| What comes to mind when you think of tap dancing? | | | | Hines. He participated in other Broadway productions, |
| You might picture a black-and-white movie with a | | | | and he even made a movie. Savion also became |
| performer dressed in a tuxedo. Tap dancing might not | | | | well-known for his recurring role on the children's |
| seem like something popular and modern. If that is how | | | | television show Sesame Street. |
| you picture tap, then you have never seen Savion | | | | In 1995, Savion choreographed and starred in a |
| Glover dance! This choreographer, dancer, director, | | | | production called Bring in 'Da Noise, Bring in 'Da Funk. |
| and producer has changed the way people think about | | | | The show, which followed African American history |
| tap dancing today. | | | | from the times of slavery through the 20th century, |
| Savion Glover was born in New Jersey in 1973. He | | | | was extremely popular. People loved its energy. They |
| showed a talent for drumming when he was only four | | | | were amazed at how the story could be expressed |
| years old, so he began going to school at the Newark | | | | through dance. Bring in 'Da Noise, Bring in 'Da Funk won |
| Community School of the Arts. By the time he was | | | | four Tony Awards, the highest honor a musical can |
| seven, he had begun taking rhythm tap classes at the | | | | receive. One of those awards was for best |
| Broadway Dance Center in New York. Rhythm tap is | | | | choreographer, Savion Glover. |
| a special kind of dance that uses all the parts of the | | | | The style of tap that Savion is best known for is often |
| foot to create sounds. | | | | called hoofing, or street tap. It is a hard-hitting form of |
| When Savion began taking tap lessons, his family could | | | | tap, and the movements are more acrobatic than |
| not afford the special shoes he needed. Savion had to | | | | those of traditional tap. Savion's work combines |
| wear a pair of cowboy boots to his first lesson! Just a | | | | elements of jazz, funk, hip-hop, rock 'n' roll, and the |
| few years later, Savion landed his first role in a | | | | blues to create something unique and exciting. People |
| Broadway performance, The Tap Dance Kid. | | | | love to watch Savion's feet move. It is hard to keep up |
| Savion continued working in a variety of areas. He | | | | with them, but that is part of the fun in watching |
| learned much of what he knew about tap dancing | | | | Savion Glover perform! |
| from masters like Sammy Davis, Junior and Gregory | | | | |
