Savion!: My Life in Tap [Hardcover]

Savion Glover (Author), Bruce Weber (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up

Born to save tap

Fuh-duh-BAP! Fuh-duh-duh-BAP! A new language, a new sound. Savion Glover has redefined tap dancing, and it can never be the same again. He speaks to the world with a power and ease that has stunned and captivated millions. This exciting biography captures that essence--often in Glover's own voice--and treats readers to an inside look at his work while also providing a brief yet compelling history of tap dancing. Reverberating with the rhythm of a unique musical language, the book includes more than 50 photographs and features an eye-catching two-color design.

Foreword by Gregory Hines
Fuh-duh-BAP! Fuh-duh-duh-BAP! A new language, a new sound. Savion Glover has redefined tap dancing, and it can never be the same again. He speaks to the world with a power and ease that has stunned and captivated millions. This exciting biography captures that essence--often in Glover's own voice--and treats readers to an inside look at his work while also providing a brief yet compelling history of tap dancing. Reverberating with the rhythm of a unique musical language, the book includes over fifty photographs and features an eye-catching two-color design. All ages.

"He's the greatest tap dancer to ever lace up a pair of Capezios or any other tap shoes."-- Gregory Hines in the Foreword to Savion: My Life in Tap

2001 Best Books for Young Adults (ALA)

Foreword by Gregory Hines
Fuh-duh-BAP! Fuh-duh-duh-BAP! A new language, a new sound. Savion Glover has redefined tap dancing, and it can never be the same again. He speaks to the world with a power and ease that has stunned and captivated millions. This exciting biography captures that essence--often in Glover's own voice--and treats readers to an inside look at his work while also providing a brief yet compelling history of tap dancing. Reverberating with the rhythm of a unique musical language, the book includes over fifty photographs and features an eye-catching two-color design. All ages.

"He's the greatest tap dancer to ever lace up a pair of Capezios or any other tap shoes."--Gregory Hines in the Foreword to Savion: My Life in Tap

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The loose and limber voice of dance wunderkind Glover wafts through this brief and inviting biography, echoing the rhythms and energy of his kinetic feet. Journalist Weber's atmospheric account starts in a dance studio with an intermittently onomatopoeic discussion of tap dance ("Fuh-duh-BAP!... Fuh-duh-duh-BAP!) and goes on to fill in the auspicious beginnings and landmark events that paved the way for the 26-year-old's extraordinary career thus far. Gregory Hines's foreword--which has the ring of a proud father--first sounds the volume's recurring refrain about the importance of young dancers copying the style of the masters and expanding on the steps that came before them. Throughout Glover's extensive quotes (which appear in their own type style and go on for several pages at a stretch), he clearly and repeatedly indicates that this principle applies not only to dance but to life itself. As Weber traces the shaping of Glover's career from drummer to dancer to Broadway sensation at age 11 to conceiver of Bring in 'da Noise, Bring in 'da Funk (for which Glover won a Tony Award for his choreography), he punctuates the facts with quotes from Glover's mother, brothers and professional peers. Vintage photographs of renowned hoofers accompany a concise history of tap, while pictures of Glover in action convey the dancer's magnetism and joie de vivre. The book's daring design occasionally draws attention to itself with its variety of fonts and type sizes (some very small), set against red, black or white backgrounds, and a fair number of photographs have a grainy quality. But these are quibbles when compared with the inspiration that aspiring performers will find in these pages. Glover's life, work and words will be a powerful reminder to youngsters that they are a part of all that preceded them and that they possess all that's necessary to make their own mark. Ages 10-up. (Jan.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 5 Up-A fascinating account of the remarkable career of the young dancer/choreographer whose incorporation of rap and hip-hop into a declining American art form renewed the popularity of tap dancing. Glover has brought tap to a wide audience in shows like The Tap Dance Kid, Black and Blue, Jelly's Last Jam, and his own Tony Award-winning Bring in 'da Noise, Bring in 'da Funk. Profusely illustrated with animated black-and-white photos, some of them double-page spreads, of both Savion and the earlier tap-dance stars who were his heroes and role models, this book conveys all of the exuberance and sound of tapping. The use of large letters in black, white, or red interspersed throughout to spell out tapping sounds like "Fuh-duh-BAP-duh-duh!" or "Tickety BLOO Kah" is particularly expressive of the action and rhythm. Readers will be inspired by Savion's creativity and devotion to his art and by such tidbits of his personal philosophy as, "Whatever you do, dancing or whatever, you got to hit. Don't sleep on it. Just hit-dancing is like life. The lessons of one are the lessons of the other." An outstanding, attractive addition to any biography collection.
Ginny Gustin, Santa Monica Public Library, CA
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Hardcover: 80 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins (January 26, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0688156290
• ISBN-13: 978-0688156299
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 7.7 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #757,510 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars For all you tappers out there, December 12, 2002

By 

Vaughan (Beppu-Shi, Oita-Ken Japan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Savion!: My Life in Tap (Hardcover)

Hello to all those tappers out there - I love all of you - Including you Savion. My name is Vaughan and I am actually Australian. My mother taught me how to tap ever since I could stand on two feet. Now, I'm 19 years old. And I'm a professional tap dancing teacher in Japan. Let me just say that I could relate a lot with what Savion was talking about. His views on tap and the way he wants it to go.

It's a fun book to read - with some great action tap shots of Savion throughout his life. The layout is very original, and very creative - it was nice to take my mind off my uni degree for a couple of hours and learn about this extremely successful tap dancer. Someone who I didn't know too much about, but now somehow believe that I've known him all my life.

It's a great art - Tap Dancing. And I wish there were people who could indulge themselves in a couple of professional / guest classes. I go around all of Japan teaching in my holidays, and I try to get as many people involved. Maybe because not many people do it, thats what makes it so unique. Thanks Savion - for following your dreams and publishing this book. It was a great read.

Your fellow Tap Dancer... Vaughan

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars His Voice Is Finally Heard, December 1, 2000

By 

"tapnfool" (Franklin, TN USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Savion!: My Life in Tap (Hardcover)

We've been hearing his wonderful rhythms for years, now we finally get to hear his voice. What a true inspiration! This book just makes you want to jump up and start moving your feet. Believe me, this book is not just for children. I used it as required reading for my advanced tap class at the local college.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Keep Rockin Savion!, June 1, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Savion!: My Life in Tap (Hardcover)

Great design, photos, behind the scenes of one of the greatesttap dancers, Savion Glover! All the info on Savion in one quick read- great for all ages.