She often performed in nontraditional clothing for a female tap dancer at the time, such as low-heeled shoes and "white tails".
Madison performed at the Apollo Theater in New York City from 1933 to 1934 in the first run of the musical Blackbirds of 1933 and during the late 1940s alongside tap dancer LaVaughn Robinson; she also performed in the revival of Blackbirds of 1933 in London.
[2] According to fellow Philadelphia tap dancer LaVaughn Robinson, she regularly danced in "white tails", a top hat, low-heeled shoes, and white pants.
[4] She performed in the first run of Blackbirds of 1933 at the Apollo Theater in New York City from 1933 to 1934, where she danced in the musical number "Tappin' the Barrel"; she was later featured in the London production of the same show.
[7][8] Germaine Ingram, an American choreographer and attorney, surmised that Madison's lack of success compared to her peers may have been related to her darker skin and facial features as well as her challenging of gender norms.