1. Nicolas Brothers Presentation by: Brookelyn Prince

2. Early Life Fayard Nicholas 1914–2006 Harold Nicholas 1921-2000. The Nicholas Brothers grew up in Philadelphia, they were sons to musicians, their mother on the piano and their father on the drums. They had their own band and they played at the Standard Theater. Fayard was always seated in the front row watching all the performers, especially the dancers.

3. Early Life continued. After watching the famous Vaudeville dancers like Alice Whitman, Willie Bryant and Bill Robinson Fayard would go mimic the dances to all the neighborhood kids. Once Harold was old enough he caught up to his brother and would dance along side of him.

4. Nicholas Brothers Early Success http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4zHeVSQLoQ

5. Fast Success Word soon spread through the city about their unique dancing abilities, and they were first hired for a radio program called, "The Horn and Hardart Kiddie Hour”. Then they got hired from theateres, like the Standard and the Pearl. While at the Pearl Theater, the manager of the famous New York Vaudeville Showcase, The Lafayette, saw them dance. Overwhelmed by what he saw, he immediately signed them up for his theater. Ziegfeld Follies; 1936, Broadway.

6. Beginning of their career From the Lafayette, the Nicolas Brothers opened at the Cotton Club in 1932 and amazed their white audiences just as much as the residents of Harlem, slipping into their series of spins, twists, flips, and tap dancing to the jazz tempos of "Bugle Call Rag". After working in the Cotton Club for two years The Nicholas Brothers then journeyed to Hollywood in 1934 to appear in the films "Kid Millions", "The Big Broadcast" (1936), and "Black Network".

7. Filming in London In a short film that they made in London during this period, "Calling All Stars", (1937) they learned lots of ballet techniques. The impression that the Nicholas Brothers made upon Balanchine, the choreographer, was so unforgettable that he invited them to appear in the Rogers and Hart Musical, "Babes in Arms", for the 1937 Broadway season. The Nicholas Brothers had incorporated so many ballet moves into their tap routine that audiences were starting to believe that they were ballet dancers.

8. Busy Life Style The nightclub and concert circuit took over their career, and there were long tours of South America, Africa and Europe. In 1948 they gave a royal command performance for the King of England at the London Palladium. Later, they danced for nine different presidents of the United States.

9. Awards The Nicholas Brothers have received many tributes and awards, which include: A star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, The Kennedy Center Honors and an honorary doctorate degree from Harvard University. They were also inducted into the first class of the Apollo Theater's Hall of Fame and the Black Filmmaker's Hall of Fame.

10. Nicholas Brothers Awards and Honors Dance Magazine Award; 1995 Gypsy Award presented by the Professional Dancers Society; 1994 Star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame; 1994 Flo-Bert Award; 1992 The National Black Media Coalition Lifetime Achievement Award; 1992 Kennedy Center Honors; 1991 Harbor Performing Arts Center Lifetime Achievement Award to Harold; 1991 Tony Award to Fayard for choreography of "Black and Blue"; 1989 DEA Award presented to Harold by the Dance Educators of America; 1988 "Ebony" Lifetime Achievement Award; 1987 Apollo Theater's Hall of Fame, First Class Inductees; 1986 Ellie Award presented by the National Film Society; 1984 Bay Area Theaters Critics Circle Award to Harold for Best Principal Performance in "Stompin' at the Savoy"; 1981 Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame; 1978

11. Their Activities Continue In April 1995, the Nicholas Brothers received the "Dance Magazine" Award around the same time as the opening of Harold's latest film, "Funny Bones", and in April 1996 they completed a very successful residency at Harvard and Radcliff as Ruth Page Visiting Artists in Dance.

12. Filming 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. “Stormy Weather” features their now-classic, breathtaking staircase routine, their last appearance on film as a routine. Their first appearance on film as a team was on of the highlights of MGM's 1985 compilation, "That's Dancing!"

13. The Nicholas Brothers Filmography Night at the Golden Eagle (2002) Broadway: The Golden Age, by the Legends Who Were There(2002) Night at the Golden Eagle (2001) *Funny Bones; 1995, Suntrust Films A&E Special, The Nicholas Brothers: We Sing and We Dance 1992 *The Five Heartbeats; 1990. Twentieth Century *Tap; 1989, Hoofer Films/Tri-Star. That's Dancing!; 1985, MGM/UA *That's Entertainment! 1974, MGM *Uptown Saturday Night; 1974, Warner Brothers. **The Liberation of L.B. Jones; 1970, Columbia. *L'Empire de la nuit; 1963, UFA-Comacio, Pathe News Reel; 1948 Botta e Riposta; 1951, Italian The Pirate; 1948, MGM Dixieland Jamboree; 1946, Vitaphone short subject Carolina Blues; 1944, Columbia. *The Reckless Age; 1944, Universal. *Take It or Leave It; 1944, Twentieth Century Fox. Stormy Weather; 1943 Orchestra Wives; 1942, Twentieth Century Sun Valley Serenade; 1941, Twentieth Century Fox. The Great American Broadcast; 1941, Twentieth Century Fox. Tin Pan Alley; 1940, Twentieth Century Down Argentine Way; 1940, Twentieth Century Fox Calling All Stars; 1937, British Lion. My American Wife; 1936 MGM. The Black Network; 1936, Vitaphone short subject Coronado; 1936, MGM. The Big Broadcast of 1936; 1935, Paramount The All-Colored Vaudeville Show; 1935, Vitaphone short subject. Kid Millions; 1934, Samuel Goldwyn. Pie, Pie Blackbird; 1932, Vitaphone short subject. *Harold Nicholas solo **Fayard Nicholas solo

14. The Nicholas Brothers Stage Credits * If These Shoes Could Talk; 1993, Milwaukee, WI. * My One and Only; 1992, Fayetteville, N.C. *Sophisticated Ladies; 1992, Dallas, TX. *Sophisticated Ladies; 1992, Houston, TX. *Sweet 'n' Hot in Harlem, 1991, (choreography), Buffalo, N.Y. *Sophisticated Ladies; 1991, Sacramento, CA. *The Nutcracker; 1990, San Diego, CA. *Sophisticated Ladies; 1989, Long Beach, CA. *My One and Only; 1989, San Diego, CA. *My One and Only; 1989, San Bernadino, CA. **Black and Blue, 1989, Broadway. The Tap Dance Kid; 1985 & 1986, National Tour. *Waltz of the Storch Boogie; 1984, Off- Broadway. *Sophisticated Ladies; Las Vegas, NV. *Stompin' at the Savoy; 1981, San Francisco, CA. *Evolution of the Blues; 1978, San Francisco, CA. Sammy on Broadway; 1974, Broadway. *Free and Easy; 1960, Paris, France. *Free and Easy; 1959, Amsterdam, Holland. St. Louis Woman; 1946, Broadway. Babe in Arms; 1937, Broadway. Lew Leslie's Blackbirds; 1936, London, England. Ziegfeld Follies; 1936, Broadway. *Harold Nicholas solo **Fayard Nicholas solo

15. Video Clips Nicholas Brothers in Stormy Weather http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBb9hTyLjfM&feature=fv wrel http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBb9hTyLjfM&feature=fv wrel Nicholas Brothers We Sing and We Dance http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c3TyBfT-rqA