Savion Glover
American tap dancer, actor, and choreographer.
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Savion Glover (born November 19, 1973) is an American tap dancer, actor and choreographer. The youngest of three sons, he was born to a white father who left before his birth and a black mother. His maternal great-grandfather, Dick Lundy, was a shortstop and manager for several Negro league baseball teams, including the Newark Eagles.
His grandfather, Bill Lewis, was a big band pianist and vocalist, while his grandmother, Anna Lundy Lewis, served as minister of music at New Hope Baptist Church in Newark. She played for Whitney Houston in the gospel choir and first noticed Glover’s musical talent when she hummed rhythms to him as an infant, and he responded by smiling and joining in. Glover graduated from Newark Arts High School in 1991.
Career
Glover describes his style as “young and funk,” explaining that funk is the bass line—anything that gets the head on beat, a pulse that keeps one rolling with the rhythm. Tap legend Gregory Hines, one of his teachers, called Glover “possibly the best tap dancer that ever lived.” Glover often begins performances with moves from famous tappers before transitioning into his own style, which Hines likened to paying homage.
At Honi Coles’ memorial service, Glover performed a signature Coles move—a backflip into a split from standing, rising without using his hands—though it was not his own style, because he felt responsible for keeping such traditions alive. Henry LeTang nicknamed him “the Sponge” for his rapid learning. Many legendary tappers taught him, including LeTang, the Hines brothers, Jimmy Slyde, Dianne Walker, Chuck Green, Lon Chaney, Honi Coles, Sammy Davis Jr., Buster Brown, Howard Sims, Arthur Duncan, and Leonard Reed.
Teaching
Glover began teaching tap at age 14, created Real Tap Skills, and founded the HooFeRz Club School for Tap in Newark. He dances with a heavy foot, hitting hard and loud, and teaches students how to “hit”—a term for expressing oneself or completing a sequence. When choreographing, he improvises, listening for different sounds across the stage, seeking bass or tom-tom tones from various floor spots.
Jelly's Last Jam (1992)
His Broadway debut came at age 11 as a replacement in The Tap Dance Kid. At 15, he performed in Black and Blue, becoming one of the youngest Tony nominees. He played Young Jelly in Jelly’s Last Jam and was nominated for a Drama Desk Award.
Lore & Background
Savion Glover was born the youngest of three sons to a white father who left before his birth and a black mother. His great-grandfather on his mother's side, Dick Lundy, was a shortstop in the Negro leagues and managed eleven Negro League baseball teams, including the Newark Eagles. 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 and first noticed Glover's musical talent when she held him and hummed rhythms, and he smiled and joined along. Glover describes his style as 'young and funk,' saying 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.' Gregory Hines, one of his tap teachers, stated that 'Savion is possibly the best tap dancer that ever lived.' Glover often started pieces with old school moves from famous tappers, working into his own style—Hines called it paying homage.
When Honi Coles died, Glover performed at his memorial service, finishing with a Coles move: a backflip into a split from standing position, then getting up without using his hands. Glover rarely did this move because it wasn't his style, but did it to keep Coles' style alive. Henry LeTang called Glover 'the Sponge' because he learned very quickly.
Many legendary tappers taught Glover, including 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. Glover has been teaching tap since age 14. He created Real Tap Skills and started HooFeRz Club School for Tap in Newark. At age seven, he drummed in a group called Three Plus One, where he demanded to dance while playing the drum.
He dances hard and loud, teaching students how to 'hit.' His Broadway credits include 'The Tap Dance Kid' (1985), his debut at age 11; 'Black and Blue' (1989), for which he became one of the youngest Tony nominees; 'Jelly's Last Jam' (1992), where he played Young Jelly and was nominated for a Drama Desk Award; and 'Bring in 'Da Noise, Bring in 'Da Funk' (1996), which he choreographed and performed, earning Tony nominations for Actor and Choreography. He choreographed 'Shuffle Along, or, the Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed' (2016), nominated for a Tony for Best Choreography and a Drama Desk Award. His film work includes 'Tap' (1989), 'Bamboozled' (2000), and choreography and motion capture for 'Happy Feet' (2006) and 'Happy Feet 2' (2011).
More in Circus & Performance Art
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Savion Glover (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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