[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 1]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 699-700]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     THE LEGACY OF FAYARD NICHOLAS

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                         HON. CHARLES B. RANGEL

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 1, 2006

  Mr. RANGEL. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to recognize legendary tap 
dancer Fayard Nicholas who died on Tuesday, January 24, 2006 at the age 
of 91 and to enter into the Record a statement remembering Nicholas 
prepared by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored 
People.
  Nicholas was the elder half of an amazing tap dance legend--The 
Nicholas Brothers. Together the show-stopping duo influenced 
generations of dancers with their wildly creative tap routines, which 
included slides across the floor and signature no-hands leg splits.
  Legends in their own time and ours, Fayard and Harold Nicholas are 
best known for their unforgettable appearances in more than 30 
Hollywood musicals in the 1930s and '40s. They were talented singers 
and actors as well, but Jim Crow segregationist customs kept them from 
having speaking parts. Their artistry, choreographic genius, and unique 
style--a smooth mix of tap, jazz, ballet and acrobatic moves--have 
astonished vaudeville, theatre, film and television audiences all over 
the world. Their work influenced dancers from Gene Kelly to Fred 
Astaire to Debbie Allen, Gregory Hines to Savion Glover. Russian ballet 
dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov once called the Nicholas Brothers ``the most 
amazing dancers I have ever seen in my life--ever.''
  Born in Mobile, the brothers learned to dance while watching their 
musician parents who played in their own band at the old Standard 
Theater--their mother at the piano and father on drums. Fayard was 18 
and Harold was just 11 when they became the featured act at New York's 
Cotton Club in 1932. They then appeared on Broadway with ``The 
Ziegfield Follies of 1936'' and later Hollywood appearing in such great 
hits as ``The Pirate'' (1948) with Gene Kelly and Stormy Weather (1943) 
with Fred Astaire.
  In 1981, the Brothers were honored with a retrospective of their work 
in films at the Academy Awards. Fayard received a Tony Award

[[Page 700]]

for his choreography in the Tony Award winning Broadway show ``Black 
and Blue'' in 1989. Two years later, the brothers received a Kennedy 
Center Honor. Their legacy has also been remembered with a star on the 
Hollywood Walk of Fame and induction into the Apollo Theater Hall of 
Fame. Even after Harold passed away in 2000 due to heart failure, 
Fayard kept their legend alive by giving lectures and demonstrations 
until 2004, when he suffered a stroke.
  Not only is the Nicholas Brother's dance skill to be admired and 
remembered but so is their spirit. With each advancement in their 
career, they overcame racial discrimination, proving that even 
ignorance cannot dampen one's skills and drive. The Nicholas Brothers 
stand as a testament and an example to all by finding joy in following 
one's passion. I join the NAACP in remembering Fayard Nicholas.

     NAACP Mourns the Loss of Legendary Tap Dancer Fayard Nicholas


 Nicholas Brothers duo inspired dancers such as Fred Astaire, Gregory 
                        Hines and Savion Glover

       The National Association for the Advancement of Colored 
     People (NAACP) mourns the loss of Fayard Nicholas, the elder 
     half of the tap-dancing duo the Nicholas Brothers, who died 
     Tuesday in Los Angeles after suffering from pneumonia.
       Bruce S. Gordon, NAACP President and CEO, said ``Both of 
     the Nicholas Brothers will be greatly missed. They took their 
     passion for the art of dance and turned raw talent into 
     skill. Each performance by the Nicholas Brothers demonstrated 
     the depth of their creativity and left audiences gasping at 
     their show-stopping presentation.''
       Fayard and his brother Harold overcame racial boundaries 
     when their vaudeville tap show headlined New York's Cotton 
     Club in 1932. From there the brothers went on to dazzle 
     audiences on Broadway and Hollywood.
       In 1934, the Nicholas Brothers were hired to be in their 
     first major musical titled, Kid Millions, and appeared on 
     Broadway in The Zeigfield Follies of 1936. Despite the lack 
     of formal training, the Nicholas brothers also pioneered in 
     the art of ballet and in 1937, they performed in Babes in 
     Arms.
       Throughout the 1940s, the Nicholas Brothers updated their 
     style and performed in a series of musical films in 
     Hollywood. Among those films was Sun Valley Serenade (1941) 
     with performances with Dorothy Dandridge, whom Harold later 
     married and divorced. In 1948, the pair performed a memorable 
     routine with Gene Kelly in Be a Clown.
       After a series of international tours, nightclub and 
     television performances, the brothers' schedule remained 
     tight. In 1970, Fayard captured the leading role in The 
     Liberation of L.B. Jones and in 1989 won a Tony Award for his 
     choreography of the Broadway revue Black and Blue, featuring 
     child tap star Savion Glover.
       In 1991, the Nicholas Brothers received the Kennedy Center 
     Honors and were honored at the Academy Awards. Harold passed 
     away in 2000 from heart failure, but Fayard continued to give 
     lectures and demonstrations until suffering a stroke in 
     November 2004. Fayard Nicholas was 91.
       Founded in 1909, the National Association for the 
     Advancement of Colored People is the nation's oldest and 
     largest civil rights organization. It's adult and youth 
     members throughout the United States and the world are the 
     premier advocates for civil rights in their communities and 
     monitor equal opportunity in the public and private sectors.

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