Metropolitan news. (Chicago, Ill.) 1935-19??, 1935-06-11

We all want to see them
their feet. 1t has been called every
thing from "clod hopping" zig
dancing" "buck dancing" to "tap
dancing" A little buck and wing
stop time dancing, struts, shut
files, ETC., are appreciated by all
lovers of vaudeville, stage, and
cafe revues. Even those who are
rated in the theatrical profession as
singers or whatnots, usually go in
to a dance upon the second chorus
OF a song.
The world Graves dancing - and
gift from heaven. Most any street
waif can do a little "jigging.' Many
sepias are born dancers. 1t is their
of the presentday dance steps as
executed by sepias, seem to close
Iy resemble the various war dances
and witch doctor dances of Afri-
ca. 1t isn't q far cry from the
Jungle. The primitive savage and
the Indy hop dancer seem kin in
this one art. There is kindred
passion for dancing feet the world
over - and all of Gods children
can dance.
Bill Robinson, tap dancer deluxe,
Is the undisputed worlds great
est tap dancer. Bills feet are edu-
Gated and can beat out any kind
of rhythm.
Bill Robinson has been dancing
since the age of five. Today he is
81 and still those hot feet of his
are in demand. The world never
wearies of good dancing. Mr.. Rob-
inson has earned a considerable
sum of money as a famous dancer.
He has danced practically upon
every stage in America, over and
over again. Now his art has been
transplaned to the motion pictures
which will give him a greater au-
dience. He created the famous
stair dance, which provoked flock
of imitators all over the country.
Bojangles' Shadow
The only man in the world who
can come anywhere near dancing
like Bill Robinson is a lad of %
years named Bill Bailey. Bailey
has studied the technique of the
-Jfd nrasCer; Bill R.binsasll- +ss0=5ss ssh
an extent that one would presume
that he, is either son of Robinson
or his student. Bailey is a natur.
al born dancer. His act consists
of nothing but rhythmic dancing
While Robinson as a rule will sing
q couple of songs and tell several
funny jokes to supplement his
dancing, Bailey just taps. If Bill
Robinson is the king of tap dane
ing, Bill Bailey is the prince Of
the art.
Dancing, dancing, is what makes
a well-rounded act or revue. The
public craved dancing and they
wanted beauty - so producers gave
you the chorus. And dance the
chorus must, somewhere in the pro
duction, be it ballet or a shake
number. There must be some dane
ing
Shutting Comedians
But let's go back a few years
and work our way up to the present
time. George Walker and Aida
Overton Walker were the head
dancers in the Williams and Walk
er shows. Walker was straight
man and what we in this modern
age would call a stooge for Bert
Williams. The oldest comedian or
the stage would always do a rhy-
thmic shuttle. Billy King, S. H.
Dudley, "Stringbeans" and every
comedian before and after them,
developed some sort of a semi-valk
or shuttle which identified them
They were similar to the present
day tag lines of performers to-
day. Such as "Come up and see
me- sometime, tall, dark and hand
some" We instantly associate the
phrase with Mae West. Or as
Marshall Garbage" Rodgers, the
comedian would, say, "You hear
me tallxin' to va" Or the zone
more dip will get it" of Nicodemus,
who left Cab Galloway to work with
Lucky Millinder.
One Man Dance
Few remember the team of Rec
tor and Cooper. Eddie Rector has
faded into obscurity, but Ralph
Cooper left the Regal Theater
stage as master of ceremonies and
later became head man in this pos
ition at the Apollo theater. The
team of Rector and Cooper are
credited with originating what is
known as the zone man" act in
dancing. 1t consists of one dane
err behind the other, both dancing
together, and creating the i'm
preston, from the viewpoint Of the
audience, of just one man dancing.
Duke Ellington's famous "Four
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