Savion Glover and George Wolfe, in Bring In Da Noise, Bring in Da Funk, use tap dance to evoke historical tap figures in differing ways of making a particular statement on their view of African American tap artistry. The musical traces the history of “the beat” through its origins in Africa, into America through the slave trade, and finally the different forms it took through American history. In the show, the two satirical sequences and Savion’s solo come in the second act, which begins with a young man, “the Kid,” searching for the beat in Hollywood. His search brings him into a soundstage where “Grin and Flash” and “Uncle Huckabuck” are performing. In their sleek suits and ties, the Grin and Flash act has exactly what their name says: beaming smiles and flashy performance. The two dancers sing a jazzy show tune, with full-bodied movements and dripping theatricality, jazz hands included. Not a lot of grounded, rhythmic tap is involved - there’s a couple wings and shuffle grab offs, but most of…
Dubbed as the “man who saved tap dancing”, Savion Glover has provoked a stylistic revolution within tap dancing and has inspired many young dancers all over the country with his hip-hop-funk and jazz-infused rhythm tap dance style. How did a seven-year-old go from being a young drummer to one of the most inspiring, and influential tap dancers today? Tap dance is an art form that is characterized by its use of percussive sounds through the tap shoes striking the floor. Although the art of tap…