Black Tap Dance and Its Women Pioneers

Download or read book Black Tap Dance and Its Women Pioneers written by Cheryl M. Willis and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2023-04-13 with total page 392 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: While tap dancers Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly, and Eleanor Powell were major Hollywood stars, and the rhythms of Black male performers such as the Nicholas Brothers and Bill "Bojangles" Robinson were appreciated in their time, Black female tap dancers seldom achieved similar recognition. Who were these women? The author sought them out, interviewed them, and documented their stories for this book. Here are the personal stories of many Black women tap dancers who were hailed by their male counterparts, performed on the most prominent American stages, and were pioneers in the field of Black tap.