The Nicholas Brothers

Dancers / Actors

The Nicholas Brothers were a tremendously acrobatic tap dancing team of the mid-20th century. The sons of vaudeville musicians, the brothers began singing and dancing as youngsters. Their act developed into an astonishing mix of tap dancing, flips, splits and other show-stopping moves. They played the Cotton Club alongside luminaries like Duke Ellington and performed on Broadway in the Ziegfeld Follies of 1936 and other shows. In Hollywood they were featured in films like Kid Millions (1934, with Ethel Merman) and Sun Valley Serenade (1941, with Sonja Henie), though as African-Americans they often were given just enough screen time for one showstopping number. Their spectacular staircase dance in the 1943 musical Stormy Weather has become their signature movie moment. In 1991 they were honored at the Kennedy Center for their achievements.

Extra credit: Harold Nicholas was married to actress Dorothy Dandridge during the 1940s... Harold had supporting roles in the 1974 Bill Cosby comedy Uptown Saturday Night and in the 1989 film Tap.

Other fancy dancers: Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly, Sammy Davis, Jr. and Michael Flatley.

The brothers join Jackie Robinson and Louis Armstrong in our loop on Black History.