THIS IS TAP

A look at Savion Glover, the Black tap-dancer extraordinaire who choreographed Bring in ’da Noise, Bring in ’da Funk.

In the womb, Savion kicked “to ’da beat.” As a toddler, he bounced through the house. He pounded beats on pots and pans. At age 4 he took drum lessons, and, at 7, tap dance. Savion felt rhythm everywhere. At 10, he was dancing in shows, and he learned “hittin’ ” from the “old-time cats” in Harlem—“expressin’ / yourself / with your feet.” Eventually, Savion found a way to combine the old—tap—with the new: hip-hop. He choreographed and starred in Bring in ’da Noise, which opened off-Broadway in 1995 and moved to Broadway the following year; the show traced racism in history through tap and integrated hip-hop, transformed theater, tap, and Broadway, and defined Savion’s contribution to the art form. In short lines of verse, Castrovilla describes Savion’s evolution as an artist. The rhythmic text, while generally fun to read, is a bit awkward; for those without historical or dance backgrounds, some information may be lost on readers—Bring in ’da Noise, for instance, isn’t mentioned by name until the afterword. But Freeman’s illustrations use unique design and cultural detail to convey energy and movement, paying powerful homage to this legendary artist. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A soaring tribute to a legendary dancer and choreographer.