Hi dance and music community,

I had a gig yesterday at the Vortex Jazz Club to celebrate National Tap Dance Day and I thought I will tell you a little of the history.

National Tap Dance Day

National Tap Dance Day was signed into law on February 7th 1989 by US President George H. W. as a day to celebrate tap dance as an American art form. The reason for picking May 25th was because it is Bill Bojangles Robinson's Birthday.

Source: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/478014947919876844/

Bill Bojangles Robinson

Bill Robinson was born 25th May 1878 and is one of the most known tap dancers that have ever lived.
He ran away from home when he was 12 years old and joined a vaudeville show.
Here is a little bit about him from a video by National Portrait Gallery:

Bill Bojangles was the first performer who defied the rule of two, which was a rule stating black performers had to be in groups of two. He was the first black performer that performed a solo. Due to his fame the request for him was so big that they made an exception, and that opened the doors for many other performers that came after him.
his most famous solo is the stair dance:

Another major accomplishment on the civil rights front was the refusal of wearing blackface. Black performers were pressed into a role of some sort of savage clown. He was the first one that refused to comply to that stereotype.

This is a really good article about blackface:
https://nmaahc.si.edu/blog-post/blackface-birth-american-stereotype

Last but not least, he became famous in Hollywood in his 50s, especially through his movies with Shirley Temple. The scene when the two of them dance upstairs, was the first interracial touch on screen. these scenes were not allowed to be shown in the south until after the black power movement in the 60s.

I hope you liked this little historical insight. Sometimes we just celebrate things and we don't really know what they are about so I wanted to share some of the background.