"They were two of the most explosive dancers of the twentieth century, dazzling audiences with daredevil splits, slides, and hair-raising flips. But they were also highly sophisticated dancers, refining a centuries-old tradition of percussive dance into the rhythmic brilliance of jazz tap at its zenith. They were Fayard and Harold Nicholas, two American masters masterfully portrayed in this new dual biography by Constance Valis Hill." "In Brotherhood in Rhythm, Hill interweaves an intimate portrait of these great performers with a richly detailed history of jazz music and jazz dance, both bringing their act to life and explaining their significance through a colorful analysis of their eloquent footwork, their full-bodied expressiveness, and their changing style."--BOOK JACKET.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 301-315) and index.

1. Born into Jazz 2. Brothers (1914-1931) 3. Blackbirds in New York (1932-1934) 4. All-Colored Comedy (1934-1936) 5. Babes on Broadway (1936-1938)

6. Class Act and Challenge (1938-1945) 7. Forties Swing, Hollywood Flash (1940-1945) 8. Converging Styles (1942-1945) 9. Swing to Bop (1945-1958) 10. Nostalgia, and All That Jazz (1964-1989).