It all began with a jazzy bass line, drifting from the back of the dimly lit stage.
Such an understated opening was the proverbial "calm before the storm," with the storm being the hectic yet flawlessly soulful staccato notes emanating from the soles of Savion Glover's tap shoes.
Just as he has for well over 20 years, on Friday at Center For the Arts Glover converted the physical motion of his feet and legs into a sonic splendor, playing a finely tuned instrument and giving the performance of a lifetime.
Part of Glover's "Improvography II" tour, he was backed by a talented jazz quartet and later accompanied by three fellow dancers who both, while very talented, were clearly playing second fiddle.
Glover, who has been a Broadway performer since the age of 10 and has won a Tony Award as well as many other awards, showed a mastery of rhythmic dance, robbing the audience of their breath.
With precision, unbelievable speed and musical prowess, Glover told a story without the use of many words, though he did occasionally vocalize some of the emotion transcended through his dance in repeated scat phrases.
Glover's set, which lasted over two hours and was interrupted only by a brief intermission, explored an eclectic musical range, improvising on everything from classical music to acid jazz.
Perhaps the most impressive quality of his performance was his endurance physically and vocally. In short, he made it seem easy.
Glover didn't say much, but his warm and extremely dedicated personality came through in his dance and his onstage relations with his fellow dancers and musicians.
Glover's backing band featured Patience Higgens on reeds, Brian Grice on drums, Andy McCloud on double bass and Tommy James on piano. These musicians were obviously immensely talented, but they kept it relatively simple for the most part, allowing Glover to dance from one end of the stage to the other.
Backup dancers Maurice Chestnut, Ashley Deforest and Cartier A. Williams joined Glover after the intermission and complemented him nicely. Though the four were able to stay completely in sync when they desired, more exceptional was the complex cacophony of sound created when each dancer did his or her own thing.
In addition to winning numerous awards, writing a book and starring in Spike Lee's 2000 film "Bamboozled," as well as other acting ventures, Glover has choreographed the smash hit Broadway show "Bring in Da Noise, Bring in Da Funk" and performed for President Clinton.
Glover's performance was both musically and aesthetically pleasing. Dressed casually in a pink shirt and informal pants, it was even fun to watch his long dreadlocks fly about sporadically as he moved.
Glover's divine movements inspired attendees of multiple generations.
"Everything was absolutely phenomenal," said Paul Sprada, 61, a UB graduate who ushered the event.
"He was breathtaking, amazing," said Cassa Mantens, age 14.
As he continues to revolutionize the world of dance, it is becoming more and more apparent that the one-time child prodigy is sure to go down in history one who helped make tap-dancing cool again.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
