Leon Collins facts for kids
Leon Collins (born February 7, 1922 – died April 16, 1985) was an amazing American tap dancer. He was known for his special style of tap dancing, especially with jazz music.
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Early Life and Starting Dance
Leon Collins was born in Chicago, Illinois. His father was from the West Indies. Leon started tap dancing when he was very young. But at first, he actually wanted to be a prizefighter!
As a teenager, Leon performed with many famous bands. He danced with Count Basie's orchestra, and the bands of Erskine Hawkins, Earl Hines, and Tito Puente. By the time he was seventeen, he moved to Detroit. There, he married a blues singer named Tina Dixon.
Moving to New York and Big Bands
Leon and Tina moved to New York City. Tina was going to perform with the Jimmie Lunceford Orchestra. One day, the opening act for the orchestra got sick. Tina suggested that Leon perform instead. Everyone was very impressed by his dancing. Jimmie Lunceford then signed Leon to a five-year contract. This was a big deal for Leon's career!
A Break from Dancing
Later, rock and roll music became very popular. Big bands were not as in demand anymore. This made it harder for tap dancers like Leon to find work. So, Leon learned to play the guitar. He even went to the Berklee College of Music in Boston.
By the early 1960s, Leon stopped dancing for a while. For fourteen years, he worked on restoring cars.
The Return to Tap Dance
Luckily, tap dance started to become popular again! People like Tina Pratt and Stanley Brown encouraged Leon to start dancing and teaching again. In 1976, he performed with other dancers in a special tap show. This show was in Boston. It led to many new chances for Leon.
He opened a dance studio called Star Steps Studio. He opened it with Mae Arnette, who was known as Boston's First Lady of Jazz. The studio was in the Roxbury area of Boston.
The Leon Collins Dance Studio
In 1982, the studio moved to Brookline. Leon started a new partnership with three of his students. Their names were Clara Brosnaham "CB" Hetherington, Dianne Walker, and Pamela Raff. Together, they opened the Leon Collins Dance Studio Inc.
During this time, Leon also created a dance company. It was called Leon Collins & Co. He performed with his students and a pianist named Joan Hill. They mostly performed in the New England area.
Legacy and Later Years
Leon Collins was known for his amazing tap dancing and teaching. He was especially famous for his work with jazz and bebop music. In his later years, he also danced to classical music. One of his most famous performances was his tap dance version of "Flight of the Bumblebee."
Leon also had a few small parts in movies. A documentary film was made about him called Songs Unwritten. It was released shortly after he passed away. Leon Collins died in Boston in 1985.
In 2007, Leon Collins was honored for his contributions to dance. He was added to the Tap Dance Hall of Fame.
