Savion Glover (born November 19, 1973) is an American tap dancer, actor and choreographer.
Early life The youngest of three sons, Glover was born to a white father, who left the family before he was born, and a black mother. Glover's great-grandfather on his mother's side, Dick Lundy, was a shortstop in the Negro leagues. He managed eleven Negro League baseball teams, including the Newark Eagles.Lahr, 270. His grandfather, Bill Lewis, was a big band pianist and vocalist. His grandmother, Anna Lundy Lewis, was the minister of music at New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, New Jersey. She played for Whitney Houston when she was singing in the gospel choir, and was the one who first noticed Savion's musical talent. She once held him and hummed some rhythms to him, and he smiled and joined along.Lahr, 271.Lahr, 270–272. Glover graduated from Newark Arts High School in 1991."Savion Glover", The HistoryMakers. Accessed August 14, 2018. "In 1991, Glover graduated from Newark’s Artistic High School."
Career Glover stated that his style is "young and funk." When asked to describe what funk is, he says it is the bass line. "Funk is anything that gets one's head on beat. It is riding with the rhythm. It is a pulse that keeps one rolling with the beat."Lahr, 268. Gregory Hines, a tap legend, was one of Glover's tap teachers. Hines stated that "Savion is possibly the best tap dancer that ever lived." Glover liked to start his pieces with some old school moves from famous tappers and then work his way into his own style. Hines said it is like paying homage to those he respects. When Honi Coles died, Savion performed at his memorial service. He finished his dance with a famous Coles move: a backflip into a split from standing position, then getting up without using one's hands. Glover rarely does this move because it wasn't his style, but he did it because it was Coles' style that he wanted to keep alive. "I feel like it's one of my responsibilities to keep the style."Lahr, 229. Henry LeTang called Glover "the Sponge" because he learned very quickly with everything thrown at him. LeTang taught the Hines brothers back in the 1950s and taught Glover for a little while before having him work for "Black and Blue," a tap revue in Paris in 1987. Many legendary tappers taught Glover such as LeTang, the Hines brothers, Jimmy Slyde, Dianne Walker, Chuck Green, Lon Chaney (Isaiah Chaneyfield), Honi Coles, Sammy Davis Jr., Buster Brown, Howard Sims, Arthur Duncan, and Leonard Reed
Teaching He has been teaching tap since he was 14 years old. Glover created Real Tap Skills, and started HooFeRz Club School for Tap in Newark, New Jersey."Savion Glover", Filmbug.com At age seven, Glover drummed in a group called Three Plus One. In the group, he demanded that he dance while he played the drum.Lahr, 273. Glover has a heavy foot for tap. He dances hard and loud in every step, and teaches his students how to "hit," a term related to one's ability to express oneself, complete a tap sequence, or say something.
Choreography
Notable choreographed pieces
Bring in 'Da Noise, Bring in 'Da Funk Savion Glover's Nu York, ABC special ABC opening to Monday Night Football The Rat Pack, HBO movie Created a dance company called NYOTs (Not Your Ordinary Tappers) PBS for President Clinton in Savion Glover's Stomp, Slide, and Swing: In Performances in the Whitehouse Savion Glover/Downtown: Live Communication Shuffle Along, or, the Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed
When Glover choreographs a piece, he improvises as he generates a dance sequence.Lahr, 268–274. As he finds rhythms, he listens for new sounds at many points on the stage. "I'm feelin' the stage for sounds. You might find a spot on it that gives you that bass; you might find a spot on the floor that gives you that dead type tom-tom sound." "I think what makes Savion an incredible artist is his extraordinary joy in what he does. He is able to live in that state of joy and not compromise his emotional complexity like the earlier tap dancers had to," says George C. Wolfe.Lahr, 274.
One of the timesteps performed in Barbra Streisand's Timeless in Glover's performance as "Brother Time" has been informally named the "Savion Glover Timestep" by many tap dancers.
Broadway The Tap Dance Kid (1985) This musical was based on the 1974 novel Nobody's Family is Going to Change by Louise Fitzhugh. Glover's Broadway debut, at the age of 11, was as a replacement with this show. The musical was choreographed by Danny Daniels, with direction by Vivian Matalon; the music was by Henry Krieger and lyrics by Robert Lorick."The Tap Dance Kid", Playbill. Retrieved May 4, 2016. Reviews of this show were mediocre. The New York Times claimed it was a traditional story to give children a dream to look forward to, but was not anything exceptional. However, the musical went on to be nominated for seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical.
Black and Blue (1989) Performed at the age of 15. For this performance, he became one of the youngest performers ever nominated for a Tony Award.Anna Kisselgoff, "Elegant Ghosts Haunt 'Black and Blue'", The New York Times, May 21, 1989.
Jelly's Last Jam (1992) In Jelly's Last Jam (1992), the tap dancing was choreographed by Ted Levy and Gregory Hines, who starred as Jelly Roll Morton. Glover played the role of "Young Jelly", and was nominated for the Drama Desk Award as Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical."Jelly's Last Jam", Playbill. Retrieved May 4, 2016.
Bring in 'Da Noise, Bring in 'Da Funk (1996) Glover performed in this musical and also choreographed it. He was nominated for the Tony Award, Actor in a Musical for his roles as Lil' Dahlin' and 'da Beat and for Choreography."Bring in 'Da Noise, Bring in 'Da Funk", Playbill, May 4, 2016. "Mr. Glover meticulously and respectfully demonstrates the techniques made famous by each, then blends them all into an exultant stylistic brew that belongs to no one but him. As dance, as musical, as theater, as art, as history and entertainment, there's nothing Noise/Funk cannot and should not do." -The New York Times.
Shuffle Along, or, the Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed (2016) Glover choreographed the musical Shuffle Along, or, the Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed, which opened in 2016 at the Music Box Theatre.Ali, Rahim. "Audra McDonald to Star in New Broadway Musical With Savion Glover", bet.com, March 13, 2015. Retrieved June 7, 2015. He was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Choreography and a Drama Desk Award for his work on the musical."See Full List of 2016 Tony Award Nominations", Playbill, May 3, 2016.
Filmography Film 1988 - Driving Me Crazy, Audition artist, First Run 1989 - Tap, as Louis, TriStar 2000 - Bamboozled, as Manray/Mantan, New Line 2001 - The Making of Bamboozled 2000 - Barbra Streisand's "Timeless" 2006 - Happy Feet, choreography and motion capture for "Mumble" 2011 - Happy Feet 2, choreography for "Mumble"
Television Shangri-La Plaza, 1990 CBS pilot Sesame Street (1990–95) Dance in America: Tap! Black Film Makers Hall of Fame The Kennedy Center Honors Academy Awards Ceremony (1996) for Tom Hanks tributeLahr, 271–275. The Wall, as Bracey Mitchell, 1998 Showtime TV movie The Rat Pack, as the choreographer, 1998 HBO TV movie Bojangles, as Newcomer, 2001 Showtime TV movie So You Think You Can Dance: The Next Generation (2016) - Choreographer The Talk (2018) - Routine with co-host Sheryl Underwood as part of the show's New Year's Evolution
Episodic 1987 - Super Dave 1998 - Sin City Spectacular (also known as Penn & Teller's Sin City Spectacular), FX 1999 - The Jamie Foxx Show, "Taps for Royal," The WB 1999 - Saturday Night Live, (Uncredited), NBC 2000 - Odyssey, America! 2003 - Cedric the Entertainer Presents, Bartholomew, Fox
TV specials 1989 - Tap Dance in America (also known as Gregory Hines' Tap Dance in America), PBS 1991 - The Kennedy Center Honors: A Celebration of the Performing Arts, CBS 1992 - Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, NBC 1992 - Jammin': Jelly Roll Morton on Broadway (documentary), PBS 1993 - Sesame Street Stays Up Late! (also known as Sesame Street Stays Up Late! A Monster New Year's Eve Party), as Savion, PBS 1994 - Sesame Street's All-Star 25th Birthday: Stars and Street Forever!, ABC 1994 - In a New Light `94, ABC 1995 - The Kennedy Center Honors: A Celebration of the Performing Arts, CBS 1996 - Vanessa Williams & Friends: Christmas in New York, ABC 1997 - It Just Takes One, USA 1997 - 53rd Presidential Inaugural Gala, CBS 1998 - Slide and Swing with Savion Glover, Stomp, PBS 1998 - Savion Glover's Nu York, as the Host, ABC 1998 - Savion Glover's Nu York, Executive producer and choreographer, ABC 1998 - The First 50 Years, Quincy Jones, ABC 1998 - The New Jersey Performing Arts Center Opening Night Gala, PBS, 1999 - Disney's Young Musicians Symphony Orchestra in Concert, Disney Channel 1999- The Jamie Foxx Show 2000 - The Steadfast Tin Soldier: An Animated Special from the "Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child" Series (animated), the voice of toy dancer, HBO 2001 - Barbra Streisand-Timeless, Brother Time, Fox 2001 - Barbra Streisand-Timeless, as the choreographer, Fox 2002 - Olympic Winter Games, Closing ceremony, NBC 2002 - AFI Life Achievement Award: A Tribute to Tom Hanks, USA
Awards presentations 1989 - The 61st Annual Academy Awards Presentation, ABC 1989 - 16th Annual Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame, syndicated 1996 - The 68th Annual Academy Awards Presentation, ABC 1997 - Launching the Tonys, as the Presenter, Broadway `97, PBS 1997 - The 51st Annual Tony Awards, CBS 1997 - 39th Grammy Awards, CBS 1998 - The 13th Annual Stellar Gospel Music Awards, syndicated 1998 - 12th Annual Soul Train Music Awards, syndicated 1999 - 30th NAACP Image Awards, Fox 2001 - The 32nd NAACP Image Awards, Fox
Music videos 2001 - "Timeless: Live in Concert", Brother Time Also appeared in the music video "Attack Me with Your Love" by Cameo (1985) Also appeared in the music video "Havana" by Kenny G Also appeared in the music video "It's All About the Benjamins" by Puff Daddy and the Family
Stage appearances 1984 - The Tap Dance Kid, (Broadway debut) Title character 1989–91- Black and Blue, Minskoff Theatre, Broadway 1992–93 - Jelly's Last Jam, as Young Jelly, Virginia Theatre, Broadway 1996–97 - Bring in da Noise, Bring in da Funk, Ambassador Theatre, Broadway 1998 - Savion Glover: Downtown, Variety Arts Theatre, New York City 1999 - Keep Bangin′, Players Theatre, New York City 2001 - Foot Notes, Wilshire Theatre, Los Angeles 2002 - Savion Glover with TiDii the Egg, Empire State Plaza, Albany, NY"Savion Glover Biography (1973-)", Film Reference.
Tours Foot Notes, The Concert, U. S. cities "Savion Glover's Foot Notes Starts Nat'l Tour, March 21, in Springfield", pineapple March 13, 2000. 2002 - Bring in da Noise, Bring in da Funk, U.S. cities/international cities Also toured U.S. cities in Jelly's Last Jam 2013 - Stepz, U.S. cities/LondonCutie, Jena. "Savion Glover's Stepz hits some stormy weather", Chicagoreader.com, January 22, 2014
Albums 1989 - Black and Blue (original cast recording), DRG 1992 - Jelly's Last Jam (original cast recording), Mercury/PolyGram 1995 - Hot Jazz for a Cool Yule, Pacific Vista Productions 1996 - Bring in da Noise, Bring in da Funk (original cast recording), RCA Victor 1996 - Prince: "Joint 2 Joint" (tap dance breakdown), from the album Emancipation, NPG/EMI 1997 - Abbey Lincoln: "Who Used to Dance", from the album Who Used to Dance, Verve 2002 - Talib Kweli: "Stand 2 the Side", from the album Quality, Rawkus/MCA/Universal
Publications Books 1997 - Contemporary Black Biography, Volume 14, Gale 1997 - Newsmakers, Issue 4, Gale 2000 - Savion! My Life in Tap, with Bruce Weber, HarperCollins
Periodicals November 1994 Dance Magazine April 1996 Dance Magazine May 23, 1998 TV Guide, p. 6
Awards