Other dances are like languages, like French or Spanish, but my steps are slang, and slang is always changing.
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.
Interpretation
The quote expresses the ability to create and interpret music in diverse ways, transcending traditional sounds and instruments.
In this quote, Savion Glover articulates the limitless potential of musical creativity. He emphasizes that regardless of how an instrument is perceived by the audience, the essence of music lies in the artist's imagination. Glover's mission to showcase the purity of dance alongside various sounds highlights the transformative power of art and the unique interpretations that each individual can bring to it.
In practice
This quote can be shared at a music festival to inspire fellow musicians.
Other dances are like languages, like French or Spanish, but my steps are slang, and slang is always changing.
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.
For 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.
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.
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.
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.'
The landscape painter must walk in the fields with a humble mind. No arrogant man was ever permitted to see Nature in all her beauty.
Gear is the least important part of the equation. Having a vision and being able to articulate an idea visually are much more important.
Artists can no more speak about their work, than plants can speak about horticulture.
If you can actually get someone to sit on the edge of their seat and feel nervous if there's a knock at the door, then you've done something pretty terrific as a writer.
Has my tale turned you speechless? Come, curse me or kiss me or call me a liar. Something.
Music is worth doing just because. It doesn’t have to be justified by some political point of view, and it’s kind of insulting to the music to make it a tool for something else.
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