Glover, Savion

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Glover, Savion

November 19, 1973

Tap veteran Gregory Hines called Savion Glover "the best tap dancer that ever lived." Born in Newark, New Jersey, Glover grew up in a housing project with his mother. From age two he showed an affinity for rhythm, beating out sounds on pots and pans at will. Yvette Glover enrolled Savion in tap dance at age seven at New York City's Broadway Dance Center. Savion recalls tapping in cowboy boots—the only hard-soled shoes his mother could afford—for seven months before receiving his first pair of tap shoes.

At age twelve Glover secured the lead role in Broadway's The Tap Dance Kid. In 1989 he was nominated for his first Tony Award for his performance in Black and Blue. In the same year he starred with Gregory Hines and Sammy Davis Jr. in the movie Tap. In 1992 he became the youngest recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) grant for choreography. From 1991 to 1994, he starred in the Broadway production of Jelly's Last Jam and taught children's tap classes wherever he traveled. From 1991 to 1995 he was a regular guest on Sesame Street.

Glover's greatest accomplishment has been his involvement in the original Bring in 'da Noise, Bring in 'da Funk, which began late in 1995. The show, a dramatic display of black musical styles including hip-hop and new styles of tap dance, garnered nine Tony nominations in 1996. Serving as the Broadway show's choreographer and star, Glover won one of the show's four awards for Best Choreographer.

In 2004, after three years away from the spotlight, and mourning the death of his friend Gregory Hines, Glover reemerged with a renewed enthusiasm as a dancer, actor, and dance instructor.