It’s been more than seven decades since this truly remarkable dance scene was captured on film, and the astonishing thing is that the routine becomes even more impressive when you learn the history behind it.
The scene was filmed for the 1943 film Stormy Weather, starring Lena Horne and Bill Robinson.
Look at what posters used to look like back then.
Wow!
Photo Credit: Wikipedia
In it, the Nicholas brothers, Harold and Fayard, danced acrobatically to Cab Calloway’s song, Jumpin’ Jive.
What’s really incredible about the scene is that the brothers did it in one take, unrehearsed.
Look at these dapper kids!
Photo Credit: 20th Century Fox
Fred Astaire called the scene “the greatest dancing he had ever seen on film.”
Stormy Weather was added to the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress in 2001 for being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.”
Photo Credit: 20th Century Fox
Are you ready? Because you’re about to get your mind absolutely blown.
Here’s the full video of the incredible dance routine.
I’d like to see anyone else pull that off in one take, unrehearsed. Not gonna happen… but I’d like to see it.
So what happened to them? Well, according to Wikipedia…
In 1991, the Nicholas Brothers received Kennedy Center Honors to recognize their achievements spanning 60 years.
A year later, a documentary film We Sing & We Dance celebrated their careers and included tributes from Mikhail Baryshnikov, Gregory Hines, M.C. Hammer, and Clarke Peters.
In 1994, members of the cast of Hot Shoe Shuffle also paid tribute to the Nicholas Brothers.
Wow… now those are some serious heavy hitters from the dance world paying them tribute. So happy to see they didn’t fade in obscurity.
What did you think about this routine?
Let us know in the comments!
