Download PDF Brotherhood In Rhythm The Jazz Tap Dancing of the Nicholas Brothers Constance Valis Hill 0683865012151 Books

Product details Paperback 352 pages Publisher Cooper Square Press (April 23, 2002) Language English ISBN-10 0815412150

Brotherhood In Rhythm The Jazz Tap Dancing of the Nicholas Brothers Constance Valis Hill 0683865012151 Books Reviews

• A well-done and enjoyable account of the lives and accomplishments of two of the best dancers who ever lived and of the times in which they performed. Informative and entertaining. It gave me more insight into the era during which my father, too, performed, but as a ballroom dancer ("Dancing in the Stars Carroll Webster, International Luminary of Vaudeville and Hollywood"). I know that my father met the brothers, and after reading this book I feel as if I, too, knew them. Thank you.
• Without watching YouTube videos of the Nicholas Brother dancing in all the movies described by the author, I would not have been able to make sense of Brotherhood in Rhythm. I should have known that a book on dancing is an oxymoron.
• "Brotherhood" met all of my expectations. The writing is excellent, the narrative is easy reading, and the story of the Nicholas family is well researched. It is loaded with historical tidbits, laced with little known facts, and interesting behind the scenes coverage. I thoroughly enjoyed it. The only troublesome thing for me had nothing to do with the book itself; it is truth-telling at its finest. Here is my problem The acrobatic, creative, energetic, stylish, classy, graceful dancing of the Nicholas Brothers was stymied only by racism, not by their enormous ability. All the more a reason to celebrate their capacity to be creative and to joyfully dance in the face of systemic racial prejudice.
• I ordered this book to help in the writing of a research paper on the career of the Nicholas Brothers. It is an astonishingly brilliant piece of work. Not only does it provide an intelligent and empathetic look at the lives and careers of the Nicholas Brothers themselves, but it also weaves in insightful narratives about the various intersecting traditions of which the Nicholas Brothers were a part. If you are looking for a panoramic and scholarly understanding of the history of black tap dancing in America, as well as an incredibly detailed and informed examination of the Nicholas Brothers, this is a wonderful book.
• A great history of old Hollywood and jazz dance.
• If you're a fan of the Nicholas Brothers or tap dancing or musical films of the thirties and forties, you will enjoy this book. A superb review of their career. Worthy of the extraordinary talent of the subjects.
• I haven't finished reading it but so far it is great. The Nicholas Brothers were the greatest Jazz Tap Dancers that ever were or ever will be.
• I would recommend purchasing Ms. Hill's treatise on the dance and historic origins of the Nicholas Brothers' dance styles and choreography. However, those who seek a detailed biography will be disappointed, as this book was aimed to be a scholarly work, not a biographical one. The book has little mention of their personal life, marriages, divorces, activities apart and completely ignored many foreign films they made in the 1950's. Harold's marriage to Dorothy Dandridge is mentioned only in passing, and his extensive career in Paris for a decade was only lightly researched. No personal family interviews were apparently done. Although excellent as a dance resource, those seeking a more well-rounded insight on the personality and life of these two genious entertainers will be better served by a biography, which Ms. Hill's book does not aim to be. It will make a great companion work to a still much-needed in-depth look at their lives.