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Bojangles Robinson @billbojangles

Hello! My name is Bill Robinson, but you probably are more familiar with my nickname, Bojangles! I was born May 25th 1878 and I am a tap dancer!

Joined March 2011
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32 000 people attended.
My funeral was arranged by my close and personal friend Ed Sullivan and held at the 369th Infantry Regiment Armory near Harlem
During my career, I made well over $2 million dollars, but sadly I died November 25th 1949 from heart failure penniless.
I am most known, aside from tap, for the 14 films and 4 movies I made with Shirley Temple
I was also one of the first black men to perform on Broadway!
To celebrate my 61st birthday, I danced down Broadway from Columbus Circle to 44th St.!
#anotherfunfact: I was known for my ability to run backwards! I even set a world record of running a 75 yard backward dash in 8.2 seconds!
...and I "danced" my way up the stairs to recieve my honor!
#funfact: my stair dance was created when I was being honored by the King of England who was standing on top of a flight of stairs ...
I am most known for my "stair dance". I performed it for the 1st time with #AdelaideHall on Broadway in a musical revue "Blackbirds of 1928"
In 1908, I met my long time manage #Marty Forkins. He was able to get my performing solo at nightclubs making a whooping $3,500/week.
However, I was not able to perform for white audiences until I was 50 years old. I was performing exclussivly for the black theatre circuit
I would hate to brag BUT over the next 25 years I became known as the toast of Broadway.
I became well known for my performances as a nightclub and musical comedy performer.
..."The South Before the War".
The Mayme Remington's troupe was located in Washington, DC and toured with them until 1891 when he joined another touring company called...
I realized that dance was my passion & dropped out of school at a young age to pursue my career. In 1886 I joined Mayme Remington's troupe.
My career began at the tender age of 6 where I appeared "hoofing", an early form of tap dancing, at local beer gardens.
I was raised by my grandmother after my father died of chronic heart disease and my mother died of natural causes.
I was born in Richmond, Virginia and my parents, Maxwell and Maria Robinson, were machine shop workers and a choir singer.
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