The Nicholas Brothers Dance History Wyatt Regis Wyatt Regis Prof. Nakamura DN-T 20 6/1/2018 The Nicholas Brothers Human expression can be seen in many different fashions. They vary from written stories, spoken legends, to dance, expressing one’s self through bodily movement. Dance was once used to communicate with gods and the spirits, essentially it was vital to many historic cultures. Dance has evolved greatly since those days. Today it is a form of entertainment and expression with many varieties and genres found all over the world. Each dance has a different purpose and meaning behind their movements. Some genres tell stories while others are reactions and movement to the music being played. These styles had many …show more content…
Fayard Antonio Nicholas, born on October 20, 1914 in Mobile, Alabama, and his younger brother Harold Lloyd Nicholas, born on March 17, 1921 in Winston-Salem North Carolina, came from a very musical family. Their mother Viola played the classical piano and their father Ulysses was a drummer. Both parents performed in orchestras throughout the early 1900s. Growing up in this musical family brought many opportunities for the brothers to see some of the most famous African American performers at the time. Seeing legends like Louis Armstrong inspired the brothers to follow an artistic path. Through these experiences they taught themselves how to dance, sing, and perform like their heroes on the stages in front of them. Together the brothers revolutionized tap dance and changed the public’s perception on the dance. They introduced the world to a style of dance called ‘dubbed classical tap’. A combination of jazz, ballet, and acrobatics used their childhood experiences and fantastic showmanship to heavily influence tap …show more content…
Rusty Frank says that “Their appearance in the short film Pie, Pie Blackbird led to a string of features in Hollywood motion pictures, including Kid Millions, An All-Colored Vaudeville Show, and The Big Broadcast of 1936” (Frank). These siblings were truly a triple threat. There was not much they couldn’t do, they sang, danced, and acted. Their performances varied from movies, television shows, clubs, and they worked their way into Broadway. Their Broadway debut came in 1963 on The Ziegfeld Follies. Their great abilities caught many people’s attention. One important person they intrigued was George Balanchine. He took the brothers and had them star in some of his works one being Babes in Arms. Another film the star brothers starred in was Sun Valley Serenade where they performed a piece about a train on its way to Chattanooga. The Brothers performance in this film is considered one of the best dances in the history of cinema. It was this performance and performances in other films, shows, and their shows that amazed the dance world. Theguardian.com wrote, “Baryshnikov declared they were the most ‘amazing dancers’ he’d ever seen” (Mackrell). Fayard and Harold were the stars of the dance world and inspired those around