Dancer Glover and a Bit of ‘Chicago’ Enliven PBS Special

Tap phenomenon Savion Glover and dancers from the Broadway revival of “Chicago” graced Bill Clinton’s second inaugural gala and they return tonight at a very different moment in his presidency for “In Performance at the White House,” an invigorating hourlong dance special on PBS.

Taped May 9 in the East Room, the telecast finds President and Mrs. Clinton presiding graciously over a program of vernacular dance forms--tap, Irish step dance, the Lindy Hop--with Bob Fosse-style show dance arguably a whole different kind of game. However, when Tony winner Bebe Neuwirth demonstrates the rudiments of Fosseism, and then joins Karen Ziemba for “Chicago” parodies of vaudeville hoke, nobody is likely to complain.

Glover has lost none of his state-of-the-art speed, intricacy or daring as a dancer, but it’s a surprise to see him performing straight front, head up and smiling as opposed to his former slumping, insular attack. And he hosts the event with great charm. Besides his own, five-member NYOT (Not Your Ordinary Tappers) concert group, his tap colleagues here include 8-year-old whiz Cartier Williams (frighteningly tense) and 70-year-old master Jimmy Slyde (amazingly loose).

Multigenerational casting also enlivens the step dancing jigs and reels, though the startling sharpness of Donny Golden and Sinead Lawler remains in a class by itself. Unfortunately the Lindy Hop dancers (Tyrone Cooper, Steve Mitchell, Beverly Moore and Erin Stevens) turn out to be a major disappointment: overly presentational and awfully pleased with themselves compared to vintage documentary films of awesome champions.

Directed by Matthew Diamond, the program features a number of celebrated musicians--including jazz veterans Keter Betts, Claude Williams and John Pizzarelli Sr. in the tap sequences. Zan McLeod, Billy McComiskey, Mick Moloney and Brendan Mulvihill embody Irish vivacity and Rob Fisher adroitly accompanies the excerpts from “Chicago.”

Sali Ann Kriegsman is the credited writer, and if she supplied Clinton with his very persuasive introductory remarks about cultural diversity, the White House should have drafted her for his more recent statements of contrition.

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* “In Performance at the White House” airs at 9 tonight on KCET-TV Channel 28.