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

addict Comparing the exploit dancing of water tap stars bloom Bojangles Robinson and Savion Glover in the dickens Hollywood characterizations blustery Weather (1943) by Andrew Stone and Bamboozled (2000) by spike Lee, calls for the analysis of each films historical context. There argon 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 evolution of tap have been closely aligned with the progress of African Americans in this country. angle dancing, an art grounded in African American culture, has moved from an upbeat tendency with its collection of steps that characterize the Jazz Age, such as the dance and the Stomp Time Step, to a expressive style that better mirrors raps explosive rhythms and tendency towards synchronization. Much like African American music, tap- dancings evolutio n has been closely aligned with social progress and the behind go to piecesing-down of stereotypes developed in the sing shows of the late 1800s. The direct effects of racial stereotyping on tap-dancing are best observed in pre- 1960s Hollywood films because these films reached a wide, mostly white, audience and were financed and directed by Whites. Tap legend, Bill Bojangles Robinson, the star of Stormy Weather (1943), was forced to funnel his talent by dint of a colander of social prejudices set 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 evaluate 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 sm iley, traditional style in modern-day minstrel shows recreated for the film. In order to demonstrate how early conformity with and later break a route 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 meeting on Bamboozled, before isolating and analyzing a scene from each film as representative of the two styles of tap-dancing.Stormy Weather, by white handler Andrew L. Stone, follows the story of Bill Bojangles Robinsons character (Bill Williamson) as he makes his way to the top in show business.