Caption from poster__

 Bill Bojangles Robinson

 Tap, tap, shuffle, tap. Have you ever tap danced or watched others
shuffle and tap? Some of those moves you've seen may have been
created by legendary tap dancer Bill "Bojangles" Robinson. Born on
May 25, 1878, in Richmond, Virginia, Robinson invented a new way
 to tap, transforming it from a flat-footed dance to a style that pushed
the performer to his toes. Many of Robinson's steps, including the
famous "stair dance," are commonly used today. Where did Mr.
 Bojangles get his feet moving?

 Born in Richmond, Virginia on May 25, 1878, to Maxwell Robinson, a machine-shop worker, and Maria Robinson, a choir singer, Bill Robinson was brought up by his grandmother after the death of his parents when he was still a baby. He was christened Luther, a name he did not like, so he suggested to his younger brother Bill that they should exchange names. When Bill objected, Luther applied his fists, and the exchange was made! (The new 'Luther' later adopted the name Percy and became a well-known drummer.) The details of Robinson's early life are known only through legend, much of it perpetuated by Bill Robinson himself. At the age of six he began dancing for a living, appearing as a "hoofer," or song-and-dance man, in local beer gardens. At age 7, Bill dropped out of school to pursue dancing. Two years later in Washington, DC, he toured with Mayme Remington's troupe. In 1891 (Ed: another source-1892), at the ripe age of 12, he joined a traveling company in The South Before the War, and in 1905 (Ed: another source 1902) worked with George Cooper as a vaudeville team. He gained great success as a nightclub and musical comedy performer, and during the next 25 years became one of the toasts of Broadway. Not until he was fifty did he dance for white audiences, having devoted his early career exclusively to appearances on the black theater circuit.