Master tap dancer Conrad "Little Buck" Buckner spoke to the Black Experience in the Arts course twice. The first time was 9/24/1974 (2015-0002/RR1) Master tap dancer Conrad "Little Buck" Buckner introduced himself to students at the University of Connecticut in his 1974 appearance by performing several dance routines. He told students about growing up in Kansas City, Missouri and how his father, a singer, taught him to tap dance at age 5. As a child, he performed alongside many future famous entertainers such as Jane Wyman, Patricia Wymore, Joan Crawford, and Marlon Brando. Even as a young man he comprehended that he was the only black performer on stage or in a program. Buckner performed on television throughout the 1950s and 1960s, including a September 27, 1959 performance on the nationally televised Ed Sullivan show. Buckner discussed his childhood and early dancing career in his presentation. He closed by discussing how he was the 1st American tap dancer to dance behind the Iron Curtin as part of a 1959 US-Soviet cultural exchance. He felt pride in being able to introduce Supreme Court Chief Justice Earl Warren to the Moscow people. Audio note: the volume falls very low at 10:40 and improves slightly after 11:11; returns fully at 14:20.
Master tap dancer Conrad "Little Buck" Buckner introduced himself to students at the University of Connecticut in his 1974 appearance by performing several dance routines. He told students about growing up in Kansas City, Missouri and how his father, a singer, taught him to tap dance at age 5. As a child, he performed alongside many future famous entertainers such as Jane Wyman, Patricia Wymore, Joan Crawford, and Marlon Brando. Even as a young man he comprehended that he was the only black performer on stage or in a program. Buckner performed on television throughout the 1950s and 1960s, including a September 27, 1959 performance on the nationally televised Ed Sullivan show. Buckner discussed his childhood and early dancing career in his presentation. He closed by discussing how he was the 1st American tap dancer to dance behind the Iron Curtin as part of a 1959 US-Soviet cultural exchance. He felt pride in being able to introduce Supreme Court Chief Justice Earl Warren to the Moscow people.