In honor of tap legend Bill ‘Bojangles’ Robinson’s birthday, May 25 is National Tap Dance Day. The man who said, “Everything is copacetic,” also gave us such memorable movies as The Little Colonel and other Shirley Temple hits of the 1930’s and ‘40’s. National Tap Dance Day was signed into law on November 7, 1987 by then President George Herbert Bush. It was the mission of stage and screen greats and advocators Gregory Hines, Savion Glover, Harold Nicholas, Sandman Sims and the Tap America Project (TAP) and they succeeded in the creation of a day to honor and celebrate the art of tap dance as well as the beloved Bojangles who passed in 1949.
These days, not everyone appreciates a film with dance sequences but most of us do. On some level, we can all appreciate the artistry and athleticism that goes into being an outstanding dancer so movies that celebrate that art continue to be produced on a regular basis. Dance truly is one of the universal commonalities among cultures and countries. We may each have our own style and traditional moves on the dance floor, but we all move when good music plays. In honor of National Tap Dance Day, we’re reminiscing about some of our favorite dance movies, films about dancers that might make you want to twirl a bit yourself!
