Bill “Bojangles” Robinson

How this work helped shape America

Born in Richmond, Virginia, in 1878, Bill “Bojangles” Robinson began earning money by dancing and singing on Richmond streets as a child and developed a professional career that extended through vaudeville, Broadway and motion pictures. Robinson became renowned for precise, light-footed tap technique that emphasized dancing upright and on the balls of the feet, helping transform the performance style of American tap. After decades on the vaudeville circuit, he achieved major Broadway success in *Blackbirds of 1928* and later brought his dancing to national film audiences. Robinson became one of the highest-paid Black entertainers of his era and used professional performance to build a career spanning several major sectors of the American entertainment industry. His artistry helped shape the development and commercial expansion of tap dance as a distinctly American performance tradition.