Tap virtuoso Savion Glover and his company came into the Joyce Theater for a three-week period that ended Jan. 4 in a program titled "Improvography," and the world of tap experienced the widest range of the vernacular seen in many a year. The key word obviously means a combination of set choreography and improvisation.
Until now, we had been convinced that only East Indian dancers, specifically those of the Bharata Natyam idiom of South India, could keep going in extensive solos for an hour. Well, the entire first act of "Improvography" consisted of one long solo by Savion Glover, tapping away furiously and creating riveting sounds accompanied by five spruced musicians—Tommy James, Patience Higgins, Andy McCloud, Brian Grice, and James Zollar. Glover even managed to sing some of his own accompaniments—Jerome Kern and Dorothy Fields' "The Way You Look Tonight" and Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer's "One for My Baby." Occasionally, Glover also slipped in some jive talk and a "kibitz" at the audience.
All this was performed without the slightest sense of strain, with Glover smiling broadly throughout. The only time we were aware of any spent energy was when, halfway through his solo, he discarded his outer shirt and we saw the inner, drenched one.
And still he went on and on creating myriad compelling sounds with unfailing virtuosity. Whether standing in one spot or roaming the entire stage, his every move spelled star—without a doubt, the brightest on the tap scene today.
There was a time when Glover deliberately chose a grungy appearance—hanging clothing, hair tied up, and an unkempt beard. Today, clean-shaven, with his hair pulled back in a ponytail, the star exudes elegance and charisma.
How he manages to maintain his energetic level, and with it his pleasant demeanor, without exhibiting the slightest strain remains a secret between himself and God.
The second half of the program gave the spotlight over to the rest of the company, mainly in ensemble and solo works, though Glover would occasionally wander in to join the others while remaining mainly in the background.
The dancers are listed in "Who's Who in the Cast" minus photographs, so that it becomes almost impossible to identify each individually. Exceptions were Marshall Davis, Jr. and Cartier Anthony Williams, both of whom were outstanding. Andrew Nemr and four lovely ladies—Alexandria Bradley, Michelle Dorrance, Hannah Heller, and Maya Smullyan-Jenkins—made up the rest of the cast.
Marshall Davis, Jr. displayed breathtaking technique almost on a par with Glover, the exception being that Davis accompanies his forceful technique with a rather grim façade.
Who could possibly fail to be charmed by the 14-year-old Cartier Anthony Williams? The ebullient youngster is a natural performer who, we can't help surmising, was born dancing. He certainly manages to stand out in a crowd.
Children of Uganda
Children of Uganda will be performing a concert of East African music, dance, and drumming at Lehman Concert Hall on Jan. 18. The children are united in tragedy; more than half of them live in one of Uganda's Daughters of Charity orphanages, having lost both parents to AIDS.
There are dances to welcome the audience, to praise livestock, to reflect common happenings, and for purposes of courtship, among others. And there is always a story—storytelling is central to all African cultures. Values, culture, history—all are instilled through stories.
Veterans of performances at the Kennedy Center, the White House, and "The Late Show With David Letterman," the youngsters promote global awareness of the AIDS crisis in Uganda and raise funds for fellow orphans in their homeland.
Venue: Lehman Concert Hall, 250 Bedford Park Blvd. West, Bronx, NY. Performance: Sun., Jan. 18 at 2 pm. Tickets: $10, available by calling (718) 960-8833 or online at .
James Sewell Premiere
James Sewell Ballet will be giving the New York City premiere of his "Barrage" at the Joyce Theater from Jan. 20-25. James Sewell's response to the overwhelming deluge of traumatic world events, especially post-Sept. 11, is set to music as varied as Handel, Tchaikovsky, and Fatboy Slim.
The ballet negotiates despair and optimism, loss and control, and order and chaos through its references to traditional work disturbed by improvised responses by the dancers, who have been schooled in contact improvisation techniques along with their classical training.
Venue: The Joyce Theater, 175 Eighth Ave., NYC. Performances: Tues.-Fri., Jan. 20-23, at 8 pm; Sat., Jan. 24 at 2 and 8 pm; Sun., Jan. 25, at 2 and 7:30 pm. Tickets: $36, available at the box office, by calling JoyceCharge at (212) 242-0800, or online at .
Susan Stroman Premiere
On Fri., Jan. 23, New York City Ballet will present the world premiere of a new full-length ballet by Broadway director-choreographer Susan Stroman at Lincoln Center's New York State Theater. This will be Ms. Stroman's first-ever full-length ballet.
The first premiere of the New York City Ballet's yearlong celebration of the centennial of George Balanchine's birth, Stroman's ballet was commissioned by NYCB as a tribute to Balanchine's pioneering work in Broadway musical comedy during the 1930s and '40s.
Called Double Feature, the piece is a narrative in two acts and is an homage to the silent film era. The cast for Double Feature is made up of nearly 60 dancers, including several students from the School of American Ballet. The score is made up of songs by Irving Berlin and Walter Donaldson, in new orchestrations by Doug Besterman, with musical arrangements by Glen Kelly.
Venue: Lincoln Center's New York State Theater, Columbus Avenue and West 63rd St., NYC. Performances: Double Feature will be performed Fri., Jan. 23, at 8 pm (world premiere); Sat., Jan. 24, at 2 and 8 pm; Sun., Jan. 25, at 3 pm; Tues., Feb. 3, at 7:30 pm; Wed., Feb. 4, at 8 pm; and Thurs., Feb. 5, at 8 pm. Tickets: $70, $50, $40, and $32, available at the box office, or online at www.nycballet.com.