Recent Event Highlights: My Brother's Keeper - The Story of the Nicholas Brothers, Fayard Nicholas : My Brother Harold, Nicholas Brothers The Greatest Dance Team Ever, Down Argentine Way (1940) - Nicholas Brothers - "Down Argentine Way", # 260 LENA HORNE - Stormy Weather (1943), Nicholas Brothers+Aphex Twin (Twin Brother) Window Licker, and 33 more...
Created by dipity on May 10, 2010
Last updated: 01/09/11 at 01:19 PM
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"My Brother's Keeper - The Story of the Nicholas Brothers" is at the Black Ensemble Theater thru May 16th, 2010. Having danced for nine US presidents, headlined shows all over the world, and appeared in every major television show, nightclub, and theater in America, the Nicholas brothers danced their way into the hearts of millions with successful careers spanning sixty years. Appearing at segregated clubs in the 1930s all the ...way into music videos in the 1990s, Fayard and Harold Nicholas dismantled racial barriers and became the most famous dance team of the twentieth century. This tribute will reflect the power and excitement of these two dazzling men. My Brothers Keeper also features other artists from the Harlem Renaissance such as: Cab Calloway, Dorothy Dandridge and Bill Bojangles Robinson.
Fayard and Harold Nicholas, whose careers span more than six decades, make up one of the most beloved dance teams in the history of dance - the Nicholas Brothers. Legends in their own time and most recently portrayed in the award-winning made-for-television documentary, "We Sing and We Dance," they are best known for their unforgettable appearances in Hollywood musicals of the 1930s and 40s. Their artistry and choreographic brilliance, as manifested in their unique style - a smooth mix of tap, ballet, and acrobatic moves - have astonished and excited Vaudeville, theater, film, and television audiences all over the world. According to "Who's Who in Hollywood", the Nicholas Brothers are "...certainly the greatest dance team ever to work in the movies." The Nicholas Brothers were contracted to the Twentieth Century Fox studio in 1940 and made six films there. In all, they have made over thirty films, of which they themselves consider "Stormy Weather" (1943), their personal favorite. It features their now-classic, breathtaking staircase routine, their last appearance on film as a routine. Their lst appearance on film as a team was on of the highlights of MGM's 1985 compilation, "That's Dancing!"
Please Visit: www.JessieSawyers.com Bio: Jessie Sawyers involvement in the entertainment industry spans over a decade. She began tap dancing at the age of eleven under the direction of Cheryl Johnson and Anthony Peters at the Johnson & Peters Tap Dance Studio in Seattle. She has had the honor of studying with tap masters Ernest "Brownie" Brown, Harold "Stumpy" Cromer, Arthur Duncan, Jeni LeGon, and the late tap greats Cholly Atkins, Gregory Hines, Fayard Nicholas, LaVaughn Robinson, Jimmy Slyde, and Prince Spencer. Jessie has worked with Savion Glover and performed his choreography in DANCE This at the Paramount Theatre, a stage upon which she was also invited to dance with the late Gregory Hines. Internationally, Jessie has been a featured soloist at the Vancouver International Tap Dance Festival, where she has also shared the stage with the illustrious Dianne "Lady Di" Walker and has been assisting Ms. Walker's master classes for the last three years. Commercial Credits include a promotional video for Intel and commercials and appearances for Ivar's as their tap dancing clam mascot. In 2006, Jessie founded SoleSound Tap Dance Company, through which her choreography has been well received at the Century Ballroom's Masters of Lindy Hop and Tap, the Vancouver International Tap Dance Festival, and Microsoft Corporation. Jessie received her education in business at the University of Washington-Bothell Business School with a concentration in technology and innovation ...
Fayard Nicholas & Harold Nicholas dance up a storm as usual!
STORMY WEATHER, 1943 Directed byAndrew L. Stone Produced byWilliam LeBaron Written byJerry Horwin, Seymour B. Robinson (story) HS Kraft (adaptation) StarringLena Horne Bill Robinson Cab Calloway Katherine Dunham Fats Waller Fayard Nicholas Harold Nicholas Ada Brown Dooley Wilson Music byHarold Arlen CinematographyLeon Shamroy Editing byJames B. Clark Distributed by20th Century Fox Release date(s)July 21, 1943
Featuring the Nicholas Brothers from Stormy Weather dancing to Aphex Twin's "Window Licker" Edited by Daniel Hillel-Tuch special mention to mortdubois and Bootsthealchemist from b3ta.com for the video idea.
Fayard & Harold Nicholas dance to Mika's hit song 'Blame It On The Girls'. The Nicholas Brothers' original choreography is to 'Jumpin' Jive' from the 1943 film Stormy Weather. Fred Astaire once called that performance "the greatest dance number ever filmed". When I heard Mika's 'Blame It On The Girls' I not only became an instant Mika fan, I was also inspired to put the images of this amazing Nicholas Brothers number to it... Enjoy!
The Nicholas Brothers Fayard and Harold, with Dorothy Danbridge to the Shalimars 'Stop and take a look at yourself' The Twisted Wheel is a non commercial, interest site only. Should any copyright owner feel this offends, infringes or interferes in any way with legitimate rights of use, I will remove the item from display.
Original: www.youtube.com I've added MJ's moonwalk and the smooth criminal song, which goes REALLY NICE with the video.
From Wikipaedia: The Nicholas Brothers were a famous African-American team of dancing brothers, Fayard (19142006) and Harold Nicholas (19212000). With their highly acrobatic technique ("flash dancing"), high level of artistry and daring innovations, they were considered by many the greatest tap dancers of their day. Growing up surrounded by Vaudeville acts as children, they became stars of the jazz circuit during the heyday of the Harlem Renaissance and went on to have successful careers performing on stage, film, and television well into the 1990's.
Nicholas Brothers in Stormy Weather
Fayard Nicholas of the famous Nicholas Brothers performs at The Improv in LA in August 2002 at the age of 87. In this clip he sings a ditty he wrote himself about his dance partner brother Harold
Eubie Blake and his Orchestra with "I'll Be Glad When You're Dead You Rascal You" and accompanying the very young Nicholas Brothers in their first film dancing on "China Boy".
From the all-black musical "The Black Network" - Fayard and Harold Nicholas with "Lucky Numbers"; not only dancing but singing as well; especially Harold was a superb singer.
A wonderful exhibition of tap dancing to the tune of Down Argentina way. Excerpt from the same 1940 movie.
A land of a thousand splits, in the aftermath of the Stormy Weather brought by the lightning Nicholas Bros. After the Jumpin' Jive girls, the queen of tap appears. In Lady Be Good (1941), she danced with a dog, and this time with a horse! This is not only the end of the movie, but also the grand finale of her stardom.
Fayard Nicholas describes and imagines how much money the Nicholas Brothers would have made if they had been dancing in 1998 besides the 1930s and 1940s.
The Reel People - Fayard Nicholas Interview, Dancing, Wonderful Taps, Steps, Movies
Yet another musical scene at a station. After the impressive performance of 'Do I Worry' by Bobby Brooks Quartet, Tip Tap and Toe come out. This sequence appears to be deeply influenced by a musical scene in The Great American Broadcast (1941) where the Nicholas Brothers (on suitcases) and the Ink Spots performed as baggage smashers.
Dan Daily and the Berry Brothers (only Ananias and Warren) perform Chattanooga Choo-Choo in You're My Everything (1949). Reminds me of Gene Kelly and the Nicholas Bros in Pirate (1948), but I like this one better. The song was originally performed by the Nicholas Bros and Dorothy Dandridge with the Glenn Miller Orchestra in San Valley Serenade (1941), and this performance is sort of a revamped version of the Nicholas Bros' routine at the Toledo station in The Great American Broadcast (1941). Nick Castle was a dance director in both TGAB and YME. This is not for people who haven't seen the Berry Bros. First you must see them as trio (Ananias, James, Warren) in Lady Be Good (1941) and Panama Hattie (1942).
The Four Step Brothers perform It Goes To Your Toes in Greenwich Village (1944). Can anyone ID the 5 musicans with the Bros?
They always do the same routine, and always fabulous!
Eleanor Powell's stair tap routine in Honolulu (1939). She is great as usual, but the device of the stairs is amazing!
Bill Robinson's famous stair tap routine in Harlem Is Heaven (1932). His sound and beat are the most recognizable. So groovy. I could listen to it all day! When I can't fall asleep, sometimes I remember this scene instead of couting sheeps. Gregory Hines did exactly the same routine at the end of the TV movie Bojangles (2001). BTW, Harlem Is Heaven is very hard to find. I have only this part from it. Does anyone have the whole film?
The Nicholas Brothers and Bill Robinson dance to Miss Brown To You in The Big Broadcast Of 1936 (1935). QUIZ - Dorothy Dandridge, future wife of Harold Nicholas, made movie debut in The Big Broadcast Of 1936 as one of the Dandridge Sisters, and she is actually IN THIS VIDEO. Where is she? More about the Nicholas Brothers: strongerthanparadise.blog122.fc2.com About Dandridge's film and TV appearances as singer: strongerthanparadise.blog122.fc2.com
Gregory Hines with 4 masters, Bunny Briggs, Jimmy Slyde, Buster Brown, and Sandman Sims, from Dance In America: Tap (1989). MAY DA BEAT BE WITH U
Gregory Hines with Brenda Bufalino and the American Tap Dance Orchestra, from Dance In America: Tap (1989). This show is 30 times more interesting than the movie Tap in the same year. MAY DA BEAT BE WITH U
The Nicholas Brothers' legendary performance in Stormy Weather (1943) with commentaries by Gregory Hines, Maurice Hines and Fayard Nicholas himself. From the great documentaries We Sing & We Dance (1992) and Flying High (1999). Needless to say, this is one of their bests. It's a jet coaster ride!! What Gregory Hines didn't mention there is that the staircase routine at the climax is sort of a tribute to Bill Robinson who made a specialty of dancing on a staircase. He could tap up and down stairs beautifully. Well then, how did the successors go down stairs? That's what "creation" is all about. And also, the sequence where the Bros dance on the orchestra bandstand is a variation of Robinson's 'African Dance' number in the same movie where he taps on an assemblage of drums. Soon after Stormy Weather, the Condos Bros tapped around a bandstand in Song Of The Open Road (1944) like the Nicholas Bros did, and, in Sensations Of 1945 (1944), girls did splits on huge white tiers reminiscent of the Jumpin' Jive staircase. Fayard says the staircase scene was done in one take without any rehearsal. It's totally different from a perfectionist like Fred Astaire who obsessively rehearsed and shot his routine over and over again. Though discipline is a very important thing, that staircase sequence seems beyond what the repetition of rehearsals can achieve. Remember most of the great jazz records were done in just one or a few takes. That's one of the reasons why it is so fresh and vivid ...
From the Jacksons show, Feb 23, 1977 3 of the greatest dancers of all time together. Janet would work with the Nicholas Bros again in the Alright video (1990), btw. If you are a Michael fan and don't know who the Nicholas Bros are, just watch this: www.youtube.com
Soundie from 1942. Hi-dee hi-dee hi-dee-ho! Check out the fabulous Reggae Philharmonic Orchestra's cover in 1988 on my channel: www.youtube.com
Soundie from 1942. Love Dandridge in the early '40s, which was I suppose the happiest days in her life. So lovely and could really sing!! About Dandridge's film and TV appearances as singer: strongerthanparadise.blog122.fc2.com
The Nicholas Bros perform the title song in Down Argentine Way. It was the very beginning of their golden years in the early 1940s. To be accurate, it's from 1940 to 1943. During the period, they appeared in six films in Hollywood - Down Argentine Way (1940), Tin Pan Alley (1940), The Great American Broadcast (1941), Sun Valley Serenade (1941), Orchestra Wives (1942) and the legendary Stormy Weather (1943). And this is definitely one of their bests. It's actually equal with the famous 'Jumpin' Jive' routine in Stormy Weather. By this time, the Bros, Fayard and Harold, had already been stars at Cotton Club in Harlem and also appeared in several films, such as Kid Millions (1934), The Big Broadcast Of 1936 (1935), Calling All Stars (1937), etc. They were already fabulous in the '30s. This film, however, tells that in those days the little brothers were, so to speak, only "Padawans". Now they were back on screen as "Jedi Knights"! In the first place, Irving Cummings, director of DAW, intended to edit and shorten the Bros' scene, while dance director Nick Castle made a claim for including it in its entirety. A test screening was held, where the audience raised a cheer for the Bros and shouted to the operator in the projection booth to rewind the film and show their dance sequence again (the operator actually did it), which settled the argument. It eventually survived and now you can watch it here. The Nicholas Bros were known as "the Show Stoppers" in the '30s. Nobody could ...
The Nicholas Bros on The HW Palace, aired on Nov 14, 1964. The song is My Kind Of Town, which was sung by Sinatra in the Rat Pack film, Robin And The Seven Hoods. The Bros changed the name of the town from "Chicago" to "Manhattan". Vocals and tap sound are not live, but yet a great performance. Fayard still does a split here (he would develop arthritis afterward and stop doing a split, but stayed on the good foot until his last years by having two hip replacements). This performance was staged by Nick Castle, a famous Hollywood choreographer, who worked with the Bros during their glorious 20th Century Fox period in the early '40s. The Bros repeated the same old routines after that, this performance, however, features something new, along with some reminiscences of their 20th Century Fox appearances - an elegant split in a slow motion (Orchestra Wives, 1942), Fayard turning around & around with splits (Down Argentine Way, 1940), an astonishing finish with a dynamic jump into a split (Tin Pan Alley, 1940), etc. More about the Nicholas Brothers: strongerthanparadise.blog122.fc2.com MAY DA BEAT BE WITH U
Fayard Nicholas and his 1st wife Geraldine (Geri, also the closest friend of Dorothy Dandridge who was the 1st wife of Harold Nicholas) talk about days in Amerika in the early '50s and "one of the very big entertainers" rubbing Harold's head for good luck. From a 1999 documentary called Fying High. Harold was Sammy Davis' idol and also his role model. Well...needless to say, I am definitely NOT a Sinatra fan. More about the Nicholas Brothers: strongerthanparadise.blog122.fc2.com MAY DA BEAT BE WITH U
Master Jimmy Slyde at the White House 1998 MAY DA BEAT BE WITH U
Savion Glover and his company NYOTs, Omar Edwards, Abron Glover, Jason Samuels, Ayodele Casel, at the White House 1998 MAY DA BEAT BE WITH U
Gregory Hines at the Apollo Theatre 1985 Fayard Nicholas on Teddy Hale: One tap dancer who came along after all the other great dancers were established was Teddy Hale. He had all that rhythm and syncopation in his feet. But do you know, I never saw him do the same show twice, even if he was appearin' at the Apollo Theatre in New York and was doin' let's say five shows a day. I remember one time sittin' in the theater and being so amazed seein' this man as he was goin' through his act. I stayed for the next show, and he did a different dance altogether! He was an improvisation dancer. Like a drummer. I watched him for five shows; each show was different. And to the same music! He was makin' up the dance as he was goin' along! At the time he was doing that most dancers were doing set choreography, set routines that were written to music. But Teddy Hale could play anything! You could just beat on the table, he'd dance, just do anything - and always look good! (interviewed by Rusty E. Frank on June 4, 1988) MAY DA BEAT BE WITH U
The Nicholas Brothers TV performance in 1964 (Fayard would have been 50 and Harold 43 years old at the time) cut to Eddie Holland's great 1964 song "Just ain't enough love". Lyrics:- Ohhhh, just ain't enough love Ohhhh, oohhh, just ain't enough love These are the words My baby spoke As she bid her last goodbye. With tears in my eyes As she walked from my side. I sadly asked her why And she said, ohhh, ohhh, just ain't enough love And she said, ohhh, ohhh, just ain't enough love Now I was too busy But that girl of mine I'd buy her gifts from time to time So sure, this would satisfy 'Til she up and left me, with this reply She said, ohhh, ohhh, just ain't enough love I gotta leave you, because Ohhh, ohhh, just ain't enough love She said, ohhh, ohhh That's what she told me She said, ohhh, ohhh, ain't enough love I said, sweet thing, sweet thing Please don't leave I'm so sorry I made you grieve So confident pretty words Would make her stay But this is what she said As she turned and walked away She said, ohhh, ohhh, just ain't enough love She said, ohhh, ohhh, just ain't enough love Ain't enough love, baby That's what she told me Ain't enough love baby That's what she said about me boy For those unfamiliar, Eddie Holland was the lyricist brother of Brian, along with fellow composer Lamont Dozier in the formidable Motown songsmith trio Holland Dozier Holland. TheTwisted Wheel is a non commercial, interest site only. Should any copyright owner feel this offends, infringes or ...
Quite simply, the greatest tap dancing (and dance) team of all time: The Nicholas Brothers.
Alltime greatest tap dancers.
=)
The Nicholas Brothers perform The Jumpin' Jive with Cab Calloway in Stormy Weather. Fayard Nicholas watches and comments 60 years later.
great tap dance by Fayard and Harold Nicholas
The best pair of acrobatic tap dancers in Hollywood last century
Fred Astaire once called this performance "the greatest dance number ever filmed."
The greatest tap performance ever. I'm not too fond of tap myself, but this is amazing.
Here's a clip from the movie "Stormy Weather" (1943) featuring Cab Calloway and his orchestra performing "Jumpin Jive". After awhile they let the Nicholas Brothers jump in and lend their feet to the action. ==================== Note that must moderate the comments here now because of some bad apples. Sorry...
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