Comparing Tapdancing of Robinson and Glover :: Bill Bojangles Robinson Savion Glover

Abstract Comparing the tap dancing of tap stars Bill Bojangles Robinson and Savion Glover in the two Hollywood films Stormy Weather (1943) by Andrew Stone and Bamboozled (2000) by Spike Lee, calls for the analysis of each films historical context. There are race issues deeply embedded either in the political and social situation at the time the film was made, as is the case with Stormy Weather, or in the narrative of the film, as with Bamboozled. This article pro- poses that the markers for the ontogenesis of tap have been closely aligned with the progress of African Americans in this country.Tap dancing, an art grounded in African American culture, has moved from an upbeat expression with its collection of steps that characterize the Jazz Age, such as the Charleston and the Stomp Time Step, to a style that better mirrors raps explosive rhythms and tendency towards synchronization. Much like African American music, tap- dancings evolution has been closely aligned with social progr ess and the slow breaking-down of stereotypes developed in the minstrel shows of the late 1800s. The direct effects of racist stereotyping on tap-dancing are best observed in pre- 1960s Hollywood films because these films reached a wide, mostly white, listening and were financed and order by Whites. Tap legend, Bill Bojangles Robinson, the star of Stormy Weather (1943), was forced to funnel his talent through a colander of social prejudices aline to White Hollywoods liking, and these social confines are visible in his dancing in this film. It was not until the 1980s that modern tap emerged in Hollywood as an energetic battle cry from young African American dancers who demanded respect for their art form by refusing to conform to stereotypes. The film Bamboozled (2000), directed by Spike Lee, contrasts modern-day tap to the old-school style. In it, Savion Glover performs both the funky, urban style in street scenes and the smiley, traditional style in modern-day minstrel shows re created for the film. In order to demonstrate how early conformity with and later break away from stereotypes have fueled the formation of two different generations of tap dancing, I will discuss historical context, and specifically the influence of minstrel shows on Stormy Weather and the 80s tap revival on Bamboozled, before isolating and analyzing a scene from each film as representative of the two styles of tap-dancing.Stormy Weather, by white director Andrew L. Stone, follows the story of Bill Bojangles Robinsons character (Bill Williamson) as he makes his way to the top in show business.