The Nicholas Brothers on AllMovie

Fayard (b. 1917) and Harold (b. 1924) Nicholas, a sophisticated black dance team, featured an intricate, highly acrobatic, smooth style. The children of vaudeville musicians, they began dancing onstage in their early youth.They made their professional debut as a team in 1931, and a year later appeared at the legendary Cotton Club, where they remained as regulars for many years. They went on to perform on Broadway in such shows as Ziegfeld Follies of 1936 and Babes in Arms (1937); they also toured in clubs and theaters around the country and appeared in Europe in such shows as Blackbirds of 1936. Debuting onscreen in 1932, the brothers appeared in a number of films through the late '40s and gained renown for their jumps, backflips, and splits; later they quit movies, but frequently appeared on TV. Late in their lives, both brothers made solo dramatic appearances on stage and screen. Harold married and divorced actress Dorothy Dandridge.