American entertainment act
The
Nicholas Brothers
were an entertainment act composed of brothers,
Fayard
(1914–2006) and
Harold
(1921–2000), who excelled in a variety of dance techniques, primarily between the 1930s and 1950s. Best known for their unique interpretation of a highly
acrobatic
technique known as "
flash dancing
", they were also considered by many to be the greatest
tap dancers
of their day, if not all time. Their virtuoso performance in the musical number "Jumpin' Jive" (with
Cab Calloway
and his orchestra) featured in the 1943 movie
Stormy Weather
has been praised as one of the greatest dance routines ever captured on film.
Growing up surrounded by
vaudeville
acts as children, they became stars of the jazz circuit during the
Harlem Renaissance
and performed on stage, film, and television well into the 1990s. Diminutive in size, they were appreciated for their artistry, innovation, and soaring leaps.
Early lives
[
edit
]
Fayard Antonio Nicholas
was born October 20, 1914, in
Mobile, Alabama
,
[1]
and
Harold Lloyd Nicholas
was born March 17, 1921, in
Winston-Salem, North Carolina
,
[1]
to Viola Harden (
maiden;
1893?1971), a pianist, and Ulysses Dominick Nicholas (1892?1935), a drummer.
The Nicholas Brothers grew up in
Philadelphia
, the sons of college-educated musicians who played in their own band at the
Standard Theater
. At the age of three, Fayard would always sit in the front row while his parents worked, and by the time he was ten, he had seen most of the great African-American
vaudeville
acts?particularly the dancers, including such notables of the time as
Alice Whitman
,
Willie Bryant
, and
Bill Robinson
.
[2]
The brothers were fascinated by the combination of tap dancing and acrobatics. Fayard often imitated their acrobatics and clowning for the kids in his neighborhood.
[2]
Neither Fayard nor Harold had any formal dance training.
[3]
Fayard taught himself how to dance, sing, and perform by watching and imitating the professional entertainers on stage. He then taught his younger siblings, first performing with his sister Dorothy as
the Nicholas Kids
, later joined by Harold. Harold idolized his older brother and learned by copying his moves and distinct style. Dorothy later opted out of the act, and the Nicholas Kids became known as
the Nicholas Brothers
.
[4]
Career
[
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]
As word spread of their talents, the Nicholas Brothers became known around Philadelphia. They were first hired for a radio program,
The
Horn and Hardart
Kiddie Hour
, and then by other local theatres such as the Standard and the Pearl. When they were performing at the Pearl, the manager of The Lafayette, a New York vaudeville showcase, saw them and immediately wanted them to perform for his theater.
[2]
The brothers moved to
Philadelphia
in 1926 and gave their first performance at the Standard a few years later.
[5]
In 1932, they became the featured act at
Harlem
's
Cotton Club
when Harold was 11 and Fayard was 18. They astonished their mainly white audiences dancing to the jazz tempos of "
Bugle Call Rag
"; they were the only entertainers in the African-American cast allowed to mingle with white patrons.
[3]
They performed at the Cotton Club for two years, working with the orchestras of
Lucky Millinder
,
Cab Calloway
,
Duke Ellington
, and
Jimmy Lunceford
. During this time, they made their uncredited movie debut, in the 1932 short
Pie, Pie Blackbird
, featuring
Eubie Blake
and his orchestra.
[2]
[6]
The brothers attributed their success to their unique style of dancing - a hybrid of
tap dance
,
ballet
, and
acrobatics
sometimes called "acrobatic dancing" or "flash dancing"
[1]
- which was greatly in demand during this time.
[7]
Producer
Samuel Goldwyn
saw them at the Cotton Club and invited them to California to be a part of
Kid Millions
(1934), their first performances in a Hollywood movie. The brothers made their Broadway debut in the
Ziegfeld Follies of 1936
and also appeared in
Richard Rodgers
and
Lorenz Hart
's musical
Babes in Arms
in 1937. They impressed their choreographer,
George Balanchine
, who invited them to appear in
Babes in Arms
. With Balanchine's training, they learned many new stunts. Their talent led many to presume they were trained ballet dancers.
[8]
By 1940, they had moved to Hollywood and for several decades divided their time between movies, nightclubs, concerts, Broadway, television, and extensive tours of Latin America, Africa, and Europe.
[1]
They toured England with a production of
Blackbirds
.
[2]
They gave a
Royal Command Performance
at the
London Paladium
for King
George VI
in 1948.
[6]
In 1991, the Nicholas Brothers received
Kennedy Center Honors
in recognition of their six decades of achievements. A year later, a documentary film,
We Sing & We Dance
, celebrated their careers and included tributes from
Mikhail Baryshnikov
,
Gregory Hines
,
M.C. Hammer
, and
Clarke Peters
. In 1994, members of the cast of
Hot Shoe Shuffle
also paid them tribute.
[9]
Teaching
[
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]
The Nicholas Brothers taught master classes in tap dance as teachers-in-residence at
Harvard University
and
Radcliffe
at Ruth Page Visiting Artists. Among their known students are
Debbie Allen
,
Janet Jackson
, and
Michael Jackson
.
[2]
Several of today's master tap dancers have performed with or been taught by the brothers:
Dianne Walker
, Sam Weber, Lane Alexander, Mark Mendonca, Terry Brock,
[10]
Colburn Kids Tap/L.A, Channing Cook Holmes,
[11]
Chris Baker, Artis Brienzo, Chester Whitmore, Darlene Gist, Chris Scott, Tobius Tak,
[12]
Carol Zee, and Steve Zee.
[13]
Style and moves
[
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]
The brothers were particularly known for their expressive use of their hands and arms while dancing, particularly tap. One of their signature moves was to
leapfrog
down a long, broad flight of stairs, completing each step with a
split
. Its best remembered performance is in the finale of the movie
Stormy Weather
(1943).
[3]
In that routine, the Nicholas Brothers leapt exuberantly across the orchestra's music stands and danced on the top of a grand piano in a
call and response
act with the pianist, to the tune of "
Jumpin' Jive
".
[3]
Fred Astaire
once told the brothers that this dance number was the greatest number he had ever seen on film.
[14]
Numerous articles have been written about this whole dance being filmed in one take and unrehearsed. As unbelievable as that sounds, the Nicholas Brothers confirmed it in an interview shortly before their recognition at the 14th Annual Kennedy Center Honors. The choreographer,
Nick Castle
, said, "Just do it. Don`t rehearse it, just do it." And so it was done, unrehearsed and in one take, which relieved Harold Nicholas because he did not want to do the rigorous routine over and over all night.
[15]
[3]
[16]
In another signature move, they would rise from a split without using their hands.
[3]
Gregory Hines
declared that if their biography were ever filmed, their dance numbers would have to be computer-generated because no one now could emulate them.
[3]
Ballet legend
Mikhail Baryshnikov
once called them the most amazing dancers he had ever seen in his life.
[17]
Personal lives
[
edit
]
Fayard
[
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]
Fayard married four times. His marriage to Geraldine Pate lasted from 1942 until their divorce in 1955.
[18]
[19]
That year, he married Mexican dancer Victoria Barron.
[20]
[21]
As of May 1960, that marriage remained intact, with "Vicky" also working alongside Fayard professionally.
[22]
He married Barbara January in 1967,
[19]
the same year he converted to the
Baha?i Faith
,
[23]
and they remained together until her death in 1998. He married Katherine Hopkins in 2000.
[24]
He died on January 24, 2006, of
pneumonia
contracted after a
stroke
.
[3]
His memorial service, presided over by Mary Jean Valente of
A Ceremony of the Heart
, was standing-room only and featured personal tributes, music, dance, and one last
standing ovation
.
[25]
Two of Fayard's granddaughters dance as the "Nicholas Sisters"
[26]
and have won awards for their performances.
[27]
Harold
[
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]
Harold was married three times.
[28]
From 1942 to 1951, he was married to singer and actress
Dorothy Dandridge
, with whom he had one child, Harolyn Nicholas, who was born with a severe
intellectual disability
[29]
In Paris, he had a son, Melih Nicholas, with his second wife Elayne Patronne. He lived on New York's
Upper West Side
for twenty years with his third wife, producer and former
Miss Sweden
, Rigmor Alfredsson Newman.
[
citation needed
]
Harold died July 3, 2000, of a
heart attack
following minor surgery.
[30]
[31]
Filmography
[
edit
]
According to a
Los Angeles Times
article on the brothers, "Because of racial prejudice, they appeared as guest artists, isolated from the plot, in many of their films. This was a strategy that allowed their scenes to be easily deleted for screening in the
Jim Crow
-era South".
[32]
Carmen Miranda, something of a sensation on Broadway and therefore a subject for exploitation in this appearance, performs four characteristic numbers but plays no part in the film save as herself. Charlotte Greenwood contributes comedy and a bit of dancing, both in the vein she is known for, but it is the Nicholas Brothers, Negro dance team, which stops the show.
[33]
?
Down Argentine Way (20th Century-Fox) - REVIEW, Motion Picture Herald
Awards and honors
[
edit
]
Other achievements
[
edit
]
See also
[
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]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
"Error | Kennedy Center"
.
The Kennedy Center
. Archived from
the original
on November 1, 2006.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
"Biography"
Archived
October 30, 2014, at the
Wayback Machine
. The Nicholas Brothers' official website.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
"Dancer Fayard Nicholas dies at 91"
,
USA Today
(Associated Press) (January 25, 2006).
- ^
"Nicholas Brothers".
Encyclopædia Britannica
. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2013. Web. November 6, 2013.
- ^
Imogen Sara Smith,
"The Nicholas Brothers"
Archived
November 14, 2013, at the
Wayback Machine
, Dance Heritage Coalition, 2012.
- ^
a
b
McLellan, Dennis; Segal, Lewis (January 26, 2006).
"Fayard Nicholas, 91; He Was Elder Half of Tap-Dancing Nicholas Brothers"
.
Los Angeles Times
. p. 136 – via
Newspapers.com
.
- ^
Persky-Hooper, Marci (August 22, 1987). "The Nicholas Brothers: 50 Years Of Footwork".
New Pittsburgh Courier
. p. 6.
ProQuest
201781716
.
- ^
Biography (p. 5)
Archived
October 30, 2014, at the
Wayback Machine
, Nicholas Brothers website.
- ^
"The Nicholas Brothers - Home"
. Archived from
the original
on October 17, 2010.
- ^
"NWT"
.
NWT
.
- ^
"Los Angeles Choreographers and Dancers - Colburn Kids Tap/L.A"
. Archived from
the original
on February 4, 2007.
- ^
"National Tap Ensemble cast"
. Archived from
the original
on February 23, 2007.
- ^
Everybody Dance! meet our teachers
Archived
September 30, 2007, at the
Wayback Machine
- ^
Hill, Constance Valis (2000).
Brotherhood in Rhythm : The Jazz Tap Dancing of the Nicholas Brothers
. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 184.
ISBN
0-19-513166-5
.
- ^
"Those Dapper Tappers"
,
Chicago Tribune
, 22 Dec 1991.
- ^
Nicholas Brothers
dancing in "Jumpin' Jive" in
Stormy Weather
(1943)
- ^
Mackrell, Judith (October 6, 2016).
"Mean feet: the tap-dancing duo who were Fred Astaire's heroes"
.
The Guardian
.
- ^
"Nevada County Marriages, 1862-1993," database with images, FamilySearch (
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QL4L-K7RK
: 22 July 2021), Fayard Nicholas and Geraldine Pate, 10 Feb 1942; citing Marriage, Clark, Nevada, United States, Nevada State Museum and Historical Society, Las Vegas; FHL microfilm 005241845.
- ^
a
b
Gates, Henry Louis; Higginbotham, Evelyn Brooks (2008).
The African American National Biography
. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 148.
ISBN
978-0-19-516019-2
.
- ^
Hill, Constance Valis (2000).
Brotherhood in Rhythm : The Jazz Tap Dancing of the Nicholas Brothers
. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 243.
ISBN
0-19-513166-5
.
- ^
"Secret Told"
.
The Pittsburgh Courier
. November 5, 1955. p. 1. Retrieved March 27, 2022.
- ^
"Rusty Draper Swings Into La Fiesta Light"
.
El Paso Times
. May 29, 1960. p. 14-B. Retrieved March 27, 2022.
- ^
"bahaistudy.net"
.
ww38.bahaistudy.net
. Archived from
the original
on October 9, 2007.
- ^
Loudon, Janet (August 6, 2001).
"Tap-dancing brothers honored as artistic pioneers"
.
The Post-Star
. Glens Falls, New York. pp. 7,
12
. Retrieved
March 27,
2022
– via newspapers.com.
Actress Katherine Hopkins Nicholas, Fayard's lovely blonde bride of one year, said he is a beautiful human being as well as a beautiful star and told of their romance after his beloved first wife died.
- ^
Program of Fayard Nicholas' memorial service
Archived
October 1, 2007, at the
Wayback Machine
- ^
Misha Berson,
"Can't stop the hop: Swing-dance artists visit Seattle"
,
The Seattle Times
, August 16, 2006.
- ^
Century Ballroom Presents, 2nd Annual The Masters of Lindy Hop and Tap
[
permanent dead link
]
- ^
"Fayard Nicholas of renowned Nicholas Brothers dancing duo dies"
,
Jet
, February 13, 2006.
- ^
Sanders, Charles L.
(August 22, 1963).
"Tragic Story Of Dorothy Dandridge's Retarded Daughter"
.
Jet
. pp. 22?23
. Retrieved
February 5,
2021
.
- ^
Dunning, Jennifer (July 4, 2000).
"Harold Nicholas, Dazzling Hoofer, Is Dead at 79"
.
New York Times
. Retrieved
June 9,
2010
.
The cause was heart failure following surgery at New York Hospital, said Bruce Goldstein, a friend and a writer of the 1992 documentary, Nicholas Brothers: We Sing and We Dance.
- ^
"Harold Nicholas Obit"
.
National Public Radio
. July 3, 2000
. Retrieved
June 9,
2010
.
Harold Nicholas suffered a heart attack early today, following minor surgery at a New York hospital.
- ^
Dennis McLellan and Lewis Segal,
"Nicholas Brothers - Dance Team"
,
Los Angeles Times
, July 2, 2000, and January 26, 2006.
- ^
"Motion Picture Herald (Sep-Oct 1940) - Lantern"
.
lantern.mediahist.org
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
i
j
k
l
m
"Awards & Honors"
Archived
October 30, 2014, at the
Wayback Machine
, Nicholas Brothers website.
- ^
a
b
"Nicholas Brothers: Harold and Fayard"
. Archived from
the original
on November 29, 2006
. Retrieved
January 7,
2007
.
- Fayard and Harold Nicholas biography
- ^
"Winners: 1989 / Choreographer"
.
Tony Awards
.
- ^
PBS Documentary "Free to Dance" timeline(2001)
, Great Performances
- ^
"DANCEMUSEUM.ORG"
.
www.dancemuseum.org
. Archived from
the original
on August 15, 2009.
- ^
"2011 National Film Registry More Than a Box of Chocolates"
.
Library of
. December 28, 2011
. Retrieved
December 28,
2011
.
- ^
"Preserved Projects"
.
Academy Film Archive
.
Further reading
[
edit
]
- Constance Valis Hill,
Brotherhood in Rhythm: The Jazz Dancing of the Nicholas Brothers
ISBN
0-19-513166-5
External links
[
edit
]