"I spent many a Saturday afternoon staring at the screen in open mouthed wonder at the brilliance of the Nicholas Brothers. They were magicians on the dance floor somehow able to alchemise explosive power, acrobatic agility, a smile and slick choreography.

"The Nicholas Brothers are in the DNA of contemporary black dance, influencing Broadway shows and popular culture alike including luminaries such as James Brown and Prince, not to mention Bristol's very own jazz dance champions the Floor Technicians.”

- Edson Burton, Come The Revolution

The Fabulous Nicholas Brothers, Fayard (1914-2006) and Harold (1921-2000), rank among the greatest dancers of the 20th century. Despite racial hurdles, the self-taught African-American entertainers became one of the biggest musical acts of their time, headlining on Broadway, radio and television and in vaudeville and nightclubs. Their dazzling, show-stopping numbers in movies such as Down Argentine Way, Sun Valley Serenade and Stormy Weather made them international icons. Known for effortless balletic moves, elegant tap dancing and perfect rhythms - along with a consummate grace and sly sense of humour - the Olympian brothers are in the end impossible to categorise.

The dancer’s dancers, their fans have included Gene Kelly, who teamed up with them in The Pirate; Bob Fosse and Gregory Hines, whose first acts were modelled on them; ballet legends George Balanchine and Mikhail Baryshnikov; Michael Jackson, who once had Fayard as a dance coach; and Fred Astaire, who named their Stormy Weather ‘staircase’ number the greatest of all musical sequences.

In this special event, Bruce Goldstein - Director of Repertory Programming at Film Forum in New York and legendary cinema programmer, writer and co-producer of a 1991 documentary on the brothers - presents a unique compilation tribute to the Nicholas Brothers, featuring a collage of rarely seen home movies, photographs and film clips.

Presented by Come the Revolution in partnership with Ujima Radio as part of

These events are supported by Film Hub South West & West Midlands, part of the Film Audience Network, awarding funds from the National Lottery.

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