February 11: Today in Dance

Born Today: Charles “Cookie” Cook

Tall-statured tap dancer Charles “Cookie” Cook (1914–1991) partnered with diminutive Ernest “Brownie” Brown (1916–2009) on the vaudeville circuit as opening acts for big bands helmed by Count Basie and Duke Ellington in the 1930s-1940s. In 1949, they joined the Copasetics, a group of 21 master dancers dedicated to the continuation of tap dance in memory of Bill “Bojangles” Robinson…