Pioneer of Dance and Entertainment

¶ … pioneer of dance and entertainment that I both respect and admire is Savion Glover. Many people do not know who he is, but he is a very famous dancer in the somewhat dying genre of tap-dancing. Glover, however, is one of the primary reasons that tap dance has not completely expired as an art form, for the simple fact that he came along at a time in which he was able to provide a bridge from some of the legendary tap dancers (many of whom are no longer still alive) to today's generation of tap-dancing. His work in the 1989 film Tap proves this point very well. Glover both acted and danced alongside tap dancing legends such as Sammy Davis Jr. And Gregory Hines, both of whom have since passed on. He has also recorded numerous albums, made several television and film appearances, and worked as a choreographer and a dance teacher for years. More importantly, Glover was able to advance the art form by incorporating tap dancing into more modern forms and styles of music. His one man shows, as well as Broadway productions such as "Bring in Da Noise, Bring in Da Funk," have played all throughout the country for several years, and incorporate modern musical styles such as hip hop, rhythm and blues, as well as those from classical tap dancing.

I think the pioneer from this week's reading that is most like Savion Glover is Loie Fuller. Both dancers started out dancing professionally at an early age. Moreover, each of them was exceedingly important to furthering the style of dance that they performed. In much the same way that Fuller was believed to embody the Art Noveau movement, Glove has been heralded as the ultimate embodiment of the modern tap dancing movement for the simple fact that he was able to bridge traditional tap dancing and music with those of contemporary styles. Both Glover and Fuller are valuable to the type of dance that they do/did.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XOwA0fc-dQ

I think Kyla is right about the fact that Jennifer Lopez is multi-dimensional and talented in many different ways. I actually believe that it is this part of her persona that makes her successful. She may not have the strongest voice or be the greatest fashion designer in the world, but when you stop to consider how many things she does well, I think the cumulative effect is what drives her to success in all of these different forms of entertainment. One of the most important things Kyla said is that Lopez remembers where she came from I think a lot of people support her because of that fact.

I never realized that Britney Spears had so many accomplishments before I read Nicole's post. Spears is someone who I definitely consider a performer. All of the special effects in her videos and in her on-stage performances reinforce this fact. People come to her concerts not just to hear music or to watch her dance, but rather to be entertained. A key part of entertainment is putting on a spectacle, which Britney is really good at doing with all of her props, lighting, and pyrotechnics. She is one of the most complete performers today.