NBC BLK
Savion Glover has enamored audiences for over three decades now.
Glover who was born in Newark, NJ was introduced to the world of tap dancing at the age of seven when his mother signed him up for classes. But it wasn’t until later when he met tap dancing legend Gregory Hines that he fell in love with the art form.
Hines, who is considered the greatest tap dancer of all time by many, became Glover’s mentor and the rest was history, literally.
In 1985, at the age of 10, Glover made his Broadway debut in “The Tap Dance Kid,” a musical that went on to be nominated for seven Tony Awards. Just four years later at the age of 15, he became one of the youngest performers to ever be nominated for a Tony Award for his role in “Black and Blue.”
In 1996, he won a Tony Award for best choreography in “Bring in ‘da Noise, Bring in ‘da Funk.”
In 2000, CBS dubbed him “the man who saved tap dancing.”
Over the span of his career, Savion has been featured in Spike Lee’s “Bamboozled,” “Sesame Street,” “So You Think You Can Dance,” “The Jamie Foxx Show,” “Saturday Night Live,” and the 2002 Olympic Winter Games to name a few.
Glover’s career is a testimony to what can happen when you allow creativity, passion, and drive to take over. Therefore, it’s no mystery that whenever there’s a gathering of the world’s top creators Glover’s name is somewhere in the mix.
This year Glover has one more thing he can add to his list of achievements after performing at The 64th Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity which is hosted at the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès in Cannes, France every year.
As a part of the The FCB “Never Finished” Creators Series, with Susan Credle, Glover showcased his famed tap dancing talent and stayed around for a conversation. Credle, who first met Glover about 15 years agowhen she was working on an ad campaign he starred in as a tap dancer, felt like Glover was the embodiment of what it means to “never be finished.”
“Glover has been driven by purpose throughout his life. At FCB we believe that when brands, or in this case a person has a purpose, a meaningful reason for being, one will be more successful in the market place and over time will make a greater difference in the world,” Credle said.
She added, “When you know what you stand for in the world, you know where to focus. And when you focus, you have a greater impact. What a great lesson for all us.”
The seven-day celebration featured creators, pioneers, and trailblazers across multiple fields including entertainment, communications, tech, design, advertising, and marketing. Over the course of the week, industry heavy weights and new comers alike got together for events that ranged from workouts, panel discussions, and concerts.
The festival is also popular for its’ award ceremony in which they give out their esteemed ‘Lion Awards’ to professionals who are creatively changing the world with innovative ideas.
This year, the festival’s speaker line-up boasted big names such as Hip Hop artist Asap Rocky, rap duo Run The Jewels, fashion legend Alexander Wang, singer Nick Jonas and Academy Award-winning actress Dame Helen Mirren.
NBCBLK caught up with Savion Glover after his performance at Cannes to talk about what it means for him and the world of tap dance to be a part of such an esteemed event, his love for the art form, and who inspires the living legend himself.
Read the entire story here.
