FAREWELL, FAYARD. The death of Fayard Nicholas marks the very end of one of the great dancing duos of the past century. As The Nicholas Brothers, Fayard and his brother Harold delivered acrobatic tap routines that wow audiences decades later.

The Nicholas Brothers did things that nobody else seemed capable of doing, defying expectations in a world of segregation and other forms of racial discrimination. (Southern exhibitors apparently cut their "Be a Clown" dance with Gene Kelly from the 1948 musical The Pirate.) As a result, they earned much less than they deserved and got less exposure than they should have.

Here's an online video of The Nicholas Brothers doing a relatively simple routine. Nicholas Brothers footage is part of the current vaudeville exhibit at the Performing Arts Library at Lincoln Center, which includes a screening on March 22. The Pirate makes a good second feature with a classic swashbuckler; the movie Orchestra Wives was recently released on DVD with commentary by Fayard. His IMDB entry is here.

Donations can be made to the Fayard Nicholas Emergency Relief Fund, which still plans to add to its website.