216:", and particularly liked Hale's improvisational style, in which on successive performances, he performed entirely different dances, as opposed to a fixed act—the norm at the time. At this formative age, Robinson met Henry Meadows, an older dancer who took an interest in Robinson, and taught him a close to the ground, fast step called a paddle and roll, which was to be an important element in Robinson's mature style. Henry Meadows partnered with Robinson, on and off, over a period of 40 years.
281:. At the time, Robinson worked from music charts. John Coltrane said: "Oh, I can play that." But he did not play it as it was on the page. The improvisational style proved incompatible with Robinson's dancing. Robinson said to Coltrane: "Well, look, I don't need the music, because I'm dancing the way I like to dance and the way I wanted to dance." Robinson focused his repertoire on tap as music, "sound tap," that made accompaniment a redundant distraction.
184:. The better the dance ability, the nearer to Broad Street the dancer would be permitted busk. Broad Street being the same as 14th Street, the corners at either 2nd and South or 25th and South implied modest dance skills. Although he had no formal dance training, this competitive zeal influenced Robinson's style, and Broad and South became his corner at the age of 13. He also danced and played in a
33:
405:
complex, intricate, infectious compositions. "Robinson elevated the art form of tap. The rhythmic intricacy and complexity that he invented developed tap into a mature percussive musical form. So much of what tap dancers do today would not be possible without LaVaughn's innovations." In an encapsulation of a lifetime of thinking about tap dance, his solo piece
702:
180:. The elements of successful busking consisted of the ability to catch the attention of passersby, build a crowd, and then pass the hat. The competition required fierce demonstration of dancing prowess, like a gunfighter riding into town and challenging the local champion, with the winners getting better corners. The ultimate corner in Philadelphia was at
249:. Robinson also danced with Eddie Sledge and Tony Lopez when he worked for Eddie Smith, a booking agent who handled only trios and quartets. Robinson performed in a close rhythms style, avoiding splits, jumps, and flips of the style of the Nicholas Brothers, after suffering injuries to his legs. He performed at the Broadwood Hotel and
400:, macro beat into four sixteenth note beats. This also allowed him to easily subdivide the beat further. Most other tap compositions originate from swing eighth note beats, commonly through the flap or shuffle. This fundamental only easily allows tap composers to subdivide the quarter note, macro beat, into triplet
404:
beats. Employing his innovative subdivision scheme, even when
Robinson used patterns common to many tap dancers, the steps fit into these complicated structures on the microscopic scale. So combinations that would be slow, broad gestures in other works become quick, fleeting details in his highly
358:
Had
Robinson attended dance school in the 1930s, he would have learned a slower Broadway style of tap dancing. Coming from a street tradition that emphasized speed and flash, his mature style developed from close observation and imitation of the dancers of his day with particular interest in fast
228:
in
Philadelphia, he served in the Army from 1945 to 1947. Separating from the Army, he began his career in Philadelphia with booking agents Eddie Suez and Bernie Rothbard of the Suez/Rothbard Agency. As Henry Meadows preferred staying in Philadelphia, Robinson partnered with Howard Blow, a fast
200:), and when he was older, he busked in clubs. Robinson earned enough money by busking to buy his own clothes, contribute to paying for the family groceries, and to go to the Earle Theater. It was here that Robinson saw the great tap dancers of the day: Baby Lawrence who performed with
342:, Governor's Arts Award for Artist of the Year. The University of the Arts named him Distinguished Professor in 2005, a title he held until his death. Much in demand, he was a frequent featured performer throughout the U.S., and danced in Africa, Europe, and Russia.
135:
style of dance that was characterized by elegance, precision, and clarity of sound. In a career spanning over 70 years, he started performing on the street, then in nightclubs, and finally in national and international tap festivals. He was recognized by the
387:
and Willie Bryant; one story tells of it being brought to New York in 1937 by Walter Green. The paddle and roll solidly entered the vocabulary of tap dancing in the late 1940s. Paddle and roll is a combination of heel and toe taps sounded as
293:
from 1965 to 1973, then returned to
Philadelphia. Robinson started rehearsing at nights in the basement of the Neff Building in Philadelphia with Jerry Tapps, whose daytime job was the building's elevator operator. They developed a
181:
379:
In the piece, he opens with a basic "Bojangles" time step before jumping into a one-legged Peg Leg Bates step. Known as the fastest taps in the business, Robinson was a master and innovator of the
298:
which was a series of calls and responses exchanged between two dancers. It was Tapps who encouraged
Robinson to dance solo and to teach. Tapps inspired Robinson to create his signature solo dance,
225:
396:
sound. From that one basic step, Robinson was able to create an endless number of variations. Fundamentally constructing compositions on the paddle, Robinson was able to subdivide the
409:
contains a wealth of the ideas that can be expressed in tap dancing. A completely choreographed piece developed over decades, Robinson drew on all the aspects of his life experience.
176:(Fayard and Harold) and the Condos Brothers (Steve, Frank, and Nick) came from Robinson's neighborhood. Robinson learned from older street dancers, who vied for the best corners for
741:
168:, one of seven brothers and seven sisters. His mother (Catherine Griffin Robinson) taught him his first tap dancing step, the plain time step, at the age of seven. During the
350:
Robinson and his wife Edna (Martin) were married for 55 years, and they have three sons, LaVaughn Jr., Gregory, and
Shelton. He died in Philadelphia of heart failure.
335:
746:
383:. The exact origins of the paddle and roll is not certain. Not seen in tap dancing of the 1920s, elements of it appeared in the 1930s in the dancing of
359:
dancing. Robinson's encyclopedic knowledge of tap dancers, and his sense of the importance of the history, led him to create dances such as
Robinson's
229:
tempo tap dancer, and learned from Bobby Jones, another high speed dancer also from
Philadelphia. "Howard and LaVaughn" performed in clubs owned by
621:
756:
751:
594:
457:
326:. Later, he danced in a duo with Ingram. He was awarded a National Heritage Fellowship by the National Endowment of the Arts in 1989 and a
307:
766:
771:
761:
671:
503:
543:
736:
339:
189:
141:
137:
731:
144:
706:
327:
148:
290:
625:
726:
721:
598:
366:
465:
318:
in his classes. In this time period, he also danced in a trio with Sandra Janoff, a teacher, and
254:
165:
427:
667:
540:
499:
213:
173:
169:
389:
384:
319:
246:
563:
492:
278:
242:
715:
660:
547:
374:
370:
274:
262:
230:
125:
96:
686:
397:
238:
234:
209:
193:
64:
60:
581:
494:
Tap! The greatest Tap Dance Stars and Their
Stories, 1900 - 1955 Revised Edition
401:
270:
258:
201:
32:
310:
in
Philadelphia. Teaching a generation of tap dancers, he taught a series of
205:
132:
314:
that he developed over the course of his career, and he included elements of
393:
380:
121:
92:
519:
131:
A virtuoso tap dancer, Robinson perfected a high speed, low to the ground,
701:
311:
250:
185:
646:
177:
323:
266:
330:
for Choreography and Performance Arts in 1992. Robinson performed
197:
458:"Lifetime Honors, National Heritage Award, LaVaughn E. Robinson"
120:) (February 9, 1927 – January 22, 2008) was an American
541:
http://www.danceadvance.org/03archives/lrobinson/index.html
273:
came to an end, Robinson had the opportunity to work with
428:"LaVaughn Robinson, Tap Virtuoso and Teacher, Dies at 80"
564:"World-renowned tap dancer, named a 'national treasure'"
261:
in Chicago, the 500 Club and the Harlem Club both in
208:, and Robinson's particular favorite Teddy Hale with
103:
88:
72:
42:
23:
662:Jazz Dance: The Story of American Vernacular Dance
659:
491:
212:. Robinson admired Teddy Hale's rendition of "
172:, Philadelphia was a Mecca of tap dancing; the
742:University of the Arts (Philadelphia) faculty
582:http://www.pewarts.org/92/Robinson/index.html
16:American dancer and choreographer (1927–2008)
8:
269:. As tastes in music changed and the era of
140:as a "Living National Treasure", received a
557:
555:
306:). In 1980, he joined the faculty of the
31:
20:
338:in Washington, D.C. In 2000, he won the
520:http://cinematreasures.org/theater/1806/
363:in tribute to Pat Rooney and Robinson's
485:
483:
418:
595:"PCA - Governor's Awards for the Arts"
562:Sims, Gayle Ronan (January 27, 2008).
147:in 1989, a lifetime honor, and a 1992
687:timothytapdancing - LaVaughn Robinson
452:
450:
448:
426:Kisselgoff, Anna (February 6, 2008).
7:
747:National Heritage Fellowship winners
535:
533:
531:
529:
527:
658:Stearns, Marshall and Jean (1994).
354:Contribution to dance and technique
241:Band, and on the same stage at the
14:
700:
647:Tap Dance in America (1989) (TV)
340:Pennsylvania Council on the Arts
253:, then the resort hotels in the
622:"Philadelphia Folklore Project"
619:Philadelphia Folklore Project
462:National Endowment of the Arts
224:After Robinson graduated from
206:Dolly Dawn and the Dawn Patrol
164:LaVaughn Robinson was born in
138:National Endowment of the Arts
1:
757:21st-century American dancers
752:20th-century American dancers
334:at the awards concert in the
226:Benjamin Franklin High School
204:, the Nicholas Brothers with
265:, New Jersey and throughout
145:National Heritage Fellowship
666:. New York: Da Capo Press.
498:. New York: Da Capo Press.
788:
328:Pew Fellowship in the Arts
149:Pew Fellowship in the Arts
767:Dancers from Pennsylvania
568:The Philadelphia Inquirer
371:Bill "Bojangles" Robinson
30:
772:People from Philadelphia
762:African-American dancers
490:Frank, Rusty E. (1994).
285:Professor of tap dancing
737:Pew Fellows in the Arts
182:Broad and South Streets
308:University of the Arts
709:at Wikimedia Commons
468:on September 17, 2008
202:Count Basie Orchestra
732:American tap dancers
592:Pa Governor's Award
381:paddle and roll step
107:Edna Martin Robinson
628:on October 15, 2008
539:"Artistry in Tap"
432:The New York Times
289:Robinson lived in
166:South Philadelphia
707:LaVaughn Robinson
705:Media related to
580:Pew Fellows 1992
407:Artistry in Taps,
365:Impersonation of
304:For Drummers Only
214:Begin the Beguine
174:Nicholas Brothers
114:LaVaughn Robinson
111:
110:
25:LaVaughn Robinson
779:
704:
689:
684:
678:
677:
665:
655:
649:
644:
638:
637:
635:
633:
624:. Archived from
617:
611:
610:
608:
606:
601:on June 12, 2007
597:. Archived from
590:
584:
578:
572:
571:
559:
550:
537:
522:
516:
510:
509:
497:
487:
478:
477:
475:
473:
464:. Archived from
454:
443:
442:
440:
438:
423:
332:Artistry in Taps
300:Artistry in Taps
79:
76:January 22, 2008
57:February 9, 1927
56:
54:
37:Robinson in 1998
35:
21:
787:
786:
782:
781:
780:
778:
777:
776:
712:
711:
698:
693:
692:
685:
681:
674:
657:
656:
652:
645:
641:
631:
629:
620:
618:
614:
604:
602:
593:
591:
587:
579:
575:
561:
560:
553:
538:
525:
517:
513:
506:
489:
488:
481:
471:
469:
456:
455:
446:
436:
434:
425:
424:
420:
415:
390:sixteenth notes
356:
348:
320:Germaine Ingram
302:(also known as
287:
247:Ella Fitzgerald
233:and opened for
222:
162:
157:
128:, and teacher.
84:
81:
77:
68:
58:
52:
50:
49:
48:
38:
26:
17:
12:
11:
5:
785:
783:
775:
774:
769:
764:
759:
754:
749:
744:
739:
734:
729:
724:
714:
713:
697:
696:External links
694:
691:
690:
679:
672:
650:
639:
612:
585:
573:
551:
546:2003-09-14 at
523:
518:Earle Theater
511:
504:
479:
444:
417:
416:
414:
411:
369:impersonating
355:
352:
347:
344:
336:Kennedy Center
286:
283:
279:Charlie Parker
243:Apollo Theater
239:Tommy Dorsey's
221:
218:
161:
160:Street dancing
158:
156:
153:
118:LaVaughn Evett
109:
108:
105:
101:
100:
90:
86:
85:
82:
80:(aged 80)
74:
70:
69:
59:
47:LaVaughn Evett
46:
44:
40:
39:
36:
28:
27:
24:
15:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
784:
773:
770:
768:
765:
763:
760:
758:
755:
753:
750:
748:
745:
743:
740:
738:
735:
733:
730:
728:
725:
723:
720:
719:
717:
710:
708:
703:
695:
688:
683:
680:
675:
673:0-306-80553-7
669:
664:
663:
654:
651:
648:
643:
640:
627:
623:
616:
613:
600:
596:
589:
586:
583:
577:
574:
569:
565:
558:
556:
552:
549:
548:archive.today
545:
542:
536:
534:
532:
530:
528:
524:
521:
515:
512:
507:
505:0-306-80635-5
501:
496:
495:
486:
484:
480:
467:
463:
459:
453:
451:
449:
445:
433:
429:
422:
419:
412:
410:
408:
403:
399:
395:
391:
386:
382:
378:
376:
375:Peg Leg Bates
372:
368:
362:
353:
351:
346:Personal life
345:
343:
341:
337:
333:
329:
325:
321:
317:
313:
309:
305:
301:
297:
292:
284:
282:
280:
276:
275:John Coltrane
272:
268:
264:
263:Atlantic City
260:
256:
252:
248:
244:
240:
236:
232:
231:Frank Palumbo
227:
219:
217:
215:
211:
207:
203:
199:
195:
191:
187:
183:
179:
175:
171:
167:
159:
154:
152:
150:
146:
143:
139:
134:
129:
127:
126:choreographer
123:
119:
115:
106:
102:
98:
97:Choreographer
94:
91:
89:Occupation(s)
87:
75:
71:
66:
62:
45:
41:
34:
29:
22:
19:
699:
682:
661:
653:
642:
630:. Retrieved
626:the original
615:
603:. Retrieved
599:the original
588:
576:
567:
514:
493:
470:. Retrieved
466:the original
461:
435:. Retrieved
431:
421:
406:
398:quarter note
385:John Bubbles
364:
360:
357:
349:
331:
315:
303:
299:
295:
288:
235:Cab Calloway
223:
220:Club dancing
210:Louis Jordan
194:washtub bass
163:
130:
117:
113:
112:
83:Philadelphia
78:(2008-01-22)
65:Pennsylvania
61:Philadelphia
18:
727:2008 deaths
722:1927 births
437:December 8,
402:eighth note
392:creating a
367:Bill Bailey
259:Club Delisa
716:Categories
413:References
373:imitating
361:Waltz Clog
296:Telephone,
186:tramp band
170:Depression
133:a cappella
122:tap dancer
93:Tap Dancer
53:1927-02-09
394:drum roll
316:Telephone
255:Catskills
251:Palumbo's
190:washboard
99:, Teacher
544:Archived
324:attorney
294:routine—
632:June 9,
605:June 9,
472:June 9,
178:busking
670:
502:
312:études
291:Boston
267:Canada
237:, for
196:, and
155:Career
116:(born
104:Spouse
67:, U.S.
322:, an
271:Swing
245:with
198:kazoo
668:ISBN
634:2008
607:2008
500:ISBN
474:2008
439:2020
277:and
73:Died
43:Born
142:NEA
718::
566:.
554:^
526:^
482:^
460:.
447:^
430:.
257:,
192:,
151:.
124:,
95:,
63:,
676:.
636:.
609:.
570:.
508:.
476:.
441:.
377:.
188:(
55:)
51:(
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
