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Taylor Williams
Mrs. Clawson
Art of The Dance
30 November 2016
Savion Glover
Savion Glover is an American tap dancer, actor, musician and choreographer. Glover was
born on November 19, 1973 in Newark, New Jersey. Savion, alongside his two older brothers,
was raised by his mother Yvette. Yvette Glover was a professional singer and actress. Glover has
had a well – rounded career from dance to choreography while young and old. He has been an
important figure in tap dance and expression of African American heritage. Glover has worked
with many other dancers through performing, collaborating, and teaching. Savion Glover is one
of the most influential tap dancers of the past century; he has utilized the medium of dance to
succeed, educate, and express himself along with others.
Yvette Glover said in an interview with the Chicago Tribune “he had rhythm even before
he was born, Savion used to bounce around in my belly.” (Henley 1)When Savion was four his
fascination with noise first started; his mother knew the next best step was to enroll him in a
Suzuki Class. He wasn’t in the class long. The class instructor informed his mother, that he was
far too advanced for the class. The next step for Savion was advancement; he auditioned for the
Newark Community School for the Arts and aced it. Glover received a scholarship at this school;
he became the youngest scholarship recipient in the school’s history (Henley 1). When he was
seven, Savion Joined a band called Three Plus as a drummer. When he turned nine, the band
performed at the Broadway Dance Center (Murray-Bray 1). The experiences and successes
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Savion encountered continued to snowball through his early years. The first seven months at
Newark Glover used cowboy boots to tap, because his mother could not afford tap shoes. A year
after getting tap shoes he saw Chuck Green and Lon Chaney who gave him his whole foot rather
than heal – toe style; that point forward Savion Glover became a tap – dance machine. In 1984,
Glover auditioned for the workshop for the musical The Tap Dance Kid and landed the leading
role (Murray-Bray 1). In 1988, Glover went to Paris and was given the opportunity to perform
with some legends of tap including Lon Chaney, Bunny Briggs, Jiimmy Slyde, and George
Hillman (Henley 1). By 1989, Glover was starring on Broadway in Black and Blue. The
performance earned him a Tony Award nomination. By 1990, Glover had landed a recurring role
on the children’s show Sesame Street, a role that lasted for five years. He continued his success
