The Flo-Bert Award honors "outstanding figures in the field of tap dance".
Named for eminent African-American performers Florence Mills and Bert Williams, the awards began in 1991. Flo-Bert, Ltd, the non-profit organization that makes the selections, was founded by historian and researcher Delilah Jackson in 1989. The organization is sponsored by the New York Foundation for the Arts.
The Flo-Bert Award is given annually. Honorees include Gregory Hines, Cab Calloway, Gene Kelly, Savion Glover, and the Nicholas Brothers. The award is meant to recognize life achievement in performing, teaching or supporting the art of tap dance.
The organization holds an awards show, The Tap Extravaganza. It is produced by The New York Committee to Celebrate National Tap Dance Day.
listed alphabetically; year of award indicatedJerry Ames, founder and artistic director of Jerry Ames Tap Dance Company; 2006Maceo Anderson, original member of The Four Step Brothers, early innovator of the acrobatic tap style; 1994Cholly Atkins, partner of Charles "Honi" Coles; Motown choreographer; 1993Bob Audy; 2007Jean Bach; 2008Clayton "Peg Leg" Bates; 1991John Bedford; 2006Phil Black; 1996Bunny Briggs; 1999Ernest "Brownie" Brown, member of the Hoofer's Club, original member of The Original Copasetics, half of vaudeville duo Cook and Brown; 2003Brenda Bufalino, creator and choreographer for the American and International Tap Dance Orchestras; 1999Cab Calloway, dancer and bandleader; 1992Lon Chaney; 1991The Cotton Club Girls; 1992Harold Cromer, Stumpy of the tap team Stump and Stumpy; 2005Stanley Donen, film director (Singing in the Rain, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers); 2003Paul Draper, partner of Larry Adler; 1993Arthur Duncan; 2004Mercedes Ellington, choreographer, dancer, producer; first black member of the June Taylor Dancers, granddaughter of Duke Ellington; 2009Savion Glover, star of Bring in da Noise, Bring in da Funk; 2000Yvette Glover, mother of Savion Glover; 2007Jane Goldberg, tap performer and historian; 2002Chuck Green; 1991Ralph Guild; 2006Lionel Hampton, musician; 1995Barry Harris, pianist, composer and teacher; 1998George Hillman; 1991Gregory Hines, brother of Maurice Hines; 1998Maurice Hines, brother of Gregory Hines; 2008Milt Hinton, jazz bassist; 1997Melba Huber; 1996Delilah Jackson, founded Flo-Bert, Ltd. and the Flo-Bert Awards; 2001Gene Kelly; 1994Sali Ann Kriegsman; 1997Mable Lee, singer-dancer, one of the original Apollo Girls; 2004Jeni LeGon, member of the Whitman Sisters; 2001Henry LeTang, taught Gregory Hines; choreographer of the movies Tap and The Cotton Club, Broadway plays Eubie, Black and Blue and Sophisticated Ladies; 1995Bernard Manners; 1991Frankie Manning, member of Whitey's Lindy Hoppers; 2004Ann Miller; 1994Deborah Mitchell, founder of the New Jersey Tap Ensemble; 2007Cobi Narita; 2005The Nicholas Brothers; 1992Donald O'Connor; 1997Frank Ownes, pianist/arranger/composer; 2002Radio City Rockettes; 1996Leonard Reed, inventor of the Shim Sham Shimmy; 2000LaVaughn Robinson; 2005Jo Rowan; 2006The Silver Belles; 1992Randy Skinner; 2010Jimmy Slyde; 1991Prince Spencer, one of the Four Step Brothers; 2009Peggy Spina; 2008Bross Townsend, pianist; 1996Tommy Tune; 2003Dianne Walker; 2003George Wein, originator of the Newport Jazz Festival; 2004Ruth Williams, founder of the Ruth Williams Dance Studio in Harlem; 1996