The world famous Apollo Theater is proud to present its second Apollo Family Series event of the Spring 2008 Season with Savion Glover’s Bare Soundz produced by Savion Glover Productions on Sunday, April 13th at 4pm. From Bill “Bojangles” Robinson to the Nicholas Brothers, Howard “Sandman” Sims and Honi Coles, the Apollo has long been a home for “hoofers” and no one is better suited to continue that tradition than tap extraordinaire Savion Glover.  Bare Soundz also features Marshall Davis Jr. and Maurice Chestnut with special guest, Gospel singer Lori Ann Hunter. The performance will be followed by a Q&A with the artists. Tickets are $12 and $10 (for groups of 5 or more) and are available through the Apollo Theater Box Office, 125th Street between 7th and 8th Avenues, 212/531-5305 and Ticketmaster, (212) 307-7171, www.ticketmaster.com/venue/6.  Tickets are on sale now. This performance is appropriate for ages 6 and up.

The Apollo Family Series presentation of Savion Glover’s Bare Soundz is part of the Theater’s expanding programming dedicated to enriching the family entertainment experience and is especially created for family audiences. “Bare Soundz  is the perfect example of the kind of programming we look to secure for the Family Series. It explores the pure art of tap and is still engaging, fun and, best of all, it’s a Savion Glover production. You are guaranteed a quality performance! Tap has always been a major cornerstone of the Apollo and we are so proud to present this work, ”  says Laura Greer, Vice-President of Programming for the Apollo Theater Foundation, Inc.

Under the direction of Savion Glover, Savion Glover’s Bare Soundz is a heart-stopping showcase of tap dance to sound and sound to dance.  Using tap as song, Mr. Glover merges acoustic vibrations in a music mosaic hosting the sounds of Jazz, Caribbean beats and other contemporary musical genres. He is joined by tap dancers Marshall Davis Jr., Maurice Chestnut and special guest Lori Ann Hunter for this exuberant a cappella celebration of rhythm that reveals tap as an acoustical percussion instrument par excellence.

Tap into bare sounds at the Apollo with Savion Glover!

About Savion Glover
Universally hailed as “a miracle, a genius, a modern-day priest of dance” (Associated Press), Savion Glover has extensive credits for Broadway, music videos, TV shows and films—as choreographer, dancer, actor, director and producer. Additional Broadway credits include Black and Blue and Jelly’s Last Jam, co-starring Gregory Hines. He made his film debut at age 13 in Tap, also with Gregory Hines, and Sammy Davis Jr. He was a regular on the TV show Sesame Street for five seasons and produced and choreographed the ABC special Savion Glover’s Nu York.

His most recent feature film efforts include the star role in Spike Lee’s 2000 Bamboozled and the motion-capture choreography for the new animated film Happy Feet. He has created two dance companies:  NYOTs (Not Your Ordinary Tappers) in 1997 and Ti Dii in 2000. He performed for President Clinton in Savion Glover’s Stomp, Slide and Swing, featured on PBS.

Savion Glover is the recipient of the 2004 Capezio Award, presented to him at a sold-out performance of his show Classical Savion at the Joyce Theater in New York City. He has toured nationally and internationally and performed with such tap legends as Jimmy Slyde, Buster Brown and Dianne Walker.

About Savion Glover Productions
Savion Glover Productions is a production entity established in January 2006. While highlighting the tradition of tap dancing and sound, the team-based organization seeks to provide quality production and project management services for tap dancers. Production credits include Classical Savion, Visions of a Bible, Invitations to a Dancer, Savion Glover and The Otherz, and assistant segment producer of Savion Glover’s BARE SOUNDZ appearance on Dancing With The Stars.

About Marshall Davis Jr.
Marshall Davis Jr. began tap dancing at the age of 10 at the African Heritage Cultural Arts Center in Miami. He won numerous contests as a youth and awards as an adult dancer. He has performed in Europe, Japan and throughout the U.S. and in the Tony award-winning production of Bring in ‘Da Noise Bring in ‘Da Funk. He has also performed at the Guthrie Theater in the musical Babes in Arms and been named "Most Unusual Dance Soloist" by The Miami Herald for his rendition of the Morton Gould Tap Concerto. He performs with Savion Glover in Bare Soundz on January 18 and 19, 2008, at the Hopkins Center.

About Maurice Chestnut
Maurice Chestnut is currently principle dancer and choreographer with the New Jersey Tap Ensemble. He has performed with Savion Glover in the national touring company of Bring in ‘Da Noise Bring in ‘Da Funk and Improvography and appeared in the off-Broadway productions Shades of Harlem, The Wiz and Bubbling Brown Sugar. He has “played tap” as a “live instrument” at Carnegie Hall, The Apollo Theater and Playboy Jazz Festival.

The Apollo Family Series
For many adults, particularly those who grew up in Harlem, The Apollo Theater was their first exposure to the performing arts and has long served as a source of first discovery of live music, dance and theater.  The Apollo Family Series extends the Apollo’s commitment to enhancing the life of the community through programs that engage parents, children and extended family members.

About The Apollo Theater
Since introducing the first Amateur Night contests in 1934, the Apollo Theater has played a major role in the emergence of innovative musical genres including jazz, swing, bebop, R&B, gospel, blues, soul and hip-hop.  Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Billie Holiday, Sammy Davis, Jr., James Brown, Bill Cosby, Gladys Knight, Luther Vandross, D’Angelo, Lauryn Hill, and countless others began their road to stardom on the Apollo’s stage. Based on its cultural significance and architecture, the Apollo Theater received state and city landmark designation in 1983 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. 

The Apollo Theater Foundation was established as a 501 (c) 3 not-for-profit corporation in 1991 and is dedicated to the preservation and development of the Apollo Theater. The historic venue hosts major concerts and special events and continues its tradition of discovering future stars with its weekly installment of Apollo Amateur Night every Wednesday night and with the syndicated television show, Showtime at the Apollo, which is taped at the theater and airs weekly in over 150 markets nationwide. Harlem is Manhattan's third most popular tourist destination and the Apollo remains Harlem's top attraction, drawing 1.3 million visitors annually.

The world famous Apollo Theater, “where stars are born and legends are made” ™ is located in the heart of Harlem at 253 West 125 Street, between Adam Clayton Powell Blvd (7th Ave.) and Frederick Douglass Blvd (8th Ave.). For further information about the Apollo Theater, visit the website at www.apollotheater.org.

Family Series productions at the Apollo Theater Foundation, Inc., are made possible, in part, by

Additional support is provided by the Ronald McDonald House Charities.

The Family Series is presented in conjunction with the Education and Community Outreach Program, made possible by:

Underwriting support from     

Additional support is by the Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Foundation, Inc.; and the Manhattan Delegation of the New York City Council.