Honi Coles and Cholly Atkins on stage, 1948. Cholly Atkins Collection.

Charles "Cholly" Atkins (1913-2003) began his career as a singing waiter in 1929 and formed a vaudeville act, known as "Rhythm Pals," with William Porter. When the team folded, Atkins joined the Cotton Club Boys, who were appearing with Bill "Bojangles" Robinson at New York's 1939 World Fair. The class act formed with Honi Coles lasted through the 1950s and was described as "picture dancing," or "pretty-as-a-picture" movement, in which the slow precision of two dancers sounds like one. When the entertainment market changed, Atkins became a choreographer for Motown Records (1965-1971). He created and coached acts for dozens of artists, including the Temptations, Supremes, Cadillacs, and Aretha Franklin. His work with singers became a specific genre known as "vocal choreography." During the 1980s revival of interest in tap dancing, Atkins won a Tony award for his choreography in Black and Blue (1989). In 1993 he received a three-year, National Endowment for the Arts choreographer fellowship to record his memories, to collaborate on an autobiography, and to tour college and university campuses, holding classes and seminars.