By Donald True Van Deusen

Mention dancing to most people and they are almost certain to think of Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, or Gene Kelly. A few might even mention Donald O’Connor or Eleanor Powell. Some might think in terms of classic ballet and Mikhail Baryshnikov or Rudolf Nureyev. A few old timers might mention Bill Robinson and his famous routine of tap dancing up and down a staircase with little Shirley Temple.

Talk about tap dancing, jazz tap dancing, and you start hearing about The Step Brothers, The Berry Brothers, Buck and Bubbles, Peg Leg Bates, Maurice and Gregory Hines. But if you asked any of these people about "the class act" in jazz tap dancing there’s one name that is certain to head the list—"The Nicholas Brothers."- Fayard and Harold Nicholas. Fayard Antonio Nicholas was born in Mobile, Alabama on Oct. 28, 1914. Harold Lloyd Nicholas was born March 17, 1921 in Winston-Salem, N.C.. In 1926, their parents, both professional musicians, moved to Philadelphia where they headed the pit orchestra of The Standard theater. Fayard and his brother saw great acts working the Standard, practiced routines and, as "naturals," worked hard to make it look easy.

As kids, they played the Standard, Earle and Pearl in 1929 and were later featured at the Royal at 15th and South Streets. They even played the radio program, The Horn & Hardart Kiddie Show, in 1931. They went to the Cotton Club in New York to work with Duke Ellington, whose sophisticated dress and jazz style complemented their own tailored look and performance.

"Brotherhood in Rhythm—the jazz tap dancing of the Nicholas Brothers" by Constance Valis Hill, a jazz dancer, choreographer teacher and writer, a loving tribute to the brothers, will be released next month by Oxford University Press. It is unarguably the most comprehensive piece on the brothers ever produced. It is long overdue! Ms Hill intertwines jazz history, tap dancing and racial prejudice that "downplayed" the brothers to just supporting players in Hollywood films.

"Leonard Maltin’s Movie Encyclopedia," notes the brothers’ "eye-popping blend of acrobatics, leaps, splits and tapping left audiences gasping." Among their more than 30 films were Pie, Pie, Blackbird, 1932; Kid Millions, 1934; The Big Broadcast of 1936,1935; Down Argentine Way and Tin Pan Alley,1940; The Great American Broadcast and Sun Valley Serenade, 1941; Orchestra Wives, 1942; Stormy Weather, 1943 and The Pirate, 1948. Harold appeared solo in Tap and other films. They were on the stage with Bob Hope and Fanny Brice in Ziegfield Follies and in London with Lew Leslie’s Blackbirds of 1936 among many stage and show appearances including TV.

I saw them in "Sun Valley Serenade" and stage shows at the Apollo, Roxy and Paramount during the 1940s.It seemed nothing could top Tex Beneke’s vocal with Glenn Miller in "Sun Valley" on "Chatanooga Choo Choo" when the Nicholas Brothers came on with Dorothy Dandridge, who Harold later married. They did a series of steps, glides, vocal jazz riffs that exploded on the screen bringing spontaneous applause from the audience. It was characteristic of all their film and stage work with the charming, boyish, almost impish grin of Harold and benevolent, loving look of Fayard. They executed ballet-like almost gravity-challenging steps that had everyone cheering. Many dance experts, Ms Hill noted in a recent phone interview, thought the brothers ballet-trained. Their show-stopping performance of " I’ve Got A Gal in Kalamazoo" in "Orchestra Wives" was even more mesmerizing.

They have received numerous awards including their own star on Hollywood’s "Walk of Fame." They were given the prestigious Kennedy Center Award in 1991, the Dance Magazine Award in 1995, the American Dance Festival’s Samuel Scripps Award in 1998, a Carnegie Hall tribute and a retrospective of their film work on a 1981 Academy Awards special. Fayard received a Tony Award for his choreography of the show "Black and Blue" in 1989..

Who’s Who in Hollywood says they were, "the greatest dance team ever to work in Hollywood." Astaire, Baryshnikov, Ballanchine, Sammy Davis, Jr. and dozens of top critics and performers have all been equally effusive in their praise. Gregory Hines, said in his introduction to "Brotherhood in Rhythm," that he and his brother (Maurice) aspired to be the "next Nicholas Brothers." He added that "nobody…could be The Next Nicholas Brothers’"… because "they owned it."

Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly were great. The Nicholas Brothers were unarguably right up there with them. When it came to jazz tap dancing, they were in a class by themselves. We can thank Ms Hill for reminding us.