Jack Wiggins was an

African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

entertainer of the early twentieth century, now remembered primarily for his elegant style in

tap dance Tap dance is a form of dance characterized by using the sounds of tap shoes striking the floor as a form of percussion. Two major variations on tap dance exist: rhythm (jazz) tap and Broadway tap. Broadway tap focuses on dance; it is widely perfo ...

. Wiggins worked as a performer at the

Hoofers Club The Hoofers Club was an African-American entertainment establishment and dancers' club hangout in Harlem, New York, that ran from the early 1920s until the early 1940s. It was founded and managed by Lonnie Hicks (1882–1953), an Atlanta-born ragt ...

on "

Swing Street ''Swing Street'' is the twelfth studio album by composer and singer Barry Manilow, released in 1987. Three of the tracks on the album featured Manilow in a duet with another singer. The tracks were recorded at various locations. This album marks ...

" in

Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street (Manhattan), 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and 110th Street (Manhattan), ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, where he inspired Laurence Donald "Baby Laurence" Jackson (later a member of the Tap Dance Hall of Fame). Wiggins also influenced Fayard and Harold Nicholas of the famous

Nicholas Brothers The Nicholas Brothers were an entertainment act composed of biological brothers, Fayard Nicholas, Fayard (1914–2006) and Harold Nicholas, Harold (1921–2000), who excelled in a variety of dance techniques, primarily between the 1930s ...

tap duo. Wiggins was recognized as a master soloist in the "Class Act" style of tap dancing. A signature dance of Wiggins' was the "tango twist." In a 1993 interview with ''

The Los Angeles Times ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

'',

Nipsey Russell Julius "Nipsey" Russell (September 15, 1918 – October 2, 2005)Nipsey J. Russell, born September 15, 1918, died October 2, 2005. Social Security Administration. ''Social Security Death Index'' (Death Master File).U.S. Census, January 1, 1920, s ...

remarked that he had been inspired to become a performer around the age of 10 while watching Wiggins on stage. "He came out immaculately attired in a well-dressed street suit and he tap-danced," Russell said. "As he danced, he told little jokes in between. He was so clean in his language and was lacking in any drawl, he just inspired me. I wanted to do that.""Rhyming Funnyman Nipsey Russell Dies," by Joe Holley, October 4, 2005, ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

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References

African-American male dancers African-American dancers American male stage actors African-American male actors American male comedians American tap dancers Year of death missing Year of birth missing Place of birth missing American male dancers African-American male comedians {{dance-bio-stub