In printStandard scholarly reference
Jazz Dance: The Story of American Vernacular Dance
Marshall Stearns, Jean Stearns · Macmillan (Da Capo reprint) · 1968
Why this source matters
Built from interviews with the surviving vaudeville and Harlem hoofers themselves (Whitey's Lindy Hoppers, the Nicholas Brothers, Rubberlegs Williams), it is the foundational attribution record for American vernacular dance, including the acrobatic and eccentric acts that fed Broadway.