Notable Feet: King of the Hoofers Club
According to author Barbara Glass, “Tap is a truly American dance form deeply indebted to African dance and African-American dancers, a style that is at once abstract, timeless, elegantly and brilliantly metrical, traditional, and yet powerfully molded by the unique personalities and artistic sensibilities of individual performers.” One of those unique performers was King Rastus Brown.
Brown first gained recognition in Harlem in 1910 when he won a buck style tap dancing contest at old Madison Square Garden. In those days, dance contests were the number one way for dancers to make a living and a name for themselves. Because of his originality and fast rhythms, Brown became known as “Mister Tap.”
In spite of conflicting stories about his birth, death and life in general, no one from the period disputes Brown’s greatness and influence on tap dancing as it evolved at the turn of the 20th century. New York City was the hub for tappers of all styles to congregate, work and “steal.” Because tap dancing originated partly as an indigenous form of competitive dance among African and Irish societies, that tendency continued through the 20th century as tap dancers would watch other dancers, copy their steps and then add something “original” and perform it as their own. There were few schools of tap dancing in New York at the time and those that existed did not teach the predominantly black tap dancers. To learn new steps, many tap dancers frequented a certain back room in Harlem not far from the Lafayette Theater between 131st and 132nd streets to experience the newest, wildest and most fascinating tap steps being done.
That room was affectionately called “The Hoofers Club” and it was reached by going down some steps, walking past a concession stand and some gambling tables to a room with only benches and a piano in it. Here, tap dancers would gather on a daily basis for hours and “jam” in their tap shoes. The Hoofers Club was essentially a practice room. It provided a place to watch and learn when dancers from the nearby Lafayette Theater were on break between shows and it served as a 24-hour location for out-of-work dancers to network and find out about auditions. There was never any charge to practice or watch, but the concession stand was always busy.
King Rastus Brown was considered the primary “king” of the buck and wing style of tap. When he walked into the club a breathless air surrounded everyone as they waited excitedly to see what he would do that day. Brown was a flat-foot style buck dancer who did the time step any number of amazing ways followed by an always original combination of fast and rhythmic taps. According to reports, he was willing to help younger dancers learn his steps and this made him a legend.
He toured on the vaudeville theater circuits as a solo performer, winning hearts in cities across the country. When youngsters got his attention to ask for an explanation of a tap step, he would show them. Many of these kids became some of the greatest tap dancers of all time—Prince Spencer (The Four Step Brothers) and Willie Covan (MGM movies) are examples of young men who discovered their love of performing tap after an encounter with Brown. However, one young dancer did not sit on Brown’s good side. King claims his "Stair Dance," one of his best steps, was stolen from him. The young hoofer he pointed a finger at was Bill “Bojangles” Robinson, also a participant at The Hoofers Club.
King Rastus Brown and The Hoofers Club in Harlem were indicative of the brilliant talent in the African-American community in the early part of the decade, but it also exemplified the severe prejudice that permeated society as well.
Though he is a little known figure, King Rastus Brown was an important contributor to the history and tradition of tap.
Resources:
"African American Dance," Barbara S. Glass, McFarland and Co., Inc., Publishers, North Carolina, 2007.
"Jazz Dance, The Story of American Vernacular Dance," Marshall and Jean Stearns, Da Capo Press, New York, 1964.
"Tap! The Greatest Tap Dance Stars and their Stories 1900-1955," Rusty E. Frank, Da Capo Press, New York, 1990.