Have you ever wondered who paved the way for dancers in the world of entertainment? From the early days of tap dance to the revolutionary choreography of modern dance, famous African American dancers have left an indelible mark on the arts. These trailblazers not only broke racial barriers but also created new forms of expression, showcasing their incredible creativity and originality, which continue to inspire today.

Let us explore the lives and legacies of 10 remarkable figures who reshaped dance history and continue influencing generations of dancers.

List of Famous African American Dancers

1: Master Juba (1825-1852)

Date of Birth: 1825, Rhode Island, United States

Date of Death: 1852, London, United Kingdom

Master Juba, born William Henry Lane, was one of the famous African American dancers active in the 1840s. He was the first black performer to play onstage for white audiences in the United States, overcoming significant racial barriers.

Master Juba performed in minstrel shows, a controversial form of entertainment that perpetuated racist stereotypes. Despite this, he achieved fame and acceptance, performing with notable minstrel troupes and later moving to Europe, becoming the first expatriate black dancer. Known for combining quick footwork with traditional African rhythms, Master Juba’s innovative style laid the groundwork for tap dance and step dancing.

Master Jube’s career began in New York’s Five Points neighborhood, where he defeated top white dancers in competitions. His unique blend of African American dance, Irish jigs, and clogging revolutionized dance and made him a fundamental figure in the development of American tap dance.

2: Bill “Bojangles” Robinson (1878-1949)

Date of Birth: May 25, 1878, Virginia, U.S.

Date of Death: November 25, 1949, New York, U.S.

Best Works:

• The Little Colonel
• In Old Kentucky
• The Littlest Rebel
• Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm
• Just Around the Corner
• Stormy Weather

Accolades:

• NAACP Best Actor Award

Bill “Bojangles” Robinson, born, was a pioneering African American tap dancer, actor, and singer. Known as the father of tap dance, Robinson gained fame for his appearances in films with Shirley Temple during the 1930s and his starring role in the musical “Stormy Weather” (1943).

Robinson was the first Black solo performer on white vaudeville circuits and a headliner for four decades. He was also among the first Black performers to appear without blackface makeup and starred in Hollywood’s first interracial dance team with Shirley Temple in “The Little Colonel” (1935). Known for his gentle, intentional movements and austere musicality, his signature stair dance captivated audiences.

3: John W. Bubbles (1902-1986)

Date of Birth: February 19, 1902, Kentucky, U.S.

Date of Death: May 18, 1986, California, U.S.

Best Works:

• Performing as Sportin’ Life in George Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess
• Ziegfeld Follies of 1931

John William Sublett, who later gained fame as John W. Bubbles, was a prodigious talent in American tap dance. Known as the father of “rhythm tap,” Bubbles began his career at ten and formed the duo Buck and Bubbles with six-year-old Buck Washington. They became the first black artists to appear on US television and performed at New York’s Radio City Music Hall and in the Ziegfeld Follies of 1931.

Bubbles is known for his role as Sportin’ Life in George Gershwin’s 1935 production of Porgy and Bess. His performances in Harlem’s Hoofers Club led to Broadway gigs and opportunities in Hollywood. Bubbles innovated jazz dance integration with tap, creating off-beats and altering accents, phrasing, and timing, influencing jazz-tap companies today.

4: Josephine Baker (1906-1975)

Date of Birth: June 3, 1906 , Missouri, US

Date of Death: April 12, 1975, Paris, France

Best Works:

• Siren of the Tropics
• Un vent de folie
• La Revue Nègre

Accolades:

• Resistance Medal
• Croix de Guerre
• Chevalier of the Legion of Honour

Josephine Baker, a beacon of resilience, left an indelible mark on the dance world with her sensual, bold performances. Growing up in poverty, she became independent early, performing with The Jones Family Band and The Dixie Steppers by 1919. Moving to Paris in the 1920s, Baker became famous for her daring costumes and modern dance, gaining fame in the Folies Bergère. Despite facing racism in the U.S., she fought segregation through the NAACP, which honored her with “Josephine Baker Day.”

Baker was the first Black woman to star in a major film, “Siren of the Tropics“ (1927). She supported the French Resistance during WWII and earned multiple French military honors. She also adopted 12 children, calling them her “rainbow tribe.”

Known for her contributions to civil rights, she was inducted into the Panthéon in 2021, becoming the first Black woman to receive one of France’s highest honors, marking her place among the famous African American dancers.

5: Katherine Dunham (1909-2006)

Date of Birth: June 22, 1909 Glen Ellyn, Illinois, U.S

Date of Death: May 21, 2006 New York City, U.S

Best Works:

• L’Ag’Ya
• Tropics
• Le Jazz Hot

Accolades:

• Kennedy Center Honor
• National Medal of Arts

Katherine Dunham, a pivotal figure in African American dance, innovatively fused cultural dance forms with ballet.

Dunham’s fieldwork in the Caribbean in the 1930s, funded by a postgraduate fellowship, led to her revolutionary aesthetic that integrated the rhythms of cultural dances with ballet. Her all-Black dance company, founded in 1940, toured extensively for two decades, showcasing works like “L’Ag’Ya” and “Tropics.”

Dunham also founded dance schools in Chicago and New York, training a new generation of dancers. Dunham’s legacy as a dancer, choreographer, anthropologist, and social activist endures, influencing countless artists, including Alvin Ailey.

6. Fayard Nicholas (1914-2006) and Harold Nicholas (1921-2000)

Date of Birth:

• Fayard Nicholas: October 20, 1914, in Mobile, Alabama
• Harold Nicholas: March 17, 1921, Winston-Salem, North Carolina

Date of Death:

• Fayard Nicholas: January 24, 2006, California, U.S.
• Harold Nicholas: July 3, 2000, New York, U.S.

Best Works:

• Kid Millions
• That’s Dancing!
• The Great American Broadcast

Accolades:

• Kennedy Center Honors
• Hollywood Walk of Fame
• Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame
• Tony Award for Best Choreographer

The Nicholas Brothers, Fayard, and Harold, were iconic dancers renowned for their acrobatic ‘flash dancing’ style and unparalleled tap dance skills. Born to a pianist mother and a drummer father, they grew up in Philadelphia and started performing in local theaters before gaining fame at the Cotton Club in Harlem. Their performances entailed a unique blend of tap, ballet, and acrobatics, a style that they showcased to perfection in the 1943 film Stormy Weather, and which remains legendary in the dance world.

Despite lacking formal training, they innovatively combined different dance styles, impressing audiences worldwide. They also taught master classes at prestigious institutions and influenced many dancers, including Michael and Janet Jackson. The brothers continued performing into the 1990s, leaving their mark on the dance world and becoming one of the most famous African American dancers.

7: Janet Collins (1917-2003)

Date of Birth: March 7, 1917, Louisiana, U.S.

Date of Death: May 28, 2003, Fort Worth, Texas

Best Works:

• Spirituals
• Canticles
• Broadway performances including Cole Porter’s Out of This World

Accolades:

• Donaldson Award for the Best Broadway Dancer

Janet Collins was a trailblazing African American ballerina, choreographer, and teacher. Raised in Los Angeles, she studied classical ballet and modern and ethnic dance. At 15, she auditioned for the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo but declined when asked to paint her skin white. In 1949, she made her notable debut at the 92nd Street Y in New York, showcasing her choreography.

Despite racial discrimination, she rose to prominence, starring in the Broadway musical Out of This World in 1951 and joining the Metropolitan Opera House as the first Black prima ballerina in 1952.

Collins danced with Katherine Dunham, appeared in films like Stormy Weather (1943) and The Thrill of Brazil (1946), and toured with Talley Beatty. She also taught at the School of American Ballet and Manhattanville College.

8: Pearl Primus (1919-1994)

Date of Birth: November 29, 1919, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago

Date of Death: October 29, 1994, New York, U.S.

Best Works:

• African Ceremonial
• The Wedding
• Strange Fruit
• The Negro Speaks of Rivers
• Michael, Row Your Boat Ashore

Accolades:

• Rosenwald Foundation Scholarship
• National Medal of Arts

Pearl Primus, one of the famous African American dancers, choreographer, anthropologist, and teacher, played a key role in bringing African dance to American audiences. Primus earned a degree in biology from Hunter College in 1940 but faced racial discrimination when seeking employment in her field.

She turned to dance, joining the National Youth Administration’s dance unit and debuting with the New Dance Group in 1943. Her early choreographic work, “African Ceremonial” (1944), showcased her studies of African heritage.

Primus’s choreography addressed significant social issues, such as lynching in “Strange Fruit” (1945) and racial violence in “Michael, Row Your Boat Ashore” (1979).

9: Donald McKayle (1930-2018)

Date of Birth: July 6, 1930, East Harlem, New York City

Date of Death: April 6, 2018, Irvine, California

Best Works:

• Rainbow ‘Round My Shoulder
• Games

Accolades:

• Tony Award
• Emmy Award nominee

Donald McKayle began his dance education at the New Dance Group in New York City, learning from legends like Martha Graham, Merce Cunningham, and Pearl Primus. He performed with Graham and José Limón before being chosen by Jerome Robbins as the dancing captain for the first West Side Story performance.

Raised in East Harlem, McKayle aimed to depict the experiences of Black Americans and confront racial injustice through dance. His notable work, Rainbow ‘Round My Shoulder, portrays the harsh realities of a Southern chain gang and became part of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater repertory. McKayle was a pioneer in insisting on multiracial dance companies, believing that prejudice stems from fear and ignorance of those who look different.

10: Geoffrey Holder (1930-2014)

Date of Birth: August 1, 1930, Port-of-Spain, Trinidad

Date of Death: October 5, 2014, New York City, USA

Best Works:

• Live and Let Die
• The Wiz
• Prodigal Prince

Accolades:

• Two Tony Awards for The Wiz (Best Direction and Best Costume Design)

Geoffrey Lamont Holder was a versatile Trinidadian-American artist known for his contributions to dance, choreography, acting, music, directing, and painting. He began dancing in his brother’s troupe, the Holder Dance Company, before taking over as director in the late 1940s.

Holder made a significant impact as Baron Samedi in the Bond film Live and Let Die and won acclaim for directing and designing costumes for The Wiz, earning two Tony Awards.

Being a famous African American dancer and a pioneer in showcasing his skill, Holder choreographed pieces for Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, blending Afro-Caribbean and modern dance. He was also a talented painter, selling his works to fund his move to New York.