February 26
Born Today:
Bunny Briggs
Legendary tap dancer Bunny Briggs (1922-2014) was inspired to dance early on after seeing legendary tap dancer Bill “Bojangles” Robinson (1878-1949) perform live. Like many of his peers, Briggs learned to dance by watching and mimicking other tap dancers as he developed his own style. He began performing at the age of five, later joining Big Band music groups in the 1940s and he appeared on TV variety shows in the 1960s. During the 1990s revitalization of tap dance, Briggs became a mentor to Savion Glover (1973-), one of the next generation of tap dancers.
Also Born Today: Lithuanian-born Vytautas Beliajus (1908-1994) is responsible for popularizing and teaching international folk dance in the United States and he founded the folklore magazine Viltis. Susanna Egri (1926-) taught and performed modern dance throughout Italy in the 1950s and 1960s, supporting the development of the art form. Dancer Damita Jo Freeman (1953-) was a Soul Train dancer who performed with Don “Campbellock” Campbell (1951-2020) in the 1970s and appeared in movies in the 1980s.
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Broadway Premiere: Jerome Robbins' Broadway in 1989
Movie: Hairspray (the John Waters version) released in 1988