Glover, Savion

▪ 1997

      A pair of size 12 1/2 EE feet—and the young man attached to them—made a big noise on Broadway in 1996, in Bring in 'da Noise, Bring in 'da Funk. Savion Glover, the show's choreographer-star, employed the rhythms of hip-hop music and his unique pounding style of tap dancing, called "hitting," in a series of vignettes illustrating the history of African-Americans and the part tap dancing played in keeping rhythm in their lives. Noise had moved to Broadway in April after playing to full houses Off-Broadway for three months beginning in late 1995. Its popularity continued, and it went on to garner nine Tony award nominations—including two for Glover, for choreography and for leading actor in a musical—and win four, a best choreographer award for Glover among them.

      Glover was born Nov. 19, 1973, in Newark, N.J. Even as a two-year-old, he showed an affinity for rhythms, beating them out on everything he touched around the house. He began drumming lessons at age four, but the teacher deemed him too advanced for the class, so he was enrolled at the Newark Community School of the Arts. By the time he was five, he had become the youngest student ever to receive that institution's scholarship. He began tap lessons at age seven and, after seeing an exhibition of rhythm tap, decided that was what he wanted to do. From then on he tapped wherever he went.

      Glover's Broadway debut came in 1984 when he took over the lead role in The Tap Dance Kid after having served as understudy. He returned to Broadway in 1989 in the revue Black and Blue and was nominated for a Tony, one of the youngest people ever to be so honoured. A role in the motion picture Tap (1989) followed. Glover, who had long made a point of learning as much as he could from the old tap masters, soon began teaching tap classes. He also developed his own tap style, which he christened "free-form hard core," while working with such dancers as Gregory Hines, Henry Le Tang, and Sammy Davis, Jr. He created his first choreography in 1990, for a festival at New York City's Apollo Theatre, and in 1992 he became the youngest-ever recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts grant, for choreography. Jelly's Last Jam took him to Los Angeles in 1991 before opening on Broadway the following year and touring to 65 cities in 1994; he taught tap classes in each of those cities. Among his other appearances were his regular role on the Public Broadcasting Service's children's television show "Sesame Street" and his tribute to Gene Kelly (see OBITUARIES (Kelly, Eugene Curran )) on the 1996 Academy Awards telecast, and in April 1996 he added another "youngest-ever" honour to his list of accomplishments—a Dance Magazine Award. According to the highly regarded tap veteran Hines, Glover was "possibly the best tap dancer that ever lived." (BARBARA WHITNEY)

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▪ American dancer

born November 19, 1973, Newark, New Jersey, U.S.

 

 American dancer and choreographer who became known for his unique pounding style of tap dancing, called “hitting.” He brought renewed interest in dance, particularly among youths and minorities.

      As a young child, Glover displayed an affinity for rhythms, and at age four he began taking drumming lessons. Deemed too advanced for the class, however, he then enrolled at the Newark Community School of the Arts and soon became the youngest person in the school's history to receive a full scholarship. At age seven he began taking tap lessons and quickly developed a passion for rhythm tap, a form that uses all parts of the foot to create sound. His talent attracted the attention of a choreographer for the Broadway musical The Tap Dance Kid, and Glover served as an understudy before taking the lead role in 1984. He returned to Broadway in 1989, performing in the musical revue Black and Blue, and was nominated for a Tony Award. A role in the motion picture Tap (1989) followed. Glover, who had long made a point of learning as much as he could from old tap masters, soon began teaching tap classes. He also developed his own tap style, which he christened “free-form hard core,” while working with dancers such as Gregory Hines (Hines, Gregory), Henry Le Tang, and Sammy Davis, Jr. (Davis, Sammy, Jr.)

      In 1990 Glover created his first choreography, for a festival at New York City's Apollo Theatre. Two years later he became the youngest-ever recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts grant. He portrayed a young Jelly Roll Morton (Morton, Jelly Roll) in the musical Jelly's Last Jam, which debuted in Los Angeles in 1991 before opening on Broadway the following year and touring in 1994. In 1995 Bring in 'Da Noise, Bring in 'Da Funk opened Off-Broadway. Glover choreographed and starred in the musical, which featured a series of vignettes that chronicled African American history. A huge success, the show soon moved to Broadway, and in 1996 it won four Tony Awards, including a best choreographer award for Glover. His numerous other appearances included a regular role (1990–95) on the children's television show Sesame Street. In 2000 Glover appeared in director Spike Lee (Lee, Spike)'s film Bamboozled.

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