Bring in the Noise and the Funk for Savion Glover’s Birthday
🍾Savion Glover, born November 19, 1973 in Newark, New Jersey, is a tap dancer, actor and choreographer. His appearances and performances include television specials, TV series, films, as well as, On and Off Broadway musicals; and he is the founder of HooFeRz Club School For Tap.
While audiences worldwide remember this hoofer from his many on air performances and commercials, New York City jazz heads appreciate his feet, welcomed in the world of jazz, as an improvisational instrument. The Jazz Gallery in NYC, in 2019 awarded Savion the Trailblazer Award . One of those Harlem Monday nights when St. Nick’’s Pub was the hottest place in town, Savion showed up around 2:00 a.m. He put on his tap shoes, then tapping out a hell of a beat, proceeded to dance from the stage to the top of the bar — he was enthusiatically cheered on by a packed house.
For one week in November 2012, at the Blue Note jazz Club, Savion tapped each night, to a sold out house, to the rhythms a different musician — McCoy Tyner (Nov. 17) and Eddie Palmieri (Nov. 19) and the drummers Roy Haynes (Nov. 18) and Jack DeJohnette (Nov. 21-22). He was the dancing percussionist and improvisator par excellence. During his month long residency at The Jazz Gallery Savion’s performances were just as stunning — each night the house was sold out. He uses the stage in a similar way as one uses keys on a saxophone or raps on the head of a drum. There are specific soft spots and hard spots for his desired sounds and then look out. Dee Dee Bridgewater is known to have mused, “It’s amazing how Savion is combining tap and jazz.” He has a funky improvisational rhythmic style that doesn’t quit. Checkout his agility in this video Savion’s duo performance with the great pianist McCoy Tyner at the Detroit Jazz Festival.
His most memorable film roles: Spike Lee’s Bamboozled starring Sammy Davis, Jr. Gregory Hines and Sandman Sims and of course his choreography for the animated children’s film Happy Feet and Happy Feet Two. (Savion performed the moves for the penguin Mumble.) He won a Tony Award for Choreography of Bring in da Noise, Bring in da Funk. In 2016, Savion was recognized for his award-winning choreography in the acclaimed Broadway musical, Shuffle Along, directed by George C. Wolfe. In 2019, at the Joyce Theater in NYC, he presented his Lady5 @ Savion Glover’s BaRoQUE’BLaK TaP Café. The show was inspired by an imaginary conversation between him and the late tap dancer and choreographer, Gregg Burge. He used dance as a means to illustrate the evolution of thought and self identity.
Checkout the hoofer in the links below
Savion Glover: Tap Improv in The Greene Space
Savion Glover and Marcus Gilmore
Image Source: Savion Glover Instagram.
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