Word: savion
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...gentle giant of tap ran a world-renowned New York City studio. Among his credits: choreographing films (The Cotton Club, Tap) and Broadway musicals (Sophisticated Ladies, Eubie!, Black and Blue--the last of which won him a Tony). He mentored some of tap's brightest stars, including Gregory Hines, Savion Glover, Chita Rivera and Ben Vereen...
DIED. FAYARD NICHOLAS, 91, tap dancer extraordinaire who, with brother Harold, performed gravity-defying fantasias with his feet, inspiring generations of dancers from Fred Astaire to Savion Glover; in Toluca Lake, Calif. The self-taught Nicholas Brothers leaped to prominence in the '30s, performing flips and splits with ease. Their acrobatics landed them roles in nearly 30 films--including 1943's Stormy Weather, whose finale features a flawless leapfrog down a spiral staircase. But because of Jim Crow--era practices, the African-American brothers rarely got starring or speaking parts...
...actor (playing '30s tap master Bill Robinson in Bojangles) and as Tony-winning Broadway headliner (in Jelly's Last Jam). His greatest gift, however, was in his feet, which hit the amplified floor like Chinese firecrackers, broke from standard 4/4 time into daring sprung rhythms and inspired Savion Glover and the new breed of hip-hop tappers...
DIED. JAMES (BUSTER) BROWN, 88, tap dancer and teacher whose fast-paced rhythms influenced modern stars like Savion Glover; in New York City...
...desperate, Pierre proposes a minstrel show--a format "so negative, so offensive and racist" that it will prove his point about the lack of ethical or aesthetic standards on TV. Aided by his skeptical, ambitious assistant (Jada Pinkett Smith), he hires as his stars a homeless tap dancer (Savion Glover) and his pal (Tommy Davidson). Renamed Mantan and Sleep 'n Eat, they are given a supporting cast of Topsy, Rastus, Sambo and Aunt Jemima--enough reminders of racism to spur protests from an enraged citizenry. Guess what? The show is a smash. Audience members show up in blackface. The unknowns...