He won first place and was discovered by famous American entertainer Bill “Bojangles” Robinson, who offered him a job in New York.
Since Brown was still underage, he lived on the money he made from dancing on the streets until he turned 18, when he joined Robinson's show at the Apollo Theater in Harlem.
[1] Throughout the 1930s and 1940s, Brown danced professionally as part of a trio with Carl Gibson and Jerry Reed, and also as a solo dancer in nightclubs.
The show traveled from New York to the West Coast, but fell apart when Robinson suggested taking the group to Richmond, VA.
After his tenure with Robinson, he emerged as a soloist and further developed his signature style, which was characterized by complex, syncopated steps and patterns.