Today In Black History: The Nicholas Brothers
Today In Black History: The Nicholas Brothers
The two best acrobatic dancers in American history.
Issue #758 Today In Black History, Wednesday, October 30, 2024
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The Nicholas Brothers were born when the entertainment industry was still wracked with racism and discrimination, yet they defied all odds with their undeniable talent and perseverance. Fayard Antonio Nicholas was born on October 20, 1914, and Harold Lloyd Nicholas on March 27, 1921, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, to college-educated musician parents who played in their own band at the Standard Theater.
The brothers’ career began in Philadelphia when they performed as children in vaudeville acts, including at the legendary Cotton Club in Harlem. The Nicholas Brothers quickly became one of its most celebrated acts, sharing the stage with megastars such as Cab Calloway and Duke Ellington.
Neither Fayard nor Harold had any formal dance training. Fayard taught himself to dance, sing, and perform by watching and imitating the professional entertainers on stage. Harold idolized his older brother and learned by copying his moves and distinct style.
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. 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.”
Their exceptional ability to blend tap with ballet and their daring acrobatic stunts made them stand out in black-and-white films like "Stormy Weather" (1943), which featured their iconic "Jumpin' Jive" performance. This sequence is heralded as one of the greatest dance routines in film history.
Despite their talents, like most Black actors at that time, they were often cast in roles that did not fully utilize their capabilities or were edited out of films for white audiences.
The influence of the Nicholas Brothers can be seen in the work of countless artists who followed them, including Michael Jackson and Gregory Hines, who cited the Nicholas Brothers as inspirations.
During their lives, the brothers danced for nine different presidents of the United States.
In 1991, the Nicholas Brothers received Kennedy Center Honors for 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.
Harold Nicholas died July 3, 2000, of a heart attack following minor surgery. Fayard Nicholas died on January 24, 2006, of pneumonia contracted after a stroke.
Today In Black History
In 1831, Nat Turner led the largest slave revolt to date in Southampton County, Virginia.
In 1954, the Department of Defense eliminated all segregated regiments in the armed forces.
In 1966, Dr. Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale created the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense.
In 1974, Muhammad Ali defeated George Foreman in “The Rumble in the Jungle” in Kinshasa, Zaire, regaining the world heavyweight boxing title.
In 1976, Rev. Joseph H. Evans was elected the first Black president of the primarily white United Church of Christ.
In 1979, Richard Arrington was elected as the first Black mayor of Birmingham. Alabama.
In 2023, Magic Johnson became the 4th billionaire athlete after Michael Jordan, Lebron James, and Tiger Woods, according to Forbes.
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Amazing dancers.
To jump several feet and land in the splits, and then to stand up *without using your hands* is the most acrobatic thing I've ever seen. Oh -- and you have to do it in time with the music. Whether they were the greatest tap dancers of all time is academic; they were certainly the strongest.