October 20 …

Fayard Nicholas was one half of the legendary Nicholas Brothers, whose work reshaped American dance and expanded the possibilities of entertainment on stage and screen.

Born on October 20, 1914 in Mobile, AL and raised largely in Los Angeles, Nicholas was raised in a family deeply immersed in music and performance. His father, Ulysses D. Nicholas, was a drummer for notable jazz orchestras, while his mother, Viola Harden Nicholas, was a classically trained pianist. This nurturing environment fostered a daily life filled with rhythm, timing, and musical discipline, allowing Fayard to internalize both the formal structures of music and the improvisational essence of jazz from a young age. This foundation would later enable him to develop a style that appeared effortless yet was remarkably precise.

Together with his younger brother Harold Nicholas, Fayard created a distinctive dance style that seamlessly blended tap, ballet, acrobatics, and vernacular Black dance traditions. At just 18, alongside 11-year-old Harold, they became the featured act at the Cotton Club in New York City in 1932. The brothers gained recognition for their unique form of rhythm tap, a combination of jazz steps, daring athletic moves, and the elegance of ballet.

While Fayard was largely self-taught, he recognized the value of classical training to refine his skills. He studied ballet to enhance his line, balance, and control—an unconventional yet audacious choice for a tap dancer of his time. Drawing inspiration from the grace of European ballet, the rhythmic vigor of jazz musicians, and the showmanship of prior tap legends, Fayard became the creative force behind many of the brothers’ routines. He was adept at structuring dances with a choreographer’s vision, expertly balancing musicality, athleticism, and visual storytelling while allowing for moments of spontaneity.

Mentorship was a significant aspect of Fayard Nicholas’s journey, starting with his parents and expanding to a wider community of Black performers in vaudeville, Harlem revues, and Hollywood. Established artists recognized the brothers’ exceptional talent early in their careers and offered guidance on professionalism, stagecraft, and navigating a segregated entertainment landscape. Fayard later became a mentor himself, imparting wisdom about rhythm, phrasing, and respect for music to younger dancers who viewed him as a vital link between the history and future of tap.

Fayard Nicholas’s impact on American entertainment is inseparable from the groundbreaking film appearances of the Nicholas Brothers, which challenged racial barriers and set new technical standards for dance on screen. They featured in over 60 films showcasing their signature staircase routine.

Their performances in Hollywood musicals illustrated that tap could be just as visually captivating and structurally intricate as any classical dance form. Fayard’s calm authority and refined musicality grounded the duo’s dynamic athleticism, transforming dance from mere decorative entertainment into a central narrative force in American popular culture.

The Nicholas Brothers are widely regarded as the greatest tap dancers of their era and continue to be celebrated as the best of all time. Their performance in “Jumpin’ Jive” — alongside Cab Calloway and his orchestra in the 1943 film Stormy Weather — is heralded as one of the greatest dance routines ever recorded on film.

Throughout his long life, Fayard received numerous accolades celebrating his influence on American culture and history, many of which he shared with his brother. These honors recognized not only their technical brilliance but also their role in reshaping perceptions of Black artistry in the United States.

The legacy of Fayard Nicholas continues to resonate in the vernacular of modern tap, the cross-genre integration of dance styles, and the countless performers who look to his work as a benchmark of innovation, discipline, and artistic bravery.