“The Genius of Savion Glover”
Out of sheer luck last night I stumbled upon musical genius. I received a call Thursday afternoon from my wife, asking if I’d be interested in seeing a tap dancing show on Saturday night with her teaching buddies. Half heartedly, with no clue of what to expect, I said “Why not?” I mean the tickets weren’t even going to cost anything.
Walking up to the Ferguson Center in Newport News our group of six start to build up some anticipation. We now realize the artists name is Savion Glover, and we find out he has recently done choreography for the computer animation movie Happy Feet. Following our crowd and not paying any attention to where we were going, we suddenly pop out in the dead center of the front row of the theater. We quickly take notice of the thousands of people behind, jealous of our real-estate.
Minutes later the ten-piece orchestra begins to play, and a slim, tall, African
American man, with dreads appears on the stage. (Whom I didn’t recognize.) Wasting no time, he jumps on a mini stage with his feet moving faster and more precise than imaginable. Since we were so close to the stage and his feet were moving so fast, we could literally see the dust rising around his shoes. Covering the stage at such an intense rate, he became drenched in sweat before the first song was even over. The enjoyment he expressed on his face, the perspiration that poured from his body, and the movements that seemed to naturally flow through his build to create the vibrations beneath his feet, showed us that he was completely submerged in the music he was performing.
This is when I realized that what was going on almost in reaching distance before me was sheer musical genius. My eyes had finally cut through the razzle-dazzle and picked up on this artist who was entirely submerged in the music, becoming the complete rhythm section for a whole orchestra. Suddenly my perception changed of him from simply a dancer to a drummer and performer. His feet would accompany the hyper violins and then he would some how find his way into a hip-hop or rock beat via mouthing and moving his hand to the high-hat click. While Glover’s taps were precisely accompanying the complex music, he was then theatrically telling the story of the classical movements being performed with his body and facial expressions. He was accomplishing all this while sliding about the stage keeping the crowd in awe. Savion Glover peaked the show out by having improvised sessions with each of the musicians on the stage to a jazzy, almost Middle Eastern rendition of “Stars Stripes Forever 4 Now.” To conclude the night, he brought out a saxophonist, pianist, and drummer. While the entire band/orchestra was playing the improvised version of “Stars Stripes Forever 4 Now,” Glover began orchestrating horn lines and hits with his feet and vocal cues. The whole band accompanying his movement came to a jumping halt as his feet directed a conclusion. BAM! The concert was complete and the crowd was on their feet with a standing ovation.
I honestly believe God put me in that front and center seat of that amazing concert for a reason, and I know it will totally effect the way I play and perform music from here on out. But that is what artistic genius does and is. It has the mystical power to change minds, break barriers, and motivate. I have no way of telling whether that genius act was witnessed by everyone in the audience or me alone. However, I do know one thing; that “tap dancing guy from that movie Happy Feet” will have a direct impact on my musical future.