In Memoriam

Fayard Nicholas at the 2005 Sole to Soul Festival

Fayard Nicholas, elder half of the phenomenal Nicholas Brothers tap-dancing team, died Tuesday, Jan. 24, at the age of 91. He had visited Austin twice in the last three years for the Soul to Sole tap festival organized by Tapestry Dance Company and earned his title as "Festival Legend," not only by sharing his incomparable knowledge of the form and history of rhythm tap but by taking the stage himself. His graceful turns in 2003 and 2005 revealed the master showman still shining within this aged performer. A stroke in November led to a steady decline in Nicholas' health, and his friends from Tapestry kept a close eye on his condition. Tapestry Artistic Director Acia Gray was told by Nicholas' wife, dancer Katherine Hopkins-Nicholas, that the legendary hoofer was holding a little bear that the Tapestry folks had sent him for his 91st birthday "when 'places' was called for his show upstairs." The company is working to getÊthe first Soul to Sole conservatory in which he participated and his two performances in Austin, the last ofÊwhich may have been his last performance ever, in documentary form on DVD. Gray plans to attend memorial services for him in California.