Nicholas Brothers facts for kids

The Nicholas Brothers in Stormy Weather (1943)

The Nicholas Brothers were an amazing duo of dancing brothers, Fayard (born 1914, died 2006) and Harold (born 1921, died 2000). They were incredibly skilled in many dance styles, especially a very acrobatic technique called "flash dancing". Many people thought they were the best tap dancers of their time because of their artistic and daring moves. Their dance in the 1943 movie Stormy Weather, called "Jumpin' Jive" (with Cab Calloway and his orchestra), is considered one of the most impressive movie dance routines ever.

They grew up around vaudeville shows and became big stars during the Harlem Renaissance. They performed on stage, in movies, and on TV for many years, even into the 1990s!

Early Lives of the Nicholas Brothers

Fayard Antonio Nicholas was born on October 20, 1914, in Mobile, Alabama. His younger brother, Harold Lloyd Nicholas, was born on March 17, 1921, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Their mother, Viola Harden, was a pianist, and their father, Ulysses Dominick Nicholas, was a drummer. Both were college-educated musicians who played in their own band.

The brothers grew up in Philadelphia. Fayard, at just three years old, would sit in the front row watching his parents perform. By the time he was ten, he had seen many famous African-American vaudeville acts, especially the dancers. He was fascinated by how they mixed tap dancing with acrobatics. Fayard often copied their acrobatic moves and funny acts for the kids in his neighborhood.

Neither Fayard nor Harold had any formal dance lessons. Fayard taught himself to dance, sing, and perform by watching and copying professional entertainers. He then taught his younger siblings. At first, he performed with his sister Dorothy as the Nicholas Kids. Later, Harold joined them. Harold looked up to his older brother and learned by copying his unique moves. Dorothy eventually left the act, and the group became known as the Nicholas Brothers.

Their Amazing Career

As more people heard about their talent, the Nicholas Brothers became famous in Philadelphia. They first got a job on a radio show called The Horn and Hardart Kiddie Hour. Then, they performed at local theaters like the Standard and the Pearl. While they were at the Pearl, the manager of The Lafayette, a famous vaudeville theater in New York, saw them. He immediately wanted them to perform for his theater.

The brothers moved to Philadelphia in 1926 and performed at the Standard a few years later. In 1932, they became the main act at Harlem's famous Cotton Club. Harold was only 11 and Fayard was 18. They amazed the audiences, who were mostly white, with their dancing to jazz music. They were the only African American performers allowed to mix with the white customers. They performed at the Cotton Club for two years, working with famous bands like Lucky Millinder's, Cab Calloway's, Duke Ellington's, and Jimmy Lunceford's. During this time, they made their first short movie, Pie Pie Blackbird, in 1932, with Eubie Blake and his orchestra.

Their dance style was a mix of tap dance, ballet, and acrobatics. It was sometimes called acrobatic dancing or "flash dancing." No other dancer or group could match the impact the Nicholas Brothers had on audiences and other dancers. The brothers believed their success came from this special dance style, which was very popular back then.

A movie producer named Samuel Goldwyn saw them at the Cotton Club. He was so impressed that he invited them to California to be in the movie Kid Millions (1934). This was their first role in a Hollywood movie. The brothers also performed on Broadway in the Ziegfeld Follies of 1936 and in the musical Babes in Arms in 1937. Their choreographer, George Balanchine, was very impressed and taught them many new stunts. Their talent was so great that many people thought they had formal ballet training.

By 1940, they had moved to Hollywood. For many decades, they performed in movies, nightclubs, concerts, Broadway shows, and on television. They also toured widely in Latin America, Africa, and Europe.

In 1991, the Nicholas Brothers received Kennedy Center Honors for their amazing achievements over 60 years. A year later, a documentary film called We Sing & We Dance celebrated their careers. Famous dancers like Mikhail Baryshnikov and Gregory Hines praised them in the film.

Teaching Others to Dance

The Nicholas Brothers taught special tap dance classes as visiting artists at Harvard University and Radcliffe. Some of their famous students include Debbie Allen, Janet Jackson, and Michael Jackson. Many of today's top tap dancers have performed with or been taught by the brothers.

Their Amazing Dance Style and Moves

One of their most famous moves was to leapfrog down a long flight of stairs, doing a split on each step. Their best-known performance of this move is in the movie Stormy Weather (1943). In that routine, the Nicholas Brothers leaped over the orchestra's music stands and danced on top of a grand piano. They did this in a call and response style with the pianist, to the song "Jumpin' Jive". The legendary dancer Fred Astaire once told the brothers that this dance number was the greatest movie musical sequence he had ever seen.

Many stories say that this whole dance was filmed in one take and without rehearsal. As unbelievable as it sounds, the Nicholas Brothers confirmed it in an interview. The choreographer, Nick Castle, simply told them, "Just do it. Don't rehearse it, just do it." And so they did, in one take, which made Harold Nicholas happy because he didn't want to do the tough routine over and over.

Another signature move was rising from a split without using their hands. Gregory Hines once said that if a movie were made about them, their dance numbers would need computer effects because no one today could copy them. Ballet legend Mikhail Baryshnikov called them the most amazing dancers he had ever seen.

Personal Lives

Fayard Nicholas

Fayard was married three times. His first marriage to Geraldine Pate lasted from 1942 to 1955. He married Barbara January in 1967 and they were together until she passed away in 1998. He married Katherine Hopkins in 2000.

Fayard died on January 24, 2006, from pneumonia after having a stroke. His memorial service was very well attended and included personal stories, music, dance, and a final standing ovation.

Two of Fayard's granddaughters now dance as the "Nicholas Sisters" and have won awards for their performances.

Harold Nicholas

Harold was also married three times. From 1942 to 1951, he was married to singer and actress Dorothy Dandridge. They had one child, Harolyn Nicholas, who was born with a severe intellectual disability. In Paris, he had a son, Melih Nicholas, with his second wife. He lived in New York for twenty years with his third wife, Rigmor Alfredsson Newman, who was a producer and former Miss Sweden. Harold died on July 3, 2000, from a heart attack after a small surgery.

Filmography

A Los Angeles Times article mentioned that because of racial prejudice, the Nicholas Brothers often appeared as guest artists in their films, separate from the main story. This allowed their scenes to be easily removed for showings in places that had segregation.

Awards and Honors

• Harold received the DEA Award from the Dance Educators of America.
• Harold received the Bay Area Critics Circle Award (Best Principal Performance, Stompin' at the Savoy).
• Harold received the Harbor Performing Arts Center Lifetime Achievement Award.
• Both brothers received an honorary doctorate from Harvard University.
• Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame (1978).
• Ellie Award (1984), National Film Society for both brothers.
• Apollo Theater's Hall of Fame (1986), First Class Inductees for both brothers.
• Ebony Lifetime Achievement Award (1987) for both brothers.
• Fayard received Broadway's 1989 Tony Award as Best Choreographer for Black and Blue with his co-choreographers Cholly Atkins, Henry LeTang, and Frankie Manning.
• Scripps American Dance Festival Award.
• Kennedy Center Honors in 1991 for both brothers.
• The National Black Media Coalition Lifetime Achievement Award (1992).
• Flo-Bert Award (1992).
• New York's Tap Dance Committee, Gypsy Award (1994).
• A star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 7083 Hollywood Blvd (1994).
• Professional Dancer's Society, Dance Magazine Award of (1995).
• The 1998 Samuel H. Scripps American Dance Festival Award for Lifetime Achievement in Modern Dance.
• National Museum of Dance Mr. & Mrs. Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney Hall of Fame Inductees (2001).

Other Achievements

• In 1948, the Nicholas Brothers performed for King George VI at the London Palladium.
• A special showing of their film work was featured at the 1981 Academy Awards ceremony.
• Carnegie Hall was completely sold out for a tribute to the brothers in 1998.
• During their lives, the brothers danced for nine different presidents of the United States.
• The brothers' home movies were chosen to be part of the National Film Registry in 2011. Some of these home movies were saved by the Academy Film Archive in 2016.

See also

In Spanish: Hermanos Nicholas para niños