Most people do not understand the hard work and the dedication that is necessary to be a dancer. Savion Glover, an American tap dancer, performed at the Regina A. Quick Center of the Arts this past Sunday, Dec. 6, and mesmerized everyone with his lightning quick feet. Glover has been dancing since he was seven years old and had his Broadway debut at the age of 12 in “The Tap Dance Kid.” Since then, his life has been filled with all sorts of beats, rhythms and most importantly, a pair of tap shoes.
The mix of dance, music and laughter grabbed the attention of the sold out crowd. Fairfield County residents, students and fans visited.
Freshman Kristen Gibney has been a tap dancer for years. “I have wanted to see Savion Glover since I was a kid. All my friends who tap and my teachers all know what he means to the tap world and to be able to see him live was something I’ll never forget. His company was so impressive,” she said.
Glover started his performance with a long solo dance that introduced his skills, dedication and love for the art. He smiled with every beat and concentrated intently. The audience clapped along with his partially improvised dance moves. In addition to Glover, Marshall Davis Jr., Karissa Royster, Sarah Savelli and Robyn Watson danced alongside of him. The performance consisted of jazz numbers, but also many Christmas hits, such as “Jingle Bells,” “Santa Baby,” “Let it Snow” and many more classics.
Junior Brandon Borsanyi had never seen a tap performance before and was shocked by the end of the show. “The performance was so unique because Savion Glover used his tap dance rhythm to lead the band,” he said.
Glover captured the audience’s attention by recognizing a tap legend who attended the performance, Diane Walker. Walker has tapped on Broadway, television and international dance concerts for over 30 years and has become an inspiration for Glover’s work. Glover told the audience to “find out who she is, what she is and why she is.”
However, Walker was not the only tap dancer in the house. Glover called up eight students of tap from Fairfield County and asked them to dance on stage. The kids danced for four counts of eight and impressed not only the audience, but also Glover himself.
With every drop of sweat that fell from Glover’s face came another captivating beat and Irene Havlusch ‘19 could not have agreed more. “I am not a tap dancer and I’ve never seen a tap performance in my life, but that was one of the most magical experiences. There wasn’t a single moment when my jaw wasn’t on the floor. Savion’s electrifying presence on the stage filled me with awe and made me want to get up and tap,” she said.
The hour-and-a-half holiday spectacular needed no intermission and put the audience in the dancing and holiday spirit. Even though everyone may not appreciate the arts, Glover’s dance had an aura about it that allowed everyone to appreciate his talent and energy put forth. The expression that came from his feet was felt by everyone sitting in the seats.
Havlusch may not have been a dancer, but she knew there was something special about the performance that she witnessed. “The spirit that is alive in his feet echoes the fire in the eyes of all who watched him.”
Leave a Reply