Fayard (1914-2006) and Harold Nicholas (1920-2000) were famous tap dancing brothers. The children of traveling vaudeville musicians, they performed regularly at the Cotton Club in Harlem, dancing their hearts out for many years. Audiences were amazed at the agility and finesse they demonstrated on the dancing floor. They were both consummate dancers with incredible acrobatic skills. Performers on stage, in films and on television, their vital dancing style was like no one else’s. Veteran dancer, Gregory Hines, once said that no duplications of their routines would ever be possible and if a movie about the famous pair were ever made, they would have to be computer-generated.
Their big break came in 1943 with the film, “Stormy Weather.” The two brothers performed deftly with Fred Astaire, who greatly admired their expertise. The brothers themselves stated publicly that the key to understanding their style of dancing lies in the fact that they danced with their whole bodies and not just their legs and arms. Anyone who doubts this claim, has but to see one of the many films in which they performed.
Their movements and routines actually take one’s breath away and seem super-human. For their contributions to the film industry, they have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 7083 Hollywood Boulevard. Harold passed away some five years ago and his older brother, Fayard, lived to be 91 years of age before dying of natural causes in January of 2006. (Dancing must be good for the health).
The dancing brothers appeared in almost forty films over the span of their gilded careers. To this day, no one can come close to the dazzling magic they created with their golden feet.
What are some of YOUR favorite performances by The Nicholas Brothers? Please share.