Other dances are like languages, like French or Spanish, but my steps are slang, and slang is always changing.
Savion GloverRead
Just like a comedian has a certain joke or a jazz musician has a riff that they know will get the crowd, a tap dancer always has a step.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Artists have signature elements that resonate with their audience.
In this quote, Savion Glover emphasizes the importance of signature styles or techniques in art forms such as comedy and music. Just as a comedian relies on a familiar joke or a jazz musician uses a well-known riff to engage their audience, a tap dancer employs distinctive steps that highlight their unique expression and connect with the crowd, showcasing the value of consistency in artistic performance.
Themes
ArtPerformanceSignatureAudienceExpression
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be shared during a workshop on artistic expression.
More from Savion Glover
All quotes βFor me, the importance in learning about the dance is using it as a voice. It's not about a step, it's about a way to express oneself.
Savion GloverRead
There are many different styles of, and approaches to, tap. My own leans towards a more intellectual view: tap dancing not just for the sake of entertainment but to educate and spark emotion.
Savion GloverRead
I can produce any instrument, any sound that I can imagine; it may be percussive to the audience, but in my mind it may be a piano, a melody, or a tuba, or a harp, or a harmonica. My mission is to allow people to hear the dance in its purity and up against any other type of sound or music.
Savion GloverRead
I'm happy that people think of me as the greatest tap-dancer that ever lived. But it's just a rumor. Because the greatest dancer that ever lived knows everything, and I don't. I'm still learning. I still have a lot of work to do.
Savion GloverRead
My mom couldn't afford dance shoes, so she put me in these old cowboy boots with a hard bottom so I could get some sound out. I used them for seven months. When I finally got real tap shoes, I was nervous. I kept moving my feet, thinking, 'Oh, so this is how it's supposed to sound.'
Savion GloverRead
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