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29-437: 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

58-519: A stroke . 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 . Two of Fayard's granddaughters dance as the "Nicholas Sisters" and have won awards for their performances. Harold was married three times. From 1942 to 1951, he was married to singer and actress Dorothy Dandridge , with whom he had one child, Harolyn Nicholas, who

87-472: A CD of this production in 2001, including a 34-page booklet with photos of the 1936 cast, lyrics, and a description of the process in reconstructing the original score. In the opening number Brice mocks her famous song ("My Man") in "He Hasn't a Thing Except Me", standing against a lamp-post. In "The Sweepstakes Taker" Brice portrays a Jewish Bronx housewife who wins the Irish sweepstakes. In "Fancy Free' she becomes

116-453: A career in film. Nicholas appeared in over 60 films, including the 1943 musical Stormy Weather with their signature staircase dance. His career was interrupted from 1943 to 1944 when he served in the U.S. Army during World War II . Nicholas achieved the rank of Technician fifth grade while in WWII. After his dance career ended, Nicholas and his wife, Katherine Hopkins Nicholas, embarked on

145-587: A lecture tour discussing dance. In 2003, Nicholas served as "Festival Legend" at the third "Soul to Sole Tap Festival" in Austin, Texas. Nicholas was inducted into the National Museum of Dance C.V. Whitney Hall of Fame in 2001. Fayard was married three times. He remained friends with his first wife, Geraldine Pate, after their divorce. His second wife was Barbara January, and they remained married until her death in 1998. He married dancer Katherine Hopkins in 2000. He

174-962: 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. 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. They toured England with

203-568: A production of Blackbirds . They gave a Royal Command Performance at the London Paladium for King George VI in 1948. 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

232-525: 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. The brothers moved to Philadelphia in 1926 and gave their first performance at the Standard a few years later. In 1932, they became

261-636: The Nicholas Brothers . The musical had a return engagement on Broadway at the Winter Garden Theatre on September 14, 1936, and closed on December 19, 1936 after 112 performances. Brice reprised her role, with the additional cast of Bobby Clark , Gypsy Rose Lee , Cass Daley , and Jane Pickens. Fanny Brice was the star of the Follies and dominated the show, so much so that when she became ill in May 1936,

290-770: The Winter Garden Theatre on January 30, 1936 and closed on May 9, 1936 after 115 performances. Produced by Billie Burke Ziegfeld and Lee Shubert and J. J. Shubert , it was directed by John Murray Anderson and Edward Clarke Lilley, choreographed by Robert Alton , sketches directed by Edward D. Dowling, and ballets directed by George Balanchine . Scenic design and costumes were by Vincente Minnelli , with additional costumes by Raoul Pène Du Bois , and original orchestrations were by Robert Russell Bennett , Conrad Salinger , Hans Spialek and Don Walker . The cast starred Fanny Brice , Bob Hope , Eve Arden , Josephine Baker , Judy Canova , Gertrude Niesen , June Preisser , and

319-458: The 1932 short Pie, Pie Blackbird , featuring Eubie Blake and his orchestra. 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" - which was greatly in demand during this time. Producer Samuel Goldwyn saw them at the Cotton Club and invited them to California to be

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348-482: The affected and bored British "Zuleika" as she exchanges witty remarks with her husband Sir Robert, and, leaving behind elegance, burps in his face and utters a trade-mark "Denk you." As Baby Snooks, Brice stars with popular stars of the day (such as Clark Gable). Gershwin and Duke wrote 28 songs and special material, but almost half were cut. The only song to become popular was " I Can't Get Started (With You) ", helped by an early recording by Bunny Berigan . The song

377-509: The brothers that this dance number was the greatest number he had ever seen on film. Numerous articles have been written about this whole dance being filmed in one take and unrehearsed. As unbelievable as that sounds (there are multiple cuts in the scene, requiring two or more cameras), 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

406-765: The cast of Hot Shoe Shuffle also paid them tribute. 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 . 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, Colburn Kids Tap/L.A, Channing Cook Holmes, Chris Baker, Artis Brienzo, Chester Whitmore, Darlene Gist, Chris Scott, Tobius Tak, Carol Zee, and Steve Zee. The brothers were particularly known for their expressive use of their hands and arms while dancing, particularly tap. One of their signature moves

435-552: 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. 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

464-556: 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 . 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. Neither Fayard nor Harold had any formal dance training. Fayard taught himself how to dance, sing, and perform by watching and imitating

493-613: The most amazing dancers he had ever seen in his life. Fayard married four times. His marriage to Geraldine Pate lasted from 1942 until their divorce in 1955. That year, he married Mexican dancer Victoria Barron. As of May 1960, that marriage remained intact, with "Vicky" also working alongside Fayard professionally. He married Barbara January in 1967, the same year he converted to the Baháʼí Faith , and they remained together until her death in 1998. He married Katherine Hopkins in 2000. He died on January 24, 2006, of pneumonia contracted after

522-571: 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. Fayard Antonio Nicholas

551-463: 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". 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

580-525: The production closed. The Follies were presented as a staged concert in 1999 as part of City Center 's Encores! Great American Musicals in Concert with musical director Rob Fisher and the Coffee Club Orchestra. The revival was directed by Mark Waldrop who also adapted the book, choreographed by Thommie Walsh , the ballet sequence choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon . The scenic consultant

609-523: 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 . As word spread of their talent, the Nicholas Brothers became known around Philadelphia. They were first hired for

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638-510: The vein she is known for, but it is the Nicholas Brothers, Negro dance team, which stops the show. Fayard Nicholas Nicholas was born in Alabama, but grew up primarily in Philadelphia. He learned to dance while watching vaudeville shows with his brother while their musician parents played in the orchestra. His father, Ulysses D. Nicholas, was a drummer and his mother, Viola Harden Nicholas,

667-484: Was John Lee Beatty ; costume coordinator, Gregg Barnes ; lighting by Peter Kaczorowski , sound by Scott Lehrer and projections by Eyewash, Inc. It starred: Christine Ebersole , Ruthie Henshall , Peter Scolari , Howard McGillin , Stephanie Pope, Mary Testa , Karen Ziemba , Bob Walton , Jim Walton , Stanley Bojarski Kevin Chamberlin , Jock Soto , Jenifer Ringer , and Jonathan Sharp. Decca Broadway released

696-476: Was a member of the Baháʼí Faith . Fayard died of pneumonia following a stroke in 2006 at age 91. His widow Katherine died in 2012. Ziegfeld Follies of 1936 The Ziegfeld Follies of 1936 is a musical revue with lyrics by Ira Gershwin , music by Vernon Duke and sketches by Gershwin and David Freedman . The Ziegfeld Follies were a series of revues presented from 1907 through 1931, 1934, 1936, 1943, and 1957. The musical premiered on Broadway at

725-613: Was a pianist. In 1932, when he was 18 and his brother was only 11, they became the featured act at Cotton Club in New York City . The brothers earned fame with a unique style of rhythm tap that blended "masterful jazz steps with daredevil athletic moves and an elegance of motion worthy of ballet". They appeared in the Ziegfeld Follies on Broadway and in London they worked with jazz choreographer Buddy Bradley. The performances led them to

754-650: Was born October 20, 1914, in Mobile, Alabama , and Harold Lloyd Nicholas was born March 17, 1921, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina , 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

783-478: Was born with a severe intellectual disability . 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. Harold died July 3, 2000, of a heart attack following minor surgery. According to a Los Angeles Times article on the brothers, "Because of racial prejudice, they appeared as guest artists, isolated from

812-445: 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. In another signature move, they would rise from a split without using their hands. 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. Ballet legend Mikhail Baryshnikov once called them

841-417: 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). 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 ". Fred Astaire once told

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