Savion Glover

“I deal with more complex rhythmical patterns than a regular tap dancer. I even think in rhythms.”

“I've never looked at what I do as show business, I guess, because of my connection to the art and how I was introduced to the dance.”

“I never really stop and think about should I put my hat on this way or that, not thinking that little JoJo down the street would be copying that. I'm more conscious about it now and tell the kids that it's not about the shoes or what kind of shoes... it's all about the dance.”

“My show mode is that the dressing room is like going into the cockpit. Going down the stairs is like going on the runway, and once we begin performing, it's flight time. I'm just floatin' on that stage.”

“There are people who take tap class, do a tap dance. And then there are people who know the dance, who know why they take tap classes. Who know why they do 20 shuffles, or 50 shuffles, before they go on.”

“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 thankful I am able to continue to share the joy and the inspiration tap brings.”

“There's a whole new generation who know about tap dancing thanks to 'Happy Feet.'”

“I come from a long line of people who express themselves through the dance. I come from a long line of people who create music through their feet.”

“I love riding my ATV 450.”

“I'm going to continue to tap until I can't move.”

“I can hold a note, but that's about it.”

“It's as if my left heel is my bass drum and my right heel is the floor tom-tom. I can get snare out of my right toe by not putting it down on the floor hard, and, if I want cymbals, I land flat on both feet, full strength on the floor.”

“I feel it's my duty, my job, now to allow people to hear the dance to different genres of music, to ensure audiences have the chance to listen to tap dancing up against all these other styles.”

“Every now and then, someone comes along - we used to call it 'New Jack' - tries to do something new, tries to take all the credit, without acknowledging the past.”

“I want to share what I have, and I'd rather share it with people that are a little bit more open-minded.”

“There's no dancer alive better than those of the 1950s and 1960s. It's only the energy that changes. Every now and then, someone like me comes along, and people say, 'Oh, this guy is this new thing.' But that's not so. There is no me without them. The tradition just goes on.”

“There's a tendency to think tap's had its day, but 'Happy Feet' kept us in the race. That penguin is our Shirley Temple.”

“I don't like being too serious. I'm the type of person that, if the mike isn't in the right place when I go on, I just move it. Other people, they'll be all frantic. I'm more relaxed.”

“I started as a drummer. The feet are an extension of that.”