The Sad Sound of Silence
Published August 10, 2003
But back to Savion Glover: It was Gregory Hines who helped introduce the world to the dancing whiz kid who grew up to become a talented, innovative dancer and Tony-winning choreographer. Savion Glover's late-90s Broadway show, Bring in Da Noise, Bring in Da Funk, paid tribute to the African-American experience through its use of old- and new-school tap. The work was obviously inspired in part by the gifts and knowledge Glover received from his affiliation with Hines and other legendary tap masters. No doubt this gifted young artist will continue to keep Hines' inspiration alive for all of us; I surely hope so.
Right now, I am thinking about a scene from Tap, in which Hines' character taps to modern-era funk music in the streets of New York and shows how the rhythmic pitter-patter of feet can convey so much about the mundane and massive parts of life. I literally could hear the history of the last 100 years through his shuffles, runs, and ball changes. Perhaps he is in the great beyond right now, tapping a joyful noise, or agreeing to a challenge with tap masters gone before. I pray this is the case, because the silence down here feels pretty unbearable right now.
My heart goes out to all who loved him and his work.
God bless you, Gregory Hines. You were a class act. And you are missed.
Natalie Davis is an award-winning journalist, progressive- and GLBT-issues activist, musician and broadcaster. Davis' All Facts and Opinions - The Armchair Activist has existed since 1996. She is general manager and program/music director of Grateful Dread Radio, an 11-year-old multigenre Internet station dedicated to presenting diverse sounds for open minds.
- The Sad Sound of Silence
- Published: August 10, 2003
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- Section: Video
- Filed Under: Books: Arts, Video: Action, Video: Comedy, Video: Drama, Video: Performing Arts
- Writer: Natalie Davis
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Yes, thanks for that.
Tavis Smiley did an interview with Hines which I hear last year. He talks glowingly about Savion Glover (who I saw in Bring in Da Noise, Bring in Da Funk).
Thanks, Steve, for the NPR link. Coincidentally, I just learned that my former pastor, whom I've known my entire life, passed away yesterday as well. Listening to the Hines interview made me feel happy and sad all at once, but on the whole, it helped me feel a little better.
Thanks for the news, Natalie. I had missed it somehow.
Say, is it just me or do other folks think a lot of relatively young talented people are dying of late? (I don't mean people like Bob Hope. They have nothing to complain about in the longevity department.)
Good question. My daughter and I went back and forth on that earlier today. Neither of us had any clue that Hines had contracted cancer, and we were just stunned that he died so suddenly and so young.
Let's see, using age 60 as a cutoff point, we've had some youthful losses in the past six months (from Dead or Alive: Barry White (58), Noel Redding (57), athlete David Redding (44), Little Eva (59), journalist David Bloom (39), journalist Michael Kelly (46), Edwin Starr (61; a bit over the cutoff, but deserving, I think, of mention), Leslie Cheung (56), Michael Jeter (50), Lynne Thigpen (54), and motorcyclist Barry Sheene (52).
D&A puts the lie to the notion that only the good die young, but lots of the good indeed do die young.
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Thanks Natalie, I'm so glad you got to this story before I did because your take is so much more personal and better-informed than mine would have been, although I thought he was exceptional as well. I still find tap magical.