
and tap dances were widely copied by other dancers but probably unmatched for
ingenuity when creating new steps such as his famous “Stair Dance” (“Bill ‘Bojangles’
Robinson Biography”).
I chose to research and discuss Bill Robinson's Tap styles because I loved watching him dance. The style of tap interested me the most because of the sounds that it makes while people are dancing and the complexity of the steps. I loved the way Bill Robinson looked like he was enjoying himself and interacted with the audience while he performed. I enjoyed his childhood story as well. Coming from a not so wealthy family and growing up to be as successful as he was and giving back so much to his community. I chose to write about him over Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly because Bojangles truly inspired several dancers of all ages to tap dance. Also it interested me that he performed with Shirley Temple, as we discussed in class. I grew up watching Shirley Temple films and recognize him from those movies. Until now I did not know how famous that co-star really was.
When watching Bill Robinson dance it makes me happy and makes me want to watch more and more videos. I think it is interesting how he looks like he is having fun. Watching him dance makes me want to try tap dancing because the fact that he makes it look like so much fun. I think watching him dance really depicts how the twentieth century really was with the style of clothes and black and white films.
