Louise Madison (1911-1970) was an American tap dancer. Little about her life and career are known. She was born and raised in Philadelphia, and frequently praised by other tap dancers of her time, who described her tap style as "like a man". She often performed in nontraditional clothing for a female tap dancer at the time, such as low-heeled shoes and "white tails". Madison performed at the

Apollo Theater The Apollo Theater (formerly the Hurtig & Seamon's New Theatre; also Apollo Theatre or 125th Street Apollo Theatre) is a multi-use Theater (structure), theater at 253 125th Street (Manhattan), West 125th Street in the Harlem neighborhood of U ...

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from 1933 to 1934 in the first run of the musical '' Blackbirds of 1933'' and during the late 1940s alongside tap dancer

LaVaughn Robinson LaVaughn Robinson (born LaVaughn Evett) (February 9, 1927 – January 22, 2008) was an American tap dancer, choreographer, and teacher. A virtuoso tap dancer, Robinson perfected a high speed, low to the ground, a cappella style of dance tha ...

; she also performed in the revival of ''Blackbirds of 1933'' in

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Early life and career

Louise Madison was born in 1911 in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, and was raised in

North Philadelphia North Philadelphia, nicknamed North Philly, is a section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is immediately north of Center City, Philadelphia, Center City. Though the full extent of the region is somewhat vague, "North Philadelphia" is regarded as ...

. Little is known of her tap career outside of testimonies from fellow tap dancers, and no known footage of her on film or on video exists. According to fellow Philadelphia tap dancer

, she regularly danced in " white tails", a top hat, low-heeled shoes, and white pants. Madison's self-assurance as a solo dancer, attire, and tap style, which was light and quick and which tap dancer Charles "Honi" Coles and tap historians Jean and Marshall Stearns described as "like a man", were unconventional for her time. Madison also taught Coles his first five-tap wing. She performed in the first run of '' Blackbirds of 1933'' at the

from 1933 to 1934, where she danced in the musical number "Tappin' the Barrel"; she was later featured in the London production of the same show. Throughout the 1930s and 1940s, Madison performed in theatre and club circuits, and she performed with Robinson at the Apollo Theater in the late 1940s. It is unknown when or why she retired from tap. She died in 1970.

Personal life and legacy

Many suspected that Madison was a

lesbian A lesbian is a homosexual woman or girl. The word is also used for women in relation to their sexual identity or sexual behavior, regardless of sexual orientation, or as an adjective to characterize or associate nouns with female homosexu ...

. Fellow tap dancers such as Robinson and Jewel "Pepper" Welch praised her as being better than any tap dancer of her time, male or female. Tap dancer Ayodele Casel listed Madison as one of the "many many... Black women tap dancers from the 1920s and 50s whose stories have been lost to history" and as "one of the progenitors of heart" of tap dancing.

Germaine Ingram Germaine Ingram is an American lawyer, dancer, and choreographer. She was also the first Black woman to be appointed as a full-time faculty member at Temple University School of Law in Philadelphia in 1972. Prior to earning the title of assistant ...

, an American choreographer and attorney, surmised that Madison's lack of success compared to her peers may have been related to her darker skin and facial features as well as her challenging of gender norms.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Madison, Louise American tap dancers African-American female dancers 1911 births 1970 deaths 20th-century American dancers Entertainers from Philadelphia Dancers from Pennsylvania