PEOPLE

PEOPLE 

Throughout the evolution of tap dancing, innovative dancers contributed their own knowledge and performance to the growing art form. One of the most influential dancers who contributed greatly to the expansion of tap dancing was Bernard J. Fagan, or Barney (1850-1937). Fagan was known as the “Father of Tap”, he was the first dancer who dared to add syncopation to the Irish jig and clogging, and was also the first white tap dancer of the time. Fagan learned his techniques from the minstrel group he toured with and the African influences of their choreography. He was a superior technician and danced well into his eighties. 

Another dancer accredited to the growth and advancement of tap dancing was Bill “Bojangles” Robinson. When Robinson was “discovered”, he was already fifty years old and had been dancing since the 1890s. He encountered a dark cloud that hung over his image and was told he was doing a “disservice to his race” by fellow African-Americans (Emery, 231). This was due mainly to his movie roles as the shuffling, funny servant that paralleled to the minstrel stereotype of a contented slave. His real contributions, however, were made not on the screen but through dance. Robinson introduced a new and lighter style of tap, drifting away from the flat-footed style of tap that was previously known. He danced gracefully up on his toes, and is most famously known for his Stair Dance. This new form of tap he had created rivaled the tap dancing the country and previously known. The competition between the two styles grew, resulting in an athletic and acrobatic advancement within the dance. His contributions to the dance world were outstanding and are still visible today.