Harold Nicholas performs in the 1944 film “Carolina Blues.”

Harold Nicholas. One half of the legendary Nicholas Brothers - who showcased pyrotechnic displays of a pure technique rooted in their affecting personalities and likability which gave their dancing a personable quality. This combination of technical brilliance - and emotional resonance. The mechanics of dancing are negotiated with the body, like a useful oiled machine with its many abilities and fascinating functionalities. Though once the overall mechanics of a dance have been learned - much like a pianist having learned the notes, an audience is not there to digest mechanical interpretation - but an act of living.

Powerful to see these two ideas brought together in the work of this dance. Technique and observation of the mechanical aspects of dance and physical action of body mechanics aligned with emotional resonance and performative ability. There are many great dance artists, but there are not many great interpreters. He was both. Alongside him are The Four Step Brothers.

The second female dancer is Marie Bryant who was a special choreographer - and was specifically sought out by Gene Kelly to be part of his dance instructing team. She was often tasked with the work of a dance instructor on several of his films where she worked in arm with Kelly refining choreography for dancers and aligning their abilities with the stylistic requirements. Most notably working with Vera-Ellen to prepare her for the now famous sequence - “Slaughter On Tenth Avenue” - where she dances with Kelly in the historic but modern ballet which The Museum of Modern Art in New York requested a copy for art preservation. It was Bryant who had taught and coached Vera-Ellen to move that way. The two dancers studied together at Bryant’s home during a time of racial tension. This speaks volumes about Vera-Ellen, and Kelly. He said Bryant was “one of the finest dancers I’ve seen in my entire life.” Bryant worked on set and from home. In this dance - she displays undulations and rotational movements of the spine at the same time which is a very complex movement to perform.