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Born in Richmond, Virginia, Bill Robinson began dancing in local saloons at the age of six. He became a popular fixture on the vaudeville circuit just two years after that. While still a child, he was given the nickname “Bojangles,” although even Robinson himself was unsure of the origin of that moniker.

In 1905, Robinson forged a partnership—lifelong, it turned out—with agent Marty Forkins, who gave the dancer a golden opportunity: the chance to develop a solo act. African American dancers of the time appeared exclusively in pairs. 

Robinson made the most of his solo act, touring the United States and Europe until he settled in Harlem in 1928. That was the year he landed a role in the all-Black musical revue Blackbirds of 1928, which was staged by a white producer for white audiences. Robinson’s popularity soared.

Tap-dancing high on his toes and moving his upper body with understated grace, Robinson displayed a lightness and finesse never seen before. He shunned the frantic style of his predecessors for a more elegant, precise form of tap.

Robinson’s talent gave him entrée to two worlds—white entertainment and Black entertainment—yet he was never completely accepted in either one. White audiences adored the films in which he co-starred with Shirley Temple or Will Rogers, but his commercially successful roles were modeled on racist stereotypes, such as that of the genial Black servant. Though artistically satisfying, his few forays into Black films—notably Harlem Is Heaven—didn’t make him much money.

Robinson began performing at Harlem’s Cotton Club in the mid-1930s. In 1939, he joined the Broadway cast of an African American musical called Hot Mikado. The white establishment, meanwhile, cemented his celebrity status by naming him honorary mayor of Harlem—and mascot of the New York Giants baseball team. Many prominent African American individuals, however, found these distinctions to be demeaning and paternalistic.

Despite the racial tension that dogged his career, Robinson revolutionized his art, conquered both stage and screen, and triumphed as a Harlem legend.

Listen: “Doin’ the New Lowdown” by Bill “Bojangles” Robinson

Kennedy Center Education Digital Learning

Eric Friedman 
Director, Digital Learning

Kenny Neal 
Manager, Digital Education Resources

Tiffany A. Bryant 
Manager, Operations and Audience Engagement

JoDee Scissors 
Content Specialist, Digital Learning

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Gifts and grants to educational programs at the Kennedy Center are provided by The Paul M. Angell Family Foundation; Bank of America; Capital One; The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation; Carnegie Corporation of New York; The Ednah Root Foundation; Harman Family Foundation; William R. Kenan, Jr. Charitable Trust; the Kimsey Endowment; The Kiplinger Foundation; Laird Norton Family Foundation; Lois and Richard England Family Foundation; Dr. Gary Mather and Ms. Christina Co Mather; The Markow Totevy Foundation; Dr. Gerald and Paula McNichols Foundation; The Morningstar Foundation; Myra and Leura Younker Endowment Fund; The Irene Pollin Audience Development and Community Engagement Initiatives;

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