Saturday evening, we attended Savion Glover’s STePz at Brooklyn College. The show had a cast of five tap dancers, two male, three female. From the moment the curtain rose, I was unable to divert my eyes. I have loved tap dancing from the time I began lessons when I was four. Unfortunately, I stopped at ten, but never lost appreciation for that art form. Watching the show made me want to resume dance lessons. It looked so fun! Glover managed to make each step look easy. He moved with ease, although his choreography was beyond difficult. He flew up and down stairs and glided across the stage making thousands of taps along the way. I admired that the style of the steps matched the style of the song they were dancing to. If they were moving to a fast, turbulent jazz piece, the choreography was busy and hectic as well. In the second act, there was a number in which the music was orchestral and therefore the choreography seemed to mimic ballet. Evidently, much thought and planning went into the creation of each number. Glover’s performance made me question whether his choreography is exactly the same each show, especially during the tap battles on the stairs and Glover’s impressively lengthy solos. As Lisa and I discussed, I doubt they are entirely improvisational, but they are most likely not entirely staged either. The sheer number of steps and the feeling with which he performs are truly captivating. This show seemed to be a celebration not only of tap dancing, but also of the use of sound in dance. I never quite realized how many different sounds could be made with just two feet. Depending on whether the dancer uses the ball or heel of their foot, on how they shift their weight and on the track of movement of their leg, tens of thousands of various noises can be produced; an entire symphony of tapping. In addition, different parts of the platform on stage produced different pitches and resonance. Perhaps that is why all solos in the first act took place downstage, stage left. The tapping was amplified best in that spot. I also noticed that Glover seem to have the loudest and clearest sound as he was dancing. I am not sure if this was because he simply used more force, or if he had a better microphone than the rest. Either way, I am sure this was intentional, as he is the star and creator of the show. Thank you for getting us tickets to this amazing performance, Lisa! STePz reminded of my love for tap and introduced me to Glover. I will surely be attending his next show!