The Berry Brothers—Ananias "Nyas" Berry, James Berry, and Warren Berry

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The Berry Brothers—Ananias "Nyas" Berry, James Berry, and Warren Berry—were one of the most spectacular acrobatic tap dance acts in American history, yet most people have never heard of them. Ananias was born in 1913 and James in 1915, both in New Orleans, Louisiana. By 1919, when Ananias was just 6 and James was 4, they were already performing together in Chicago, touring the church circuit and reciting poems by Paul Laurence Dunbar. Their father was extremely religious and initially forbade his children from dancing. But James entered a local dance contest anyway and won, receiving a $75 weekly contract offer from the theater (over $1,300 in today's money). His father rejected it. The family moved to Denver, where their younger brother Warren was born in 1922. The brothers continued performing at carnivals. In the mid-1920s, the family moved to Hollywood, Los Angeles, where the boys worked as child actors. James performed at parties hosted by silent film stars like Mary Pickford and Clara Bow, and appeared in the Our Gang comedies and other silent films. In 1929, seventeen-year-old Ananias and fifteen-year-old James officially formed the dance duo "The Berry Brothers." They opened at Harlem's legendary Cotton Club with Duke Ellington in the show "Rhythmania." That same year, they became the FIRST Black performers ever at New York City's Copacabana nightclub—breaking the color barrier at one of America's most exclusive venues. In 1929, they also performed in London in Lew Leslie's "Blackbirds" revue. They starred on Broadway in "Blackbirds of 1930" (with Ethel Waters and Buck and Bubbles) and "Rhapsody in Black" in 1931. On December 27, 1932, the Berry Brothers were on the very FIRST bill ever performed when Radio City Music Hall opened. In 1934, Ananias briefly left the act when he married jazz trumpeter Valaida Snow. The youngest brother Warren, just 12 years old, stepped in to replace him. When Ananias's marriage ended in 1935, he rejoined his brothers and they became a permanent trio. Their style was called "exotic acrobatic soft shoe dance"—they combined strutting with incredible acrobatics (backflips, splits, spins) executed with seeming effortlessness. James Berry invented the "butt spin," the predecessor to the modern backspin. They were masters of the "freeze and melt"—a dance move that contrasts mesmerizing stillness with explosive flashes of movement. They performed in top hats and tails. Remarkably, they NEVER wore tap shoes—they were tap dancers who didn't need taps. In 1938, at the Cotton Club during the fall season, a legendary dance-off occurred between the Berry Brothers and the Nicholas Brothers (Fayard and Harold). Both acts were on the same bill, but Herman Stark, the programmer, scheduled the Berry Brothers to close the show, challenging them to top the Nicholas Brothers. For their grand finale, Ananias and James jumped onto the band platform, sprinted up a flight of stairs, and LEAPED 12 FEET THROUGH THE AIR over the heads of the musicians. They landed in body-rending splits on both sides of Warren, who had just snapped out of a twisting back somersault into a split of his own—all on the last note of the music. Tap dancer Pete Nugent later said: "That was a flash act. The greatest flash act we ever had!" By some accounts, the Berry Brothers were more athletic, while the Nicholas Brothers were better overall performers and crowd-pleasers. But one thing is certain: the Berry Brothers had no equal in flashy acrobatic style. In the 1940s, at the peak of their success, they performed in Hollywood movies. In "Panama Hattie" (1942), they appeared twice—once dancing solo, once dancing with Lena Horne. The Berry Brothers performed for over 30 years. Then on October 5, 1951, Ananias Berry died of heart failure at just 38 years old. James and Warren continued performing together for a few more years, sometimes together and sometimes alone. James Berry died on January 28, 1969, at age 54. Warren Berry worked as a film editor for over 15 years and died on August 10, 1996, at age 74. The Berry Brothers were pioneers—the first Black performers at the Copacabana, featured on the first Radio City Music Hall bill, competitors in the most legendary dance battle in Cotton Club history, and performers for over three decades who invented moves that influenced generations of dancers. Yet most people have never heard their names. This is Black History Unfiltered. Follow for more untold stories. #BerryBrothers, #BlackHistory, #TapDance, #CottonClub, #NicholasBrothers, #HarlemRenaissance, #Copacabana, #RadioCityMusicHall, #AcrobaticDance, #FlashAct, #1930s, #1940s, #Erased, #Forgotten, #BlackExcellence, #DanceHistory, #Vaudeville, #Broadway, #Hollywood, #UntoldStories Berry Brothers acrobatic tap dancers, Ananias James Warren Berry, first Black performers Copacabana 1929, Cotton Club dance battle 1938, Nicholas Brothers rivals, Radio City Music Hall first bill 1932, exotic acrobatic soft shoe dance