Tap Dancing's "Hoofers"!

The start of what is called, tap dance can be traced back to the early slave trade in America.  Fearful that African Americans could communicate through the rhythm of drum music, and consequently revolt, slave owners banned drums from any African American religious ceremonies.  The rhythms were then transferred to the feet, as a code of expression.  Irish and British clogging steps were later combined to create a style called, “buck and wing,” which eventually became known as, “tap dance.”  Bill Robinson, and The Nicolas Brothers are just a few of the most famous, “hoofers,” as famous tap dancers came to be known.

Stories abound concerning the great, Bill Robinson.  He created the, “stair dance,” and is said to have been a faster backwards runner; even faster than anybody running forwards.  Mr. Robinson was the first tap dancing star in the movies, but danced in the theater for years. It has been said that he put tap up on its toes.

Probably the most beloved of all tap dancers, The Nicholas Brothers, started dancing at a very young age, watching their parents play in bands at vaudeville clubs.  When they were a mere 18 and 11 years of age, the brothers opened at the famed, “Cotton Club,” where they astonished the crowd with their acrobatics and tap.  The Nicholas brothers had a unique blend of flash, including flips, and spins, and style in their tap dancing.  Two years after their, “Cotton Club,” debut the brothers became Hollywood stars, and began making films.  Broadway beckoned shortly after, where they studied under the great ballet choreographer, Balenchine.  The stars continued to rise in Hollywood in the 1940’s.  The incredibly talented, Nicholas Brothers have played every major theater and nightclub in America, receiving many tributes and awards along the way, including a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.