The Flo-Bert Award honors "outstanding figures in the field of tap dance".Egan, Bill
Flo-Bert Awards
florencemills.com

History

Named for eminent African-American performers Florence Mills and Bert Williams,1999 Show review
/ref> the awards began in 1991. Flo-Bert, Ltd, the non-profit organization that makes the selections, was founded by historian and researcher

Delilah Jackson Delilah Jackson (circa 1929 - January 12, 2013) was a cultural historian who specialized in collecting the history of black entertainers in Harlem. Biography Jackson grew up close to the Apollo Theater in Harlem. She attended school at P.S. 15 ...

in 1989. The organization is sponsored by the New York Foundation for the Arts. The Flo-Bert Award is given annually. Honorees include Gregory Hines,

Cab Calloway Cabell Calloway III (December 25, 1907 – November 18, 1994) was an American singer, songwriter, bandleader, conductor and dancer. He was associated with the Cotton Club in Harlem, where he was a regular performer and became a popular vocalist ...

Gene Kelly Eugene Curran Kelly (August 23, 1912 – February 2, 1996) was an American actor, dancer, singer, filmmaker, and choreographer. He was known for his energetic and athletic dancing style and sought to create a new form of American dance accessibl ...

, Savion Glover, and the Nicholas Brothers. 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.

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 Atkins, partner of Charles "Honi" Coles;

Motown Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau of ''moto ...

choreographer; 1993 *Bob Audy; 2007 *Jean Bach; 2008 * Clayton "Peg Leg" Bates; 1991 *John Bedford; 2006American Spirit Dance Company
Oklahoma City University * Phil Black; 1996 *Bunny Briggs; 1999 * Ernest "Brownie" Brown, member of the Hoofer's Club, original member of The Original Copasetics, half of vaudeville duo Cook and Brown; 2003 *Brenda Bufalino, creator and choreographer for the American and International Tap Dance Orchestras; 1999 *

, dancer and bandleader; 1992 * Lon Chaney; 1991 *The Cotton Club Girls; 1992 *Harold Cromer, Stumpy of the tap team

Stump and Stumpy Stump and Stumpy were a tap dance/comedy/acting duo popular from the mid-1930s to the 1950s, consisting of James "Stump" Cross, and either Eddie Hartman or Harold J. Cromer as "Stumpy". Their act was mostly jazz tap, and comedy expressed through s ...

; 2005 * Stanley Donen, film director (''Singing in the Rain'', ''Seven Brides for Seven Brothers''); 2003 * Paul Draper, partner of Larry Adler; 1993 *

Arthur Duncan Arthur Duncan (born September 25, 1933) is an American tap dancer, also called an "Entertainer's Entertainer,"“About the International Tap Dance Hall of Fame: Biographies,” American Tap Dance Foundation, accessed April 27, 2022. known for h ...

; 2004 * Mercedes Ellington, choreographer, dancer, producer; first black member of the

June Taylor Dancers Marjorie June Taylor (December 14, 1917 – May 16, 2004) was an American choreographer, best known as the founder of the June Taylor Dancers, who were featured on Jackie Gleason's various television variety programs. Early life and career Taylo ...

, granddaughter of

Duke Ellington Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous jazz orchestra from 1923 through the rest of his life. Born and raised in Washington, D.C., Ellington was based ...

; 2009 * Savion Glover, 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 Green Charles Green (November 6, 1919 – March 7, 1997) was an 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 ...

; 1991 *Ralph Guild; 2006 *

Lionel Hampton Lionel Leo Hampton (April 20, 1908 – August 31, 2002) was an American jazz vibraphonist, pianist, percussionist, and bandleader. Hampton worked with jazz musicians from Teddy Wilson, Benny Goodman, and Buddy Rich, to Charlie Parker, Charles M ...

, musician; 1995 * Barry Harris, pianist, composer and teacher; 1998 * George Hillman; 1991 * Gregory Hines, brother of Maurice Hines; 1998 * Maurice Hines, brother of Gregory Hines; 2008 * Milt Hinton, jazz bassist; 1997 *Melba Huber; 1996 *

, founded Flo-Bert, Ltd. and the Flo-Bert Awards; 2001 *

; 1994 *Sali Ann Kriegsman; 1997Women in Tap biographies
, Jazz Tap Ensemble. * Mable Lee, singer-dancer, one of the original Apollo Girls; 2004 *Jeni LeGon, member of the Whitman Sisters; 2001Cockerille Livingston, Lili
"National tap dance treasures honored"
''Dance Magazine'', February 2002. *

Henry LeTang Henry LeTang (June 19, 1915April 26, 2007) 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 h ...

, 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 Manning, member of Whitey's Lindy Hoppers; 2004 *

Ann Miller Ann Miller (born Johnnie Lucille Collier; April 12, 1923 – January 22, 2004) was an American retired actress and former dancer. She is best remembered for her work in the Classical Hollywood cinema musicals of the 1940s and 1950s. Her early ...

; 1994 *Deborah Mitchell, founder of the New Jersey Tap Ensemble; 2007 *Cobi Narita; 2005 *The Nicholas Brothers; 1992 * Donald O'Connor; 1997 *Frank Ownes, pianist/arranger/composer; 2002 *

Radio City Rockettes The Rockettes are an American precision dance company. Founded 1925 in St. Louis, they have, since , performed at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. Until 2015, they also had a touring company. They are best known for starring in the Rad ...

; 1996 * Leonard Reed, inventor of the Shim Sham Shimmy; 2000 * LaVaughn Robinson; 2005 *Jo Rowan; 2006 *

The Silver Belles The Silver Belles were an American female tap dance troupe established in Harlem, New York City. Background Group members included Marion Coles, Elaine Ellis, Cleo Hayes, Fay Ray, and Bertye Lou Wood. Managed by Geri Kennedy, The Silver Belle ...

; 1992 * Randy Skinner; 2010 * Jimmy Slyde; 1991 *Prince Spencer, one of the Four Step Brothers; 2009 *Peggy Spina; 2008 * Bross Townsend, pianist; 1996 * Tommy Tune; 2003 * Dianne Walker; 2003 * George Wein, originator of the Newport Jazz Festival; 2004 *Ruth Williams, founder of the Ruth Williams Dance Studio in Harlem; 1996 *Heather Cornell, co-founder of Manhattan Tap; 2012

Notes

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External links

Flo-Bert Awards
by Bill Egan at florencemills.com Awards established in 1991 Dance awards Tap dance 1991 establishments in New York City