This Nicholas Brothers' legendary tap routine was unrehearsed and filmed in a single take

There have been many iconic dance routines throughout film history, but how many have the honor being called "the greatest" by Fred Astaire himself?
Fayard and Harold Nicholas, known collectively as the Nicholas Brothers, were arguably the best at what they did during their heyday. Their coordinated tap routines are legendary, not only because they were great dancers, but because of their incredible ability to jump into the air and land in the splits. Repeatedly. From impressive heights.
Their most famous routine comes from the movie "Stormy Weather." As Cab Calloway sings "Jumpin' Jive," the Nicholas Brothers make the entire set their dance floor, hopping and tapping from podium to podium amongst the musicians, dancing up and down stairs and across the top of a piano.
But what makes this scene extra impressive is that they performed it without rehearsing it first and it was filmed in one take—no fancy editing room tricks to bring it all together. This fact was confirmed in a conversation with the brothers in a Chicago Tribune article in 1997, when they were both in their 70s:
"Would you believe that was one of the easiest things we ever did?" Harold told the paper.
"Did you know that we never even rehearsed that number?" added Fayard.
"When it came time to do that part, (choreographer) Nick Castle said: 'Just do it. Don`t rehearse it, just do it.' And so we did it—in one little take. And then he said: 'That's it—we can't do it any better than that.'"
Harold breathed a sigh of relief: "I sure was happy he said that—I didn't want to be doing that all night, over and over and over."
When you see the brothers' musical athleticism in action, you'll understand why:
Jumpin Jive - Cab Calloway and the Nicholas Brothersyoutu.be
As Black performers, the Nicholas Brothers faced an uphill climb in Hollywood. But no one could deny their exceptional talent.
''Oh sure, you`d see blacks playing Stepin Fetchit and maids, but you didn`t see many blacks really doing what we did,'' Harold told the Tribune. ''Somehow, it turned out that we were becoming stars—and, man, did we love it.''
However, they were usually cast as guest artists, not the main stars. According to the L.A. Times, this was a strategy that allowed their scenes to be cut from film showings in the racist American South.
Throughout their career, they worked with other famous dancers. The brothers told the Tribune a funny story about working with Gene Kelly, whom Harold called "a perfectionist." Harold said he didn't think Kelly appreciated his laid-back approach to rehearsing and the fact that he wasn't a workaholic.
''He and Fayard would be rehearsing this number over and over, as if the camera was running, which means that you're doing it full force," Harold told the Tribune. ''But I never liked to go all out during the rehearsal—I liked to reign it in, reign it in.''
What Gene Kelly didn't understand was that once the lights went on, Harold would go all out.
Fayard said that Gene once said he wanted to see Fayard do a routine by himself because he didn't think Harold had gotten it down.
''And then Harold did it and didn't miss a step," Fayard said, "so Gene looked at me and said: 'Well, I'll be an SOB.'''
The Nicholas Brothers continued to perform throughout their lives, long after their particular style of dancing had waned in popularity. Harold Nicholas passed away in 2000 at age 79, while the older of the brothers, Fayard, passed in 2006 at age 91.
Thank goodness for film that allows their legacy to live on and allows us to enjoy their contributions for generations to come.
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There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."
This article originally appeared in May.