Savion Glover

Tap shoes

Savion Glover is an exciting young face in the world of dance.

Tap Dancer Savion Glover

Savion Glover is known as an innovative tap dancer, and he discovered his affinity for the dance form at a young age. He was discovered in 1984 and cast in The Tap Dance Kid at age 10 -- the title role in a Broadway production. His next musical, Black and Blue, followed soon after, and he received a Tony Award nomination for his work.

In many ways, he has brought a modern touch to tap dance. Inspired by hip hop and funk, his style is far from that of past tap stars like Gene Kelly. His rhythm style of tapping uses the entire foot to produce sounds. However, even as he blazes new trails, he isn't afraid to learn from those who have come before him. For the 1989 movie Tap, he worked with Gregory Hines and Sammy Davis, Jr., and gained much from the experience. He performed with Gregory Hines once again in Jelly's Last Jam and Hines always spoke highly of the younger dancer.

In 1995, Glover choreographed and starred in Bring in 'Da Noise, Bring in 'Da Funk. This musical tells the story of the African-American experience through dance, moving from the era of slavery to present-day life. This was his true breakthrough performance. The show won a Tony Award for Best Choreography. He also received the title of Choreographer of the Year from Dance Magazine in 1996.

Although he is sought-after in the world of tap, Glover is more likely to be found on stage in an experimental jazz performance than attending a traditional workshop. He has, however, taught classes at the Broadway Dance Center in New York City.

Savion Glover Facts

This tap dancer's resume is filled with a list of unique and remarkable accomplishments:

  • He first found his sense of rhythm with drumming, receiving a full scholarship to the Newark Community School of the Arts for his skillful playing.
  • From 1990 to 1995, he was a regular on Sesame Street. Playing a dancing teenager named Savion, he taught Elmo how to tap and introduced preschoolers to the rhythmic dance.
  • Although it's currently out-of-print, Savion!: My Life in Tap is a biography for young readers.
  • If you asked people who aren't interested in dance to name a tap dancer, the only name many of them could come up with would be Savion Glover. Because of his unique style and success at a young age, he has been a media favorite, at least compared to most other dancers. Even those who have never seen him on stage may have caught his performances in a number of television commercials, including spots for Cingular and Kraft Mayonnaise.
  • He has been a featured performer on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Late Show with David Letterman, The Rosie O'Donnell Show, Saturday Night Live, Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry and Dancing with the Stars.
  • He starred in the 2000 Spike Lee movie Bamboozled. In the film, Glover plays one of the performers in a satiric blackface minstrel show and even enjoys an on-screen relationship with Jada Pinkett Smith.
  • Glover was used as the model for Mumble, the tap-dancing penguin, in the animated movie Happy Feet. The creators used motion-capture technology to precisely replicate his fast footwork.
  • A 2005 show called "Classical Savion" found the tapper dancing along with music from Bach and Vivaldi, with a bit of Coltrane thrown in for good measure.

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