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One of the Best Dance Routines Ever Was Filmed Unrehearsed on the First Take 75 Years Ago

Successful public performance requires talent, confidence, diligent work, and long hours of rehearsing.

When it comes to dancing competitions, dancers practice the routine for a long time before they are confident enough to show it on stage.

So, you can call it a miracle, but the Nicholas brothers, Harold (1921–2000) and Fayard (1914–2006), did not rehearse at all before the iconic dance from their Stormy Weather scene was captured!

It was filmed in 1943 and is considered to be one of the most celebrated dance scenes ever filmed.

In 2001, the musical film was added to the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress for being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.”

In it, Harold and Fayard danced acrobatically to Cab Calloway’s song, Jumpin’ Jive. In the middle of the song, they jump forth and start dancing in time to the music.

At one point, the duo acrobatically jumps on the musician’s tables together, and then they join on stage to impress everyone with their twists, turns, and movements of hands.

American dancer, singer, choreographer, actor, and television presenter Fred Astaire commented that their dance was “the greatest dancing he had ever seen on film.”

Here’s the full video of their routine, unrehearsed, and recorded in one take:

Sources:
stories.wimp.com
www.lipstickalley.com
mysticalraven.com