This past Saturday (6th April) I headed on up to Sadler's Wells Theater to see the one and only Tap genius (who I used to watch on Sesame Street as a kid lol) Savion Glover in his show; SoLe Sanctuary, which was more than a fitting tribute to the Unsung Originators and known Legendary Innovators of Tap such as JimmySlyde, Gregory Hines and Sammy Davis Jr.
Never in all my life have I been so speechless!
With no intermission and perhaps less than 5 non tapping moments apiece, Savion and his dance partner Marshall Davis Jr, consistently tapped for roughly 1 hour and 20 minutes (or slightly longer). At times in perfect unison with each other creating simultaneous rhythms or, while one would be tapping akin to a backing track the other tapped out his own solo then, at times they would trade conversation with each other, showcasing every combination of steps imaginable and then some, which I can only describe as them invoking Ancestral talking drums through their feet! Taking the audience through every emotional facet of a peoples journey throughout the ages.
The only unexpected surprise for me was to hear Savion sing the Jazz classic 'One For My Baby (And One More For The Road)' because I never knew the Brother could hold a note lol
To say the show was Breathtaking, Phenomenal, Amazing and Magnificent would be an understatement because, there are not enough words in the English language to describe what I was blessed to be a witness to, but the one word that encapsulates the overall experience for me is Spiritual.
There is no doubt that Savion and Marshall are the chosen torchbearers of preserving one of Our Cultural Centerpiece's and I would definitely pay to see them again.
My only request is that they don't wait too long to come back!
No comments:
Post a Comment