Who is Mr. Bojangles

Ranked #13,104 in Entertainment, #159,717 overall

Bill "Bojangles" Robinson

Bill "Bojangles" Robinson (1878-1949), U.S. tap dancer. Born Luther Robinson in Richmond, Va., Robinson became the vaudeville dancer called the King of Tapology. He danced in films and on Broadway and earned a reputation as the greatest tap dancer of all time. Widely copied, he invented many new steps, such as the "stair" dance. His starred in several movies with Shirley Temple.

Did You Know?

May 25th is National Tap Dance Day in the U.S.-Chosen because it is Mr. Bojangle's birthday!

Greatest Tap Dancer 

Stair Dance With Shirley Temple 

The generosity of Bill "Bojangles" Robinson

There is a statue of Bill Robinson sculpted by Jack Witt in Richmond, Virginia at the intersection of Adams and West Leigh Streets: A notorious gambler and a high liver but with a big heart, he was a soft touch for anyone down on their luck or with a good story. During his lifetime Robinson spent a fortune but his generosity was not totally wasted and his haunting memories of surviving on the streets as a child never left him. In 1933, while in his hometown of Richmond, Virginia, he saw two children risk speeding traffic to cross a street because there was no stoplight at the intersection. Robinson went to the city and provided the money to have a safety traffic light installed. In 1973, a statue of "Bojangles" was erected in a small park at that intersection.

Filmography

Picture of Hot Mikado

Filmography

* Hello, Bill (1929)
* Dixiana (1930)
* Harlem Is Heaven (1932)
* King for a Day (1934)
* The Little Colonel (1935)
* The Littlest Rebel (1935)
* In Old Kentucky (1935)
* Hooray For Love (1935)
* One Mile From Heaven (1937)
* Up the River (1938)
* Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm (1938)
* Road Demon (1938)
* Just Around the Corner (1938)
* Cotton Club Revue (1938)
* By an Old Southern River (1942)
* Stormy Weather (1943)

Biography of Mr. Bojangles~Bill Robinson

The Biography of Bill Robinson, Mr. Bojangles

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Popular Nitty Gritty Dirt Song~"Mr. Bojangles"

Nitty Gritty Dirt Band Mr. Bojangles

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Amazon Spotlight~Signed Photo

Inscribed and Signed Bill "Bojangles" Robinson Photograph

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Rap-A-Tap-Tap Here's Bojangles

Rap a Tap Tap: Here's Bojangles, Think of That (Live Oak Readalong)

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Biography

Biography - Bill Robinson Mr. Bojangles [VHS]

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Bojangles Stuff on Amazon

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I Love Bojangles

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Bojangles Video


Bill "Bojangles" Robinson dances the stairs with Shirley Temple from "The Little Colonel" (1935)
Bill Bojangles Robinson and Shirley Temple
by jsjunot | video info

2,017 ratings | 1,042,359 views
automatically generated by YouTube

Robbie Williams~ Mr Bojangles

Robbie Williams - Mr. Bojangles (live)
by kayranli | video info

1,684 ratings | 701,645 views
automatically generated by YouTube

Do You Agree?

Who's the better dancer?

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Mr. Bojangles

Tomekia Lemons says:

Mr. Bojanles is the tap dancer of all time. Yes, there are other great dancers like Sammy Davis Jr. and Miss Shirley Temple herslef and Fred Astaire. Although, no one can top or even leave a mark on history of tap dance or entertainment like Mr.Bojangles!

EelKat says:

Don't really know Mr. Bojanles, other than I saw him in a Sherlly Temple movie once and there's a song about him.

Tiddledeewinks says:

I like them both, so I can't decide!

Fred Astaire

TheWhistler says:

I know about Bill "Bojangles" Robinson

Fred Astaire did a tribute to him in the movie "Shall We Dance." Many people consider it one of Mr. Astaire's best dances. It was entitled "Bojangles of Harlem"

However, being more familiar with Mr. Astaire's dancing I will have to vote for him.

Frankly you can't really compare them, they where involved in a different kind of dance.

EelKat says:

I've seen almost all of Fred's movies. TMC did a Fred Astaire movie marathon a few weeks ago.

EelKat says:

I love Fred Astaire! He's one of my fave actors, and he's my second fave dancer after Mikhail Baryshnikov, who's the greatest dancer EVER!!

Tiddledeewinks says:

I like them both, so I can't decide!

 

Bojangles Biography and Other Books

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Bojangles Music on Amazon

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With Shirley Temple in "Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm" 

Mr. Bojangles

Mr. Bojangles - Nitty Gritty Dirt Band - [With Lyrics]
by GungraveFreak2 | video info

389 ratings | 77,651 views
automatically generated by YouTube

Mr. Bojangles

Sammy Davis Jnr "Mr Bojangles"
by markflem | video info

3,273 ratings | 1,056,952 views
automatically generated by YouTube
John Denver - Mr. Bojangles
by parsonrobert | video info

8 ratings | 2,136 views
automatically generated by YouTube

Tap Dance Shoes Gifts

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Women's Tap Dancing Shoes

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Men's Tap Dance Shoes

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Product Description
This all manmade tap oxford by Capezio has a cushioned sock lining with a distinctive Star Power printed lining and a back heel reinforced tab that prevents splitting.Taps are riveted onto the shoe.

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Learn To Tap Dance DVD

From the Director
With this video, it was my goal to not forget what it was like to be an 'absolute beginner' in learning tap, and make the instruction as clear as possible, while still moving at a pace fast enough to keep the user engaged and challenged.

Each step is meticulously broken down and explained the process of creating the sounds, with an emphasis on correct body placement and accurate rhythm. Every step is taught and rehearsed with the right and left foot.

Every exercise is presented at 2 tempos: slow at first, then faster the second time through. Comments and helpful hints are given between each repetition.

You can clearly see my feet from the side camera angle in each and every exercise.

You can also see an on-screen display of the musical counts, for those of you who are visual learners.

Most importantly, the goal of the video is not to show you someone tap dancing and leaving it to you to guess how to do it, but to show you a way to develop for yourself a clear and definite technique for all of the basics of tap.

Happy tapping!

Tap Dance Made Easy - Level 1 - Basic

Amazon Price: $23.68 (as of 05/26/2012)Buy Now

Dictionary of Tap

Booklist
During his career as a dancer, teacher, and choreographer, the author collected tap-dancing terminology, steps, combinations, and stories about their provenance. His teacher, Louis DaPron, was his inspiration for starting this project, the source of much of his information, and the originator of the notation for writing down how the steps are done. Knowles' later research consisted of searching old books and articles for names of steps, and personal interviews with people in the tap field. Primarily a record of steps, this volume does not have entries on performers or other aspects of the field. It will not teach readers how to tap. It does, however, give the basic information necessary for dancers to perform the steps, from A,B,C Step to Zink.
Tap steps can be named for the way they sound when danced, the way they look, the person who created them, or the place they originated. Many tap steps have several names, and these are cross-referenced. Entries are broader than just tap. A few terms come from ballet but are used in tap dancing (cabriole, pas de Basque). Entries explain and describe many ballroom dances (boogie woogie, bunny hop, rumba, waltz), folk dances (clog dancing, polka, schottische), and African American dances (black bottom cake walk). Some entries include brief historical information.

This unique reference book will be a welcome addition to academic libraries supporting curricula in dance and theater arts, and public libraries with comprehensive dance collections. While concentrating on notation, it also sheds some light on a slice of the history of popular dance in America. Other libraries may purchase as needed.

The Tap Dance Dictionary

Amazon Price: $49.55 (as of 05/26/2012)Buy Now

Learn to Tap Dance

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Bojangles on e-Bay Auction

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Bill "Bojangles" Robinson

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Mr. Bojangles

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Guests~ Leave your comments here!

Share your stories, sightings, thoughts, rants, raves...

  • JeffRiveraAuthor May 18, 2009 @ 1:06 am | delete
    Great Lens Thanks to the lensmaker
  • TogetherAgain Mar 14, 2009 @ 7:37 pm | delete
    Learned many steps and whole dances of Bill Robinson as a child. Great Lens
    thanks. good memories!
  • paperfacets Nov 11, 2008 @ 11:22 am | delete
    Hey. tiddleewinks can really put it together!
    And thanks for visiting my lens.

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