Throwback
Thursday and Bunny Briggs
Beginning on
the streets of Harlem as a young boy, Bunny Briggs showed his dance talent
early. He was known for the speed of his footwork as well as being skilled as a
musician. He died in 1914 at the age of 92. This early prodigy went on to be a
great performer and a mentor to others.
He appeared
on the Ed Sullivan Show, on and off Broadway and at the Newport Jazz Festival.
He was also an accomplished musician who appeared in the 1989 Broadway musical “Black
and Blue” (for which he was nominated for a Tony Award). He performed with
Count Basie, Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey, Lionel Hampton and Duke Ellington. Duke
Ellington once described Mr. Briggs as “the most superleviathonic,
rhythmaturgically syncopated tapsthamaticianisamist”.
Constance
Valis Hill, a tap historian, wrote in her book “Tap Dancing America: A Cultural
History,” “Bunny Briggs broke new ground for modern tap dancing on the concert stage.”
From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets
Secret #186:
“Bunny Briggs was a tap dancer and
musician”
Link of the Day:
Quote of the Day:
“I may not
have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to
be.”
― Douglas Adams
― Douglas Adams
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