SPOLETO BUZZ BLOG

Eliza Ingle on tap sensation Savion Glover’s Improvography:

Savion Glover is an electric performer whose energy and skill translate into a highly entertaining show. For the first part of the evening, Glover is joined by four great jazz jazz musicians: Tommy James, Brian Grice, Patience Higgins and Andy McCloud. As each musician entered, a dialog between dancer and instrument ensued until at last the dancer became an instrument himself. Glover is a sound machine producing intricate rhythms that come from his remarkable feet and songs from a confident voice, including an inventive rendition of “The Way You Look Tonight.” At times Glover taps at such speed one wonders if his legs aren’t plugged into electrical sockets. By the end of the first 30 minutes he is drenched from head to toe and finishes in a glorious collapse as the stage goes to black.

When the lights come up again, the stage is shared by three talented tappers: Maurice Chestnut, Ashley DeForest, and Cartier Williams. The ensemble work is at its strongest when solos emerge like the nonchalant hammering of the 14-year-old Williams or the more refined dynamic of Chestnut. The group work is less affective and becomes more academic and less heartfelt. Unfortunately, I found the recorded music to be an annoying distraction to the sound of the tappers.

Improvography is a terrific combination of inspired jazz arrangements and the prowess of this generation’s hottest tap dancer, who continues to push the form into new directions. — EI