I loved it when Fayard said, "That's my brother!" as Harold was dancing. RIH to all of the great legends that are no longer here with us. Tap is truly a lost art form.
A resurgence is needed! And because tap is nearly 100% influenced by black culture it would be fitting with tradition that black dancers are the ones who bring it back into the mainstream. I hope that happens.
Fayard and Harold Nicholas are in a class by themselves. I can't say they were, I said they ARE in a class of their own. No tap dancer to date has ever come close to the spectacular performance displayed not only in the movie "Stormy Weather" but also their performances as children. As Wikipedia states, "Their performance in the musical number "Jumpin' Jive" (with Cab Calloway and his orchestra) featured in the movie Stormy Weather is considered widely as the most virtuosic dance display of all time". There is no doubt for me that they will always remain the creme de la creme of tap dancing.
Sammy Davis Jr. learned and preformed with all those Men ever since he was a child. It was nice to see them get together to honor Sammy and this remains one of the best Kennedy Center performances.
The best tap dancers of all time. I've seen Sandman Sims, Jimmy Slyde and Fayard Nicholas in person, tap dancing at a show. and also Ludie Green. Amazing!!! for a person that is just learning tap. I was in total awe. Also saw Gregory Hines perform a piece in LA a few years before he passed. He was amazing. I spoke with Fayard, just casual conversation, me saying that he was an icon for tap and I was honored to speak with him. He was very gracious and kind.I LOVE TAP DANCING! LET'S KEEP IT ALIVE!
imbees2 Wow you met Fayard Nicholas that must of be such an honor. Sorry to say I really didn’t know who he was until after he passed. I heard of him from when other dancers mention the Nicholas Brothers but I think God for TH-cam because I discovered him and his brother Harold. However I fell in love with Fayard he’s amazing. I wish I had seen him perform live and met him in his hay day. 😊
I don't even know who Jimmy Slyde is (I knew the Nicholas Bros & Sandman), but I was impressed with Him, he was sliding across that floor like he was in his 20's...LOL. They all impressed me, and I have always loved the Nicholas Brothers from when I was little! They are from my Grandmother's generation, but I was just so impressed with their athleticism and synchronization, and class!
Because. Sammy Davis Jr's popularity, a part of history is not lost. These men worked hard at their craft. Today's society might not value this heritage. Because you have to have skill. But I love it.
Actually Jacqueline - see below - In 1987 Fayard Nicholas was 73, Harold Nicholas 66, Sandman Sims 70, Jimmy Slyde 60 and Chuck Greene 68. But agree with you in that all of them are true treasures, great dancers and still brilliant for their age. Great Post.
once again, i'm amazed and humbled by these talents - still able to defy gravity - the Nicholas Brothers are immortals! I had never seen Jimmy Slyde or any of these other guys - but will find more of their dancing too. These are the true timeless treasures!
SAVION GLOVER , grew up, dancing with a few of these gentlemen. He is the number one tap dancer out there today. I believe he was only 16 when he was in movie tap with the greatest ones out there and of course Gregory Hines ..
@@organboi Fred Astaire was reported to be in the audience and said that was the best routine he ever saw. That's a heck of a compliment coming from a top shelf dancer. What's funny is that Gregory Hines said he thought he was a great dancer until he saw that clip. LOL
Oh..goodness!! I don't know whether to cry or laugh with delight!! I have been enjoying these wonderful dancers, in video clips on TH-cam wherever I could find them!! The tears are tears of joy that they gave me..the laugh..the huge smile..well, that speaks for itself!! We will never see the talent of these wonderful men, again! Dear, wonderful Sammy!! No accolades are enough, in my belief, for these wonderful, lovely, talented men!
OG'S WAS UP THERE STYLING ON FOR US!!!!! I TRULY DO APPLAUD THEM FOR NOT ONLY THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS BUT FOR THEM JUST BEING THEMSELVES!!!!! I WISH TODAY'S ERA HAD CLASS LIKE OUR OG'S DID!!!! MUCH LOVE AND RESPECT TO ALL OF THESE WONDERFUL, BLACK, FANTASTIC, INNOVATIVE, ENTERTAINERS!!!!!
The Greatest Tap Dancers of all time. Notice, NEVER perfunctory steps. Always originality, showmanship, and execution in each and every dancer. I JUST LOVE IT! If Sammy Davis, Jr. danced you would not have been disappointed.
Man!! If you've ever seen the movie (can't remember) where the Nicholas Brothers are tap dancing on this white staircase and one jumps into a split on the steps and the other jumps over him onto the next step descending...it's unbelievable and painful to watch because I believe they incorporated that into their live show and did that night after night!!
This was real talent! Nuthin watered down here baby! Loved these wonderful black men got to showcase their unique talent collectively once more for the world to see.
I don't think there are less talented people today. It's just about supply and demand. All it takes is for one person to make something cool and acceptable. And off you go with a trend. All through my growing up I remember seeing my parents generation of performers. We kids grew up knowing them and being entertained by them. And when I think back now I can say that we kept seeing them even after they were past their prime in ability. The media cherished them. We cherished them. These days we don't have the time to cherish. Because we're constantly being introduced to the NEXT big thing. We've even gotten to where we're looking at grade schoolers as future NBA players! We need to slow down. Savor the vintage wine. We can't turn back the clock. But I think it would help all of us more if we took the time to look back at some things. Some things have changed for the better. And some haven't. Sometimes it feels like I'm being bum rushed into chaos. Hard to stay focused. To maintain a perspective. Looking back at talented people performing in their time just makes me think. We don't look back at them as being any less talented. We just need to look at how we measure things these days.
What we're seeing here is probably one of the best examples of a life time of muscle memory.. to the point that some of these moves they may have caused them some pain only their bodies didn't know about it until the watched the recording of this at a later time lol
Sammy Davis Jr.....One of a kind,kind man! 💖Amazing Tap dancing 'honor' by the greats all heart n soul👏 Americans/Humans at their best,as God intended us ALL💜✌ tap on Sammy!
I have always been a sucker for tap dancing. SAMMY, GREGORY HINES and if course all those before him. These guys are simply amazing. I remember sand man. Wish I would have been there.
I'm 47 yrs old and I love these guys.. I got alot of moves out these dudes... Thanks for all of your performance... I dance House Music and I'm sure at this age they are, I'll be rocking too.
But the good thing is you can watch even more videos like this. Sammy Davis Jr. the Nicholas Brothers, Sandman, Gregory Hines, Buster Brown, Frank Sinatra, even Shirley Temple and Sandman, or was it Bo Didley ? Most of the best tappers were black men.
Burke J Minns I watched them in the 70’s,,,, with my Mother n Law, she was a dancer,,,, they used to have a black movie channel series. We watched Dorthy Dandridge,, Lena Horn, Belafonte,,, all the Singers of Blues and Religious too. My Mother in law sang too. Her Daddy had Casinos under The Mafia when she was a child... There were 13 kids, they all performed. She is gone now and I am old.
These gentlemen were such a trip to know and love and tour with. I knew them all and was fortunate enough to be a student/protegee of Leon Collins ...another of the greats...along with Honi Cole's, John Bubbles and so many other of the great master tap dancers in the world. TH-cam has lots of documentaries and footage....be thrilled, and delighted at what all you will find. There's many treasures.....best time of my life in the 80's...90's....I was called "CB" Brosnaham Hetherington
A classic tap film is the 1989 film "Tap." Starred Gregory Hines, Suzzanne Douglas, Savion Glover. Included many famous hoofers like Sandman, Sammy Davis, Jr., Harold Nicholas, Jimmy Slyde, Bunny Briggs. This was pure delight. Best collection of the great tappers I have ever seen in a commercial film.
The YOUNGEST guy here was maybe 60. Let that sink in.
Omg your foto is so hot !!
The best of the best.Real Entertainers back in the day.
66 :)
@@terrencewilliams5209 Jimmy Slyde shows as being born in 1927, which would make him 59-60 then.
@@georgeklimes7604 oh yeah, I forgot about slyde.
I loved it when Fayard said, "That's my brother!" as Harold was dancing. RIH to all of the great legends that are no longer here with us. Tap is truly a lost art form.
Me too
Agreed. I want to have children so they can bring it back. Lol
A resurgence is needed! And because tap is nearly 100% influenced by black culture it would be fitting with tradition that black dancers are the ones who bring it back into the mainstream. I hope that happens.
Best part of the clip for me
I think it's making a comeback...
What is amazing is that at the time these men were in their 60's and could still move better ten men in their 20's. All of them true treasures.
They were way past their 60's
Amazing!! Great stuff!!! Thanks for posting! Awesome NESS ..
@@paleriedove3333 Of the Nicholas Brothers, Fayard was 74 here, Harold 67.
Absolutely, true treasures.
60's you still can move they weren't 80's or 90's so of course.
Fayard and Harold Nicholas are in a class by themselves. I can't say they were, I said they ARE in a class of their own. No tap dancer to date has ever come close to the spectacular performance displayed not only in the movie "Stormy Weather" but also their performances as children.
As Wikipedia states, "Their performance in the musical number "Jumpin' Jive" (with Cab Calloway and his orchestra) featured in the movie Stormy Weather is considered widely as the most virtuosic dance display of all time". There is no doubt for me that they will always remain the creme de la creme of tap dancing.
Lucky numbers my favorite. The version as kids.
All those people GLUED TO THEIR SEATS!!! They got a standing Ovation fron the person that MATTERED!!!!!
Sis there are still racism in this world 😢
Pratik Warudkar 😓 So sad and so true. I would have stood with Sammy. People have no idea the significance of this group of dancers! I loved it!
We should be proud and one thing i feel never got taken from us is tap dancing.
And some looked bored out of their minds. Maybe they just didn't know who the Nicholas Bros were. Etc.
Pratik Warudkar that’s exactly her point. All of those peckerwoods were probably jealous.
Sammy Davis Jr. learned and preformed with all those Men ever since he was a child. It was nice to see them get together to honor Sammy and this remains one of the best Kennedy Center performances.
Sammy Davis Jr., born December 1925, here in 1987 was age 62.
Old School, was the best School!
"IS"!!!😎🖤
I love how fayard said "that's my brother" when harold started to go in. No better hype man than your own brother.
A stage full of legends honouring a legend.
The best tap dancers of all time. I've seen Sandman Sims, Jimmy Slyde and Fayard Nicholas in person, tap dancing at a show. and also Ludie Green. Amazing!!! for a person that is just learning tap. I was in total awe. Also saw Gregory Hines perform a piece in LA a few years before he passed. He was amazing. I spoke with Fayard, just casual conversation, me saying that he was an icon for tap and I was honored to speak with him. He was very gracious and kind.I LOVE TAP DANCING! LET'S KEEP IT ALIVE!
imbees2 is that Ludie Jones?
imbees2 Wow you met Fayard Nicholas that must of be such an honor. Sorry to say I really didn’t know who he was until after he passed. I heard of him from when other dancers mention the Nicholas Brothers but I think God for TH-cam because I discovered him and his brother Harold. However I fell in love with Fayard he’s amazing. I wish I had seen him perform live and met him in his hay day. 😊
I don't even know who Jimmy Slyde is (I knew the Nicholas Bros & Sandman), but I was impressed with Him, he was sliding across that floor like he was in his 20's...LOL. They all impressed me, and I have always loved the Nicholas Brothers from when I was little! They are from my Grandmother's generation, but I was just so impressed with their athleticism and synchronization, and class!
I know who Jimmy is. He's known for his dance while sliding like a ice skating.
The sandman guy was on an episode of the Cosby show...that episode was hilarious. Bill Cosby trying to tap was funny as hell.
CHALLENGE!!!
I didn't realize it was the same person. That episode is hysterical
Came here to say "Challenge!!!" But alas i'm too late 🤣🤣🤣
John F One of the funniest episodes ever of “The Cosby Show”
John F He also "Mr. Sandman" on "Showtime at the Apollo," dancing bad acts off the stage.
#TapDancing is a forgotten art...
Wish I could learn it...
These old gentlemen have challenged me to be #better... #healthier... #fitter...
you can learn
When old men in their senior citizen years can dance and move better than you.........
Hello Random; you are being agreed with.
Means there is still shit we need to learn, and it's not over till you're dead.
I am sipried
they dance better than everybody so I dont have to worry much. :-)
OMG way better than me. #CARDIACARRESTFORME
If you're a dancer and you're watching this right now, your feet are itching so bad! Bravissimi tutti!!!!!
LOL! I'm sure that's true. I'm not a dancer & I want to dance just watching. ~~Jesus is Lord~~
These old dudes are the truth and Savion Glover is carrying on the tradition.
The Nicholas Brothers honoring SDJ...should have been other way around. Those two were pioneers!!! I could watch them all day❤️
Let us become clear. There is, no possible way, (homage Mr, Davis Jr) the Nicholas Bros. could ever be bested. Broke the mold.
Because. Sammy Davis Jr's popularity, a part of history is not lost. These men worked hard at their craft. Today's society might not value this heritage. Because you have to have skill. But I love it.
The greatest talent of all time the nicholas brothers this is 2023 and still no one comes close to the nicholas brothers
Remember...the Nicholas brothers are in their late 60's and early 70's here!!
Actually Jacqueline - see below - In 1987 Fayard Nicholas was 73, Harold Nicholas 66, Sandman Sims 70, Jimmy Slyde 60 and Chuck Greene 68. But agree with you in that all of them are true treasures, great dancers and still brilliant for their age. Great Post.
Everyone of these men deserved a Kennedy Center Honors!
We dont appreciate talent like this anymore
We don't demand talent like this. These gentleman had to be the best or else they did not eat.
100 % correct
He said, "that's my brother." Touching.
once again, i'm amazed and humbled by these talents - still able to defy gravity - the Nicholas Brothers are immortals! I had never seen Jimmy Slyde or any of these other guys - but will find more of their dancing too. These are the true timeless treasures!
SAVION GLOVER , grew up, dancing with a few of these gentlemen. He is the number one tap dancer out there today. I believe he was only 16 when he was in movie tap with the greatest ones out there and of course Gregory Hines ..
He could still do a split at that age. Amazing!
Harold Nicholas was in the five heartbeats movie trying to teach dresser and the fellas how to dance
One of my top favorite movies
His name was Sarge 🤣
The Nicholas bros did a routine in the movie " Stormy Weather " that is the best I've ever seen.
Yes. Iconic. Known as the greatest ever put on film. Or anywhere, if you ask me. They went far beyond "tap."
@@organboi Fred Astaire was reported to be in the audience and said that was the best routine he ever saw. That's a heck of a compliment coming from a top shelf dancer. What's funny is that Gregory Hines said he thought he was a great dancer until he saw that clip. LOL
How true! How true!
this is by far one of the best things I have ever seen
ALSO CHECK OUT THE BERRY BROTHERS ON TH-cam !!
Absolutely agree. An amazing gathering of dance immortals. We are so insanely lucky to have footage of this event.
I had the pleasure of working with these guys in different showcases and off Broadway musicals! They were always polite, happy, and a lot of FUN!!!
The Nicholas Brothers are AMAZING!!!!
Every time each one went the next one did better that Nicolas brother Harold killed it, stole the show for me and that split he did wow pure talent.
Oh..goodness!! I don't know whether to cry or laugh with delight!! I have been enjoying these wonderful dancers, in video clips on TH-cam wherever I could find them!! The tears are tears of joy that they gave me..the laugh..the huge smile..well, that speaks for itself!! We will never see the talent of these wonderful men, again! Dear, wonderful Sammy!! No accolades are enough, in my belief, for these wonderful, lovely, talented men!
I've seen all these tappers in person at a tap show in the 90s. Amazing all of them!!!!!
Beautiful now they are dancing in HEAVEN😍😍
OG'S WAS UP THERE STYLING ON FOR US!!!!! I TRULY DO APPLAUD THEM FOR NOT ONLY THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS BUT FOR THEM JUST BEING THEMSELVES!!!!! I WISH TODAY'S ERA HAD CLASS LIKE OUR OG'S DID!!!! MUCH LOVE AND RESPECT TO ALL OF THESE WONDERFUL, BLACK, FANTASTIC, INNOVATIVE, ENTERTAINERS!!!!!
This is CLASS at its finest
Priceless / phenomenal /amazing etc... There's no words that can express these skills... 👏 👏 👏
The Greatest Tap Dancers of all time. Notice, NEVER perfunctory steps. Always originality, showmanship, and execution in each and every dancer.
I JUST LOVE IT!
If Sammy Davis, Jr. danced you would not have been disappointed.
What a class act! Amazing that they were sti'll going strong at their ages. Back in their hay day, the Brothers were untouchable!
The most elite of the elite! No one can top these men! I loved every minute of this video!❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
We have pictures of the nicholas brothers up on our wall.
OMG these were the Greats!. I could watch them all day long...so happy and blessed that I got to enjoy their many talents.
Amazing at any age, but remarkable at the age they were when they performed... I would have given them a standing ovation!!
I love Sammy Davis, Jr. Who came here because of Black History Month and the love of tap dancing.
Watching these men is living black history.
These guys were great! I miss them. In their senior years they could dance better than most young people.
That, my friends, was a Master Class in 20th Century American Tap Dancing 🕺
Man!! If you've ever seen the movie (can't remember) where the Nicholas Brothers are tap dancing on this white staircase and one jumps into a split on the steps and the other jumps over him onto the next step descending...it's unbelievable and painful to watch because I believe they incorporated that into their live show and did that night after night!!
Kelven Dyson Stormy Weather is the movie. The best performance I’ve ever seen.
I love how much fun they’re having
This was real talent! Nuthin watered down here baby! Loved these wonderful black men got to showcase their unique talent collectively once more for the world to see.
I just saw this 4-5-2018 got nothing to say just totally amazed, how fortunate to be able to move like that.
What an amazing time in history. Nostaglia of a time gone by. Timeless.
Awesome
I don't think there are less talented people today. It's just about supply and demand. All it takes is for one person to make something cool and acceptable. And off you go with a trend.
All through my growing up I remember seeing my parents generation of performers. We kids grew up knowing them and being entertained by them. And when I think back now I can say that we kept seeing them even after they were past their prime in ability. The media cherished them. We cherished them. These days we don't have the time to cherish. Because we're constantly being introduced to the NEXT big thing. We've even gotten to where we're looking at grade schoolers as future NBA players!
We need to slow down. Savor the vintage wine. We can't turn back the clock. But I think it would help all of us more if we took the time to look back at some things. Some things have changed for the better. And some haven't. Sometimes it feels like I'm being bum rushed into chaos. Hard to stay focused. To maintain a perspective.
Looking back at talented people performing in their time just makes me think. We don't look back at them as being any less talented. We just need to look at how we measure things these days.
The finest tap dancers of my life time!
Wow beautiful
The old boys showing tbhe youngsters how it's done. Fantastic
👍Very entertaining. Notice how they’re all in great physical shape...very nimble, lean & agile. 💞
Absolutely love it.
It's amazing ! these great men of dancing!! WONDERFUL!!!
What we're seeing here is probably one of the best examples of a life time of muscle memory.. to the point that some of these moves they may have caused them some pain only their bodies didn't know about it until the watched the recording of this at a later time lol
How can 42 people turn this wonderful perfomance down...I simply do not get it. LOVE IT ALL...thank you for uploading this
Thank God a tribute to a Black man by other Black men. Refreshing!
Wow they are all amazing but them Nicholas brothers are the all time best tap dancers ever.
The most influential talented people in the world just simply awesome. People are so strong when they are together.
Talk about class!! Nothing raunchy or over the top. Pure Black excellence. 👏👏👏
Sammy Davis Jr.....One of a kind,kind man! 💖Amazing Tap dancing 'honor' by the greats all heart n soul👏 Americans/Humans at their best,as God intended us ALL💜✌ tap on Sammy!
I have always been a sucker for tap dancing. SAMMY, GREGORY HINES and if course all those before him. These guys are simply amazing. I remember sand man. Wish I would have been there.
Brilliant, gifted men. We will never see their like again.
Their individual styles and techniques -finesse- are more important than “image” and “branding”. High art.
Now, that's entertainment.
Wow! Just Wow!...
Beautiful... I was blown away by Jimmy Slides and waiting with baited breath for Harold to hit the sliding splits❤🖤❤
Fantastic tap dancers....
I can't believe the audience did not stand up! Amazing dancers. What a great video, thanks for posting!!
Incredible. They are national treasures. This video made me so happy. Greatest talent of our time. Priceless. They will never be replaced.
So much class on that stage.
To be honored by the best of the best tap dancers....now that is an honor.
Nicholas brother. Tear it up.
You wont find this type of FINE talent, on this platform again!!!
I'm 47 yrs old and I love these guys..
I got alot of moves out these dudes...
Thanks for all of your performance...
I dance House Music and I'm sure at this age they are, I'll be rocking too.
On the shoulders of giants...
This should have way more comments than this
And then there's all the thumbs-up to worry about!🤪
It's a damn shame I've never heard of any these men
But the good thing is you can watch even more videos like this. Sammy Davis Jr. the Nicholas Brothers, Sandman, Gregory Hines, Buster Brown, Frank Sinatra, even Shirley Temple and Sandman, or was it Bo Didley ? Most of the best tappers were black men.
Maybe do some research now
😮
It ain't too late. Love, this person.
Burke J Minns I watched them in the 70’s,,,, with my Mother n Law, she was a dancer,,,, they used to have a black movie channel series. We watched Dorthy Dandridge,, Lena Horn, Belafonte,,, all the Singers of Blues and Religious too. My Mother in law sang too. Her Daddy had Casinos under The Mafia when she was a child... There were 13 kids, they all performed. She is gone now and I am old.
Ok I'm only 60 but man did I ever love Sammy Davis Jr.
superb talents!!!!!!!!!!!
When he did that split my balls screamed and then they cried. Much respect to those legends.
Outstanding historical archive version ever, merci beaucoup from Paris France, take care !
WoW!!
All this Artists was the GENIUS
I love and respect all this person 👍
The guys were wonderful...love them all..especially Fayard..such a wonderful spirit he had.
goodness me ... this is beyond logic. there is no gravity for them.
Yeah, they're only subject to gravity by their consent. :-)
No one can out amaze like the brothers stormy wheather best dance number ever
These gentlemen were such a trip to know and love and tour with. I knew them all and was fortunate enough to be a student/protegee of Leon Collins ...another of the greats...along with Honi Cole's, John Bubbles and so many other of the great master tap dancers in the world. TH-cam has lots of documentaries and footage....be thrilled, and delighted at what all you will find. There's many treasures.....best time of my life in the 80's...90's....I was called "CB" Brosnaham Hetherington
A classic tap film is the 1989 film "Tap." Starred Gregory Hines, Suzzanne Douglas, Savion Glover. Included many famous hoofers like Sandman, Sammy Davis, Jr., Harold Nicholas, Jimmy Slyde, Bunny Briggs. This was pure delight. Best collection of the great tappers I have ever seen in a commercial film.
Makes me wish I was around back then, man. Legends
Unbelievable, talent, and all gone. Great people, too bad they can’t live forever!