When Shirley Temple Black passed away earlier this week, many of the tributes mentioned one of the most iconic scenes in American movie history: The staircase dance that Temple performed with the Bill "Bojangles" Robinson in the 1935 movie The Little Colonel. They were the first interracial couple to dance on screen. But their partnership was more than just a movie milestone.
He was in his 50s. She was six. He called her darlin'; She called him Uncle Billy.
Robinson taught Temple his joyful, elegant tap-dancing routines. She thought he was the perfect partner.
In the 1980s, Black told NPR that Robinson taught her to feel the beat, rather than count it out.
"We held hands and I learned to dance from Bill by listening, not looking at the feet," she said. "It was kind of a magic between us."
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