Flo-Bert Award
Encyclopedia
History
Named for eminent African-American performers Florence MillsFlorence Mills
Florence Mills, born Florence Winfrey , known as the "Queen of Happiness," was an African American cabaret singer, dancer, and comedian known for her effervescent stage presence, delicate voice, and winsome, wide-eyed beauty.-Life and career:A daughter of former enslaved parents, Nellie and John...
and Bert Williams
Bert Williams
Egbert Austin "Bert" Williams was one of the preeminent entertainers of the Vaudeville era and one of the most popular comedians for all audiences of his time. He was by far the best-selling black recording artist before 1920...
, the awards began in 1991. Its non-profit organization, Flo-Bert, Ltd., which makes the selections, was founded by historian and researcher Delilah Jackson in 1989. The organization is sponsored by the New York Foundation for the Arts
New York Foundation for the Arts
The New York Foundation for the Arts was created in conjunction the in 1971. The organization gives grants to individual artists and writers and developing arts organizations with a mission to '.'-NYFA's Programs:...
.
The Flo-Bert Award is given annually. Honorees include Gregory Hines
Gregory Hines
Gregory Oliver Hines was an American actor, singer, dancer and choreographer.-Early years:Born in New York City, Hines and his older brother Maurice started dancing at an early age, studying with choreographer Henry LeTang...
, Cab Calloway
Cab Calloway
Cabell "Cab" Calloway III was an American jazz singer and bandleader. He was strongly associated with the Cotton Club in Harlem, New York City where he was a regular performer....
, Gene Kelly
Gene Kelly
Eugene Curran "Gene" Kelly was an American dancer, actor, singer, film director and producer, and choreographer...
, Savion Glover
Savion Glover
Savion Glover is an American tap dancer, actor, and choreographer. As a learning prodigy, he was taught by notable dancers from previous generations. Glover is currently interested in restoring African roots to tap...
, and the Nicholas Brothers
Nicholas Brothers
The Nicholas Brothers were a famous African American team of dancing brothers, Fayard and Harold . With their highly acrobatic technique , high level of artistry and daring innovations, they were considered by many the greatest tap dancers of their day...
. The award is meant to recognize life achievement in performing, teaching or supporting the art of tap dance.
The organization holds an awards show, The Tap Extravaganza. It is produced by The New York Committee to Celebrate National Tap Dance Day
National Tap Dance Day
National Tap Dance Day falls on May 25 every year and is a celebration of tap dancing as an American art form. The idea of National Tap Dance Day was first presented to U.S. Congress on September 15, 1988 and was signed into American law by President George H.W. Bush on November 7, 1989...
.
Honorees
- listed alphabetically; year of award indicated
- Jerry Ames, founder and artistic director of Jerry Ames Tap Dance Company; 2006
- Maceo Anderson, original member of The Four Step Brothers, early innovator of the acrobatic tap style; 1994
- Cholly AtkinsCholly AtkinsCharles “Cholly” Atkins was an American dancer and vaudeville performer, who later became noted as the house choreographer for the various artists on the Motown label.-Biography:...
, partner of Charles "Honi" ColesCharles ColesCharles “Honi” Coles was an American actor and tap dancer.-Biography:Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Coles developed his high-speed rhythm tapping on the streets of his hometown. He first went to New York City as one of the Three Millers, who were known for their intricate and difficult dance...
; Motown choreographer; 1993 - Bob Audy; 2007
- Jean Bach; 2008
- Clayton "Peg Leg" BatesPeg Leg BatesClayton "Peg Leg" Bates was an Afro-American entertainer from Fountain Inn, South Carolina.Bates lost a leg at the age of 12 in a cotton gin accident. He subsequently taught himself to tap dance with a wooden peg leg...
; 1991 - John Bedford; 2006
- Phil Black; 1996
- Bunny Briggs; 1999
- Ernest "Brownie" BrownErnest Brown (dancer)Ernest “Brownie” Brown was an African American tap dancer and last surviving member of the Original Copasetics. He was the dance partner of Charles “Cookie” Cook, with whom he performed from the days of vaudeville into the 1960s....
, member of the Hoofer's Club, original member of The Original CopaseticsOriginal CopaseticsThe Original Copasetics were an ensemble of star tap dancers formed in 1949 on the death of Bill Bojangles Robinson that helped to revive the art of tap. The first group included composer / arranger Billy Strayhorn and the choreographer Cholly Atkins, as well as hoofers Honi Coles, Charles “Cookie”...
, half of vaudeville duo Cook and Brown; 2003 - Brenda Bufalino, creator and choreographer for the American and International Tap Dance Orchestras; 1999
- Cab CallowayCab CallowayCabell "Cab" Calloway III was an American jazz singer and bandleader. He was strongly associated with the Cotton Club in Harlem, New York City where he was a regular performer....
, dancer and bandleader; 1992 - Lon Chaney; 1991
- The Cotton Club Girls; 1992
- Harold Cromer, Stumpy of the tap team Stump and StumpyStump and StumpyStump and Stumpy were a dance/comedy/acting duo popular from the mid 1930s to the 1950s, consisting of James "Stump" Cross, and either Eddie Hartman or Harold Cromer as "Stumpy"...
; 2005 - Stanley DonenStanley DonenStanley Donen ; is an American film director and choreographer whose most celebrated works are Singin' in the Rain and On the Town, both of which he co-directed with Gene Kelly. His other noteworthy films include Royal Wedding, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Funny Face, Indiscreet, Damn...
, film director (Singing in the Rain, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers); 2003 - Paul DraperPaul Draper (dancer)Paul Draper was a noted American tap dancer and choreographer. Born into an artistic, socially prominent New York family, the nephew of Ruth Draper was an innovator in the arts. Despite the pressure his family put on him to become an engineer, Paul’s love for dance persisted and ultimately won out...
, partner of Larry AdlerLarry AdlerLawrence "Larry" Cecil Adler was an American musician, widely acknowledged as one of the world's most skilled harmonica players. Composers such as Ralph Vaughan Williams, Malcolm Arnold, Darius Milhaud and Arthur Benjamin composed works for him...
; 1993 - Arthur DuncanArthur DuncanArthur Duncan is a tap dancer, known for his stint as a performer on The Lawrence Welk Show from 1964 to 1982; which made him the first African-American regular on a variety television program....
; 2004 - Mercedes Ellington, choreographer, dancer, producer; first black member of the June Taylor Dancers, granddaughter of Duke EllingtonDuke EllingtonEdward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was an American composer, pianist, and big band leader. Ellington wrote over 1,000 compositions...
; 2009 - Savion GloverSavion GloverSavion Glover is an American tap dancer, actor, and choreographer. As a learning prodigy, he was taught by notable dancers from previous generations. Glover is currently interested in restoring African roots to tap...
, star of Bring in da Noise, Bring in da Funk; 2000 - Yvette Glover, mother of Savion Glover; 2007
- Jane Goldberg, tap performer and historian; 2002
- Chuck GreenChuck GreenCharles "Chuck" Green was a famous American tap dancer.Green was born in Fitzgerald, Georgia. He would stick bottle caps on his bare feet as a child and tap dance on the sidewalk for money. He won third place in a dance contest in 1925 in which Noble Sissle was the bandleader...
; 1991 - Ralph Guild; 2006
- Lionel HamptonLionel HamptonLionel Leo Hampton was an American jazz vibraphonist, pianist, percussionist, bandleader and actor. Like Red Norvo, he was one of the first jazz vibraphone players. Hampton ranks among the great names in jazz history, having worked with a who's who of jazz musicians, from Benny Goodman and Buddy...
, musician; 1995 - Barry HarrisBarry HarrisBarry Doyle Harris is an American bebop jazz pianist and educator.-Biography:Harris left Detroit for New York City in 1960...
, pianist, composer and teacher; 1998 - George Hillman; 1991
- Gregory HinesGregory HinesGregory Oliver Hines was an American actor, singer, dancer and choreographer.-Early years:Born in New York City, Hines and his older brother Maurice started dancing at an early age, studying with choreographer Henry LeTang...
, brother of Maurice Hines; 1998 - Maurice HinesMaurice HinesMaurice Hines is an American actor, director, jazz singer and choreographer.Born in New York City, Hines began his career at the age of five, studying tap dance at the Henry LeTang Dance Studio in Manhattan. LeTang recognized his talent and began choreographing numbers specifically for him and his...
, brother of Gregory Hines; 2008 - Milt HintonMilt HintonMilton John "Milt" Hinton , "the dean of jazz bass players," was an American jazz double bassist and photographer. He was nicknamed "The Judge".-Biography:...
, jazz bassist; 1997 - Melba Huber; 1996
- Delilah Jackson, founded Flo-Bert, Ltd. and the Flo-Bert Awards; 2001
- Gene KellyGene KellyEugene Curran "Gene" Kelly was an American dancer, actor, singer, film director and producer, and choreographer...
; 1994 - Sali Ann Kriegsman; 1997
- Mable Lee, singer-dancer, one of the original Apollo Girls; 2004
- Jeni LeGon, member of the Whitman Sisters; 2001
- Henry LeTangHenry LeTangHenry LeTang was an American theatre,film, and television choreographer and a dance instructor.-Biography:Born in the Harlem neighbourhood of Manhattan, LeTang was the second son of Clarence, born in Dominica, and his wife Marie, who emigrated from St. Croix. The couple owned and operated a radio...
, taught Gregory Hines; choreographer of the movies Tap and The Cotton Club, Broadway plays Eubie, Black and Blue and Sophisticated Ladies; 1995 - Bernard Manners; 1991
- Frankie ManningFrankie ManningFrankie Manning was an American dancer, instructor and choreographer. Manning is considered one of the founding fathers of the Lindy Hop.-Early years:...
, member of Whitey's Lindy HoppersWhitey's Lindy HoppersWhitey's Lindy Hoppers was a professional performing group of Savoy Ballroom swing dancers, started in 1935 by Herbert "Whitey" White. The group took on many different forms, with up to 12 different groups performing under this name or one of a number of different names used for the group over the...
; 2004 - Ann MillerAnn MillerJohnnie Lucille Collier, better known as Ann Miller was an American singer, dancer and actress.-Early life:...
; 1994 - Deborah Mitchell, founder of the New Jersey Tap Ensemble; 2007
- Cobi Narita; 2005
- The Nicholas BrothersNicholas BrothersThe Nicholas Brothers were a famous African American team of dancing brothers, Fayard and Harold . With their highly acrobatic technique , high level of artistry and daring innovations, they were considered by many the greatest tap dancers of their day...
; 1992 - Donald O'ConnorDonald O'ConnorDonald David Dixon Ronald O’Connor was an American dancer, singer, and actor who came to fame in a series of movies in which he co-starred alternately with Gloria Jean, Peggy Ryan, and Francis the Talking Mule...
; 1997 - Frank Ownes, pianist/arranger/composer; 2002
- Radio City Rockettes; 1996
- Leonard ReedLeonard ReedLeonard Reed was an American tap dancer, co-creator with his partner, Willie Bryant, of the famous Shim Sham Shimmy dance routine.-Early life and career:...
, inventor of the Shim Sham Shimmy; 2000 - LaVaughn RobinsonLaVaughn RobinsonLaVaughn Robinson was an US tap dancer, choreographer, and teacher.A virtuoso tap dancer, Robinson perfected a high speed, low to the ground, a cappella style of dance that was characterized by elegance, precision, and clarity of sound...
; 2005 - Jo Rowan; 2006
- The Silver Belles; 1992
- Jimmy SlydeJimmy SlydeJimmy Slyde known as the King of Slides, was a world-renowned tap dancer, especially famous for his innovative tap style mixed with jazz....
; 1991 - Prince Spencer, one of the Four Step Brothers; 2009
- Peggy Spina; 2008
- Bross TownsendBross TownsendBross Elvie Townsend, Jr. was an American jazz and blues pianist.Townsend was born in Princeton, Kentucky. His father was also a pianist, who started his son on the instrument at age seven. He moved to Cleveland in 1933 and attended the Cleveland Institute of Music...
, pianist; 1996 - Tommy TuneTommy TuneThomas James "Tommy" Tune is an American actor, dancer, singer, theatre director, producer, and choreographer. Over the course of his career, he has won nine Tony Awards and the National Medal of Arts.-Early years:...
; 2003 - Dianne WalkerDianne WalkerDianne Walker is a tap dancer, also known as Lady Di. Her thirty-year career spans Broadway, television, film, and international dance concerts. Walker is the Artistic Director of TapDancin, Inc. in Boston, Massachusetts.-Career:...
; 2003 - George WeinGeorge WeinGeorge Wein is an American jazz promoter and producer who has been called "the most famous jazz impresario" and "the most important non-player... in jazz history"...
, originator of the Newport Jazz FestivalNewport Jazz FestivalThe Newport Jazz Festival is a music festival held every summer in Newport, Rhode Island, USA. It was established in 1954 by socialite Elaine Lorillard, who, together with husband Louis Lorillard, financed the festival for many years. The couple hired jazz impresario George Wein to organize the...
; 2004 - Ruth Williams, founder of the Ruth Williams Dance Studio in HarlemHarlemHarlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, which since the 1920s has been a major African-American residential, cultural and business center. Originally a Dutch village, formally organized in 1658, it is named after the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands...
; 1996
External links
- Flo-Bert Awards by Bill Egan at florencemills.com