Brotherhood in Rhythm: The Jazz Tap Dancing of the Nicholas Brothers - Softcover

Hill, Constance Valis

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0815412150 ISBN 13: 9780815412151

Publisher: Cooper Square Press, 2002

Synopsis

Tap dancing legends Fayard (b. 1914) and Harold (1918-2000) Nicholas amazed crowds with their performances in musicals and films from the 30s to the 80s. They performed with Gene Kelly in The Pirate, with Cab Calloway in Stormy Weather, with Dorothy Dandridge (Harold's wife) in Sun Valley Serenade, and with a number of other stars on the stage and on the screen. Author Hill not only guides readers through the brothers' showstopping successes and the repressive times in which their dancing won them universal acclaim, she also offers extensive insight into the history and choreography of tap dancing, bringing readers up to speed on the art form in which the Nicholas Brothers excelled.

About this title

Review:

Patiently, accurately, warmly and quite intelligibly, Constance Valis Hill guides the reader through the Nicholas brothers' career, number by number, positioning them within both white and black theatrical traditions, which she authoritatively delineates.--Mindy Aloff "The New York Times "

Hill's book, one of the few sustained analyses of tap, supplies the background-minstrelsy, 'class' acts, swing-and, along the way, a history of American racism...It also tells a love story.--The New Yorker

A natural for dance enthusiasts, this is also essential reading for anyone interested in entertainment history.--Library Journal

Synopsis:

Tap dance innovators and stars Harold and Fayard Nicholas are the focus of this biography that not only tells of their performances with Duke Ellington and Cab Calloway and their many appearances in films, but also examines their choreographic contributions to the art form of tap.

About this edition

• Publisher: Cooper Square Press
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 0815412150
• ISBN 13: 9780815412151
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 350