Savion Glover - "Classical Savion "

[Guest rohale]

One of America's finest is a comet with bold taps. More than any other dancer, Savion Glover instinctively and offcourse brilliantly knows how to play his instrument - a wiry yet mighty body with compulsively propulsive feet.

 

The Tony Award winning tap dancer and onetime prodigy continues his transformation into an all around musician of motion. The choreographic fireworks in his latest show ironically titled " Classical Savion " are nearly all aural, but suprisingly not visual to say the least. For those who are looking for the flash and filigree of Broadway-style tap dancing wont find it in his latest outing. I noticed how Mr Glover had every intent on integrating himself with the show's 13 musicians. Here's a thought for those clammoring to see the great one. Shut your eyes and hear Glover with great calmness, that just might be the best way to see him in his latest incarnation.

 

I had the chance to see in Irvine, California at the Barclay Theatre. There was however a certain unfortunate quirk to kick things off. The show itself at the start was slightly uneven because of the sound designer had cranked up the amplification to jarring decibels just a little tad too much. The manifestation of the problem was soon cleared up.

 

Now we go for the juice. This two hour intermission show this past Tuesday was a tour de force epic. It was absolutely awesome as he soared and burned in a delirious, almost alarming fashion. The tone of his tapping had sparkle and definitely provided me goosebumps like a flip switch up my spine. I was absolutely fixated on this wonderful performer and this energetic character strikes the ground with bold attack and showed no signs of stopping.

 

The meat of Classical Savion was juicy and tasty, providing an answer to this pressing question : Just exactly how does one tap dance to Bach, Vivaldi, Bartok, Shostakovich and Mendelssohn?

 

The answer was really quite simple. With speed, syncopation, melody, humor and virtuousity. Glover never just kept time, he urged forward concert master Eugenia Choi ( a perfectionist to a point of no end )and cellist Rafal Jezierski ( another great find ) during three of Vivaldi's " Four Seasons ". Glover stuck to the score, then veered off, to insert notes between notes. At times, he was drum, at others, harmonizor. He wove in and out, particularly during the Bach selections. For pianist Mr Tommy James, Glover played the catchy riff from Queens, " Another One Bites The Dust and the two sparred on that for a time.

 

His whole body dancing style was always done to complete feverish pitch. There was the odd occasional, heel-toe sideways shuffle and one great Groucho Marx stalk across the raised rectangular platform that served as his stage. He experimented with the dynamics of the shoe itself, venturing onto his toes and the inside of his instep. Arms were somewhat gangly and legs were loose but crisp. What amazed me quite a bit was as he faced his audience, he wore a beatific expression, of hypnotic pleasure.

 

He very much chilled out in his costume, black pants, white t-shirt adn oversize shirts of lovely hues. A nice elegant of garments which hands down easily complemented the backdrop of curved drapery which nicely dressed the set.

 

Most people who love tap dancing have no idea what a great national treasure he can be for America. He is both artist and entertainer, but he his more mysterious than, say the late Gregory Hines. This show ( to which I was lucky enough to be part of the audience ) in particular, rather than making him more accessible with a menu of classical greatist hits, places him in the mold of revolutionary jazz giants, Thelonious Monk, or Ornette Coleman. On second thought, its probably best not to pin Glover down just yet.

 

He has graced America's dance stage for over ten years now. A guy like him is timeless and I had to learn this lesson two night ago. If you have the chance and love tap-dancing, watch him on a live stage for he is the bedrock of today to say the least.

 

Rohale

[+ Lucky]

RE: Savion Glover -

 

Get a grip...he's a tap dancer. (Insert smiley face) I've seen him, once when he was young, and twice more recently. He's really good. But a "bedrock?" You sound like you saw the second coming!

 

He seems to me to have a contempt for his audience...especially because he likes to dance with his back to them.