It makes sense that dance magazine long ago dubbed rennie lorenzo harris the high priest of hip hop. In 1992, he founded rennie harris puremovement, a hiphop dance theater company dedicated to preserving and disseminating hiphop culture. Growing up in philadelphia, pa, he danced with several crews, including the step masters and the scanner boys. Love stories was inspired by sankofa, the akan word which means go back sanko and take fa. Voted one of the most influential people in the last one hundred years of philadelphia history, mr. The new streetdance theater company is harris third, following rennie harris puremovement and rennie harris rhaw. Funkedfied features dancers from rennie harris puremovement but one of the most seminal locking groups since don campbell and the campbell lock dancers. The bold hiphop choreographer rennie harris returns to the ailey company to create a new work set to a soullifting score of gospel house music and inspired by.
The new work, lazarus, by philadelphiabased hiphop choreographer rennie harris, had plenty to say about being a black man, about being a. Lorenzo rennie harris, artistic director and choreographer, celebrates hiphop culture on his own terms by using some of the worlds most influential forms of movement, music, and storytelling to revolutionize contemporary concert dance. Rennie harris rhaw, which opened a run at the new victory theater on friday, is the training company for rennie harris puremovement, the philadelphiabased troupe that has shown, better than any. Choreography incorporates an apparatus often attached to the ceiling, allowing the performers to. In 2007, he conceived another touring company, rhaw or rennie harris aweinspiring works. John crawford is a media artist, interactive performance director, technology developer and interaction designer. Rosie herrera dance theatre and rennie harris puremovement. A conversation with rennie harris on hip hop choreography.
Dance designer has been specifically designed to support virtually every dance discipline including. Lorenzo rennie harris was born and raised in an africanamerican community in north philadelphia. Rennie harris puremovementamerican street dance theater. John crawford department of dance claire trevor school. Education software downloads dance designer by choreo technology llc and many more programs are available for instant and free download. Dance artist such as rennie harris uses this urban forms and puts it on the concert stage. Major dance companies around the us have also commissioned work from him. Harris has received several accolades, including the herb. Rennie harris 21 people named rennie harris found in ohio, california and 16 other states. Rennie harris puremovement performs at the joyce the new.
Rennie harris puremovement college of performing arts. Today, harris s touring company, pure movement and his youth spinoff rhaw, short for rennie harris s aweinspiring works have been thriving for more than 25 years, performing across the world, in europe, asia, africa, and beyond. Since the age of 15, harris has been teaching workshops and classes at universities around the country and is a powerful spokesperson for. Along the way, harris pioneered a new genre of dance performance. In use by over 60 broadway shows and national tours, including hamilton and book of mormon, and by over 50,000 users. When the often shy, philadelphiaborn choreographer founded his company rennie harris puremovement in 1992, he planted a prodigious seed in the dance world. Created in 2012 stage write software is a digital solution to document staging and choreography for theatrical productions of all sizes. In the companys first twoact ballet, acclaimed hiphop choreographer rennie harriswhose work includes past favorites exodus and homeis inspired by the life and legacy of mr. Rennie harris is known for taking hip hop onto the concert dance stage. Rennie harris puremovement new york public library digital collections. The outcome is a software program that offers a complete choreography package that assists with the creation, previsualization, documentation, communication and rehearsal process. In 1992 harris founded rennie harris puremovement, a hiphop dance.
The program will include performances by rennie harris puremovement, urban bush women, limon dance company, bruce wood dance, embodiment. Recognized by the united states department of education as a leading ambassador for the art of hiphop dance, choreographer rennie harris has received numerous awards in his career, which spans nearly four decades. Blynk is the most popular iot platform to connect your devices to the cloud, design apps to control them, analyze telemetry data, and manage your deployed products at scale blynk is a complete iot software solution, and includes features such as application development, big data analytics. Acclaimed hiphop choreographer rennie lorenzo harris creates a highlyanticipated world premiere that explores the idea of exodus from ones ignorance and conformity as a necessary step.
At the age of twelve he formed his first crew, and by the age of twentyfive he had shared the stage with many of hiphops founders, including run dmc, sugarhill gang, salt n pepa, and. Set to gospel and house music along with poetic narration, the dance underscores the crucial role of action and movement in effecting change. Intersecting software with digital media and theatrical performance, he uses computers and video to create painterly animations and. Rennie harris puremovement american street dance theater invites 2020 summer dance intensive students to perform with them in rennie harris lifted on thursday, june 18 and friday, june 19 at 7. From 20032008 she owned and operated her own dance studio where she received numerous awards for her creative choreography. Rennie harris is an actor and producer, known for dance party usa 1986, great performances 1971 and why do we dance. In a royal ballet rehearsal shared on youtube, wheeldon said, we hear disorder but what we actually see is order. From the legacy of life forms animation software, credo interactive presents the first choreography software designed with dance teachers and choreographers. Rennie harris choreographer, founder, and artistic director of streetdance troupe rennie harris puremovementcreated his company in 1992 as a way to further the appreciation and understanding. Rennie harris newest and brightest street dancers to be featured in the premiere works of rennie harris puremovement. Perform with rennie harris puremovement american dance. Called the basquiat of the us contemporary dance scene by the london times, rennie harris has been awarded four bessie awards, three alvin ailey black choreographers awards, an ethnic dance award, and the herb alpert award in the arts for choreography alongside princess grace kelly and dr. Impressions of rennie harris puremovement the dance enthusiast.
Jerome robbins dance division, the new york public library. Choreography by rennie harris hiphop is about the celebration of life, says rennie harris, whose last work for the ailey company, home in 2011, was hailed by dance magazine as absolutely exhilarating. Mar 23, 2017 courtesy the kimmel center rennie harris is one of the most soughtafter hiphop choreographers today. Ford theatres presents rennie harris funkedified on saturday, july 20 at 8.
January 20, 2011 pioneering hiphop choreographer rennie harris sits down with stanford drama faculty member harry elam to talk about his career and the th. Jan, 2015 rennie harris unveiled the grassroots project. Rennie harris puremovement has continued to grow since its start in 1992, with audience numbers increasing by 35 percent each year. Harris has been teaching workshops and classes at universities around the country and is a powerful spokesperson for the significance of street origins in any dance style. Rennie harris is one of the great veterans of hiphop dance, having broken down barriers between the vocabulary of the street and the. This work was supported by the ailey new choreography. The dance company partnered with the national endowment for the arts nea to commission a new work from philadelphiabased hip hopurban dance choreographer dr. Rennie harris also toured the middle east such as eygpt, jordan, palenstine and surrounding countries as 1 of 4 ambassadors for the united states as part of president obamas cultural exchange program dance motion usa, which was lead by former secretary of the state hilary clinton. With a nod to modernday dance culture, harris integrated popular dance moves, such as the dab, the nae nae, and the dougie, with the philadelphia gq step, leaving the viewer with a distorted.
As hiphop rose to the mainstream and splintered into factions, harris evolved, breathing new life into popping, locking, breaking, and voguing. Exemplifying his view of hiphop as a celebration of life. Harris previous contributions to the ailey repertory include home 2011 and love stories 2004, the latter of which was a collaboration with judith jamison and robert battle. Jen is very excited to be a part of the mmda faculty. Rennie harris talks about hiphop and rhawrennie harris aweinspiring workswhich performs at the new victory theater. Lorenzo rennie harris has been described as the most respected hiphop choreographer in america, known for having brought social dances to the concert stage. Rennie harris has said that he never really liked most of the work that he choreographed.
Harris formed the first and longest running hiphop dance touring. He is a pioneer in performing, choreographing, teaching and bringing the africanamerican dance form hip hop to a worldwide audience. Judith jamisons dynamic collaboration with hiphop pioneer rennie harris and modern dance maverick robert battle. Harris, who is based in philadelphia and has been a fixture on the dance scene since the early 1990s, offered excerpts from rennie harris funkedified. A dance homage to alvin ailey as his company turns 60.
Download dance choreography software for free windows. Rennie harris puremovement rome and jewels lorenzo rennie harris was born in 1964 and grew up in north philadelphia where he became wellversed in the vernacular of hiphop, including various techniques of bboy, house dancing, and stepping. Rennie harris hip hop rennie harris pure movement rome and jewels 1963 rennie lorenzo harris has been known to mix shakespeare with hip hop, poetry, rap music and movement. Apr 01, 2011 january 20, 2011 pioneering hiphop choreographer rennie harris sits down with stanford drama faculty member harry elam to talk about his career and the th. Harris has received numerous awards for his theatrical hiphop dance. Harris formed the first and longest running hiphop dance touring company, rennie harris puremovement in 1992.
Rennie harris, leader in the field of hiphop dance, reaches out to new audiences with lifted, which will feature gospel music and hiphop dance theater to illuminate the spirit of house dance and themes of social justice onto concert stages. Umpi, cmrra, umpg publishing, latinautor, warner chappell, ascap, latinautor umpg, and 7 music rights societies show more show less. Rennie harris has done it again with his second company rhaw, these young dancers perform hiphop dance at its rhawist. The choreography has to change in order to cover the space. Contemporary dance scene, lorenzo rennie harris has literally embodied the. It persists on asserting that battles formidable predecessor, judith jamison, was a. Rennie harris born lorenzo harris on january 28, 1964 is a dancer, choreographer, artistic director and professor of hiphop dance. In 1992 harris founded rennie harris puremovement, a hip hop dance company. But it was difficult to enjoy rennie harris puremovements funkedified, due to so many annoying. He started teaching at 15, and continues to teach hiphop technique and history aroun. Rennie harris founded his company based on the belief that hip hop is the most important original expression of a new generation. Find the best dance studio software for your business. His highlyanticipated new piece about the journey to enlightenment incorporates spoken word, gospel and house music. Dance studio software significantly cuts time and administrative costs of running a dance studio by automating such functions of studio management as billing, scheduling, student records maintenance, registration, credit card processing and class.
Since the age of 15, harris has been teaching workshops and classes at universities around the country and is a powerful spokesperson for the significance of street origins in any dance style. Harris and his company rennie harris puremovement are known internationally for creating a cohesive dance style that finds a cogent voice in the theater. Rennie harris puremovement, with the hood lockers and the music of invincible. In the companys first twoact ballet, acclaimed hiphop choreographer rennie harris completes a trilogy of works including past ailey audience favorites exodus and home with this hourlong work inspired by the life and times of mr. Exemplifying his view of hip hop as a celebration of life, exodus marks harris latest invitation to return to spiritual basics and affirm who we are. Rennie harris rhaw, at the new victory theater the new. Feb 17, 2017 rennie harris is the most respected and the most brilliant hiphop choreographer in america. Acclaimed hiphop choreographer rennie lorenzo harris creates a highlyanticipated world premiere that explores the idea of exodus from ones ignorance and conformity as a. In the companys first twoact ballet, acclaimed hiphop choreographer rennie harris whose work includes past favorites exodus and homeis inspired by the life and legacy of mr. The dance was spectacular, the choreography complex and interesting. Rennie harris brought social dance forms like hiphop and bboy to the concert stage. But mainly it was a wild ride with twelve bravura dancers and a live band led by mathew dickey. Members of alvin ailey american dance theater rehearsing rennie harris s lazarus, a poetic evocation of aileys life and times.
Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. When rennie harris first heard that alvin ailey american dance theater had tapped him to create a new hourlong work, and to become the companys first artist in residence, he laughed. But it was difficult to enjoy rennie harris puremovements funkedified, due to so many annoying factors. Harris, age fifty, is the most respectedand, to my knowledge, the most. Harris is nominated for a bessie award in choreography. Love stories was created through the ailey new works fund, supported by altria group, inc. Rennie harris is a dancer, choreographer, artistic director and professor of hiphop dance. Feb 01, 2014 rennie harris puremovement from back flips to head spins. Rennie harris is one of the great veterans of hiphop dance, having broken down barriers between the vocabulary of the street and the vocabulary of the concert hall for nearly forty years.
Harris is known for having brought social dances to the concert stage and creating a cohesive dance style that finds a cogent. Lorenzo rennie harris is a hiphop choreographer and educator, a revolutionary of contemporary concert dance and one of the most powerful spokespersons for the significance of street origins in any dance style. Rennie harris talks about hiphop and rhaw, which performs at. Rennie harris is a dancer, choreographer, artistic director and professor of hip hop dance. Joshua culbreath, center, and other members of the dance company in pfunk at the joyce theater.
It included occasional voice over, presumably by harris, recounting how he got into dancing. Superb dancing makes up for what choreography lacks at alvin ailey. Drawing upon poems and images submitted in 2011 to the fight hiv your way contest, an initiative of bristolmyers squibb, harris created a compelling work that conveys both the chilling isolation and uplifting sense of community many. He comes to reynolds theater with his company rennie harris puremovement, repeat bessie awardwinners whom the new york times call phenomenal and seemingly without a semblance of gravity. The new yorker firstworks brings harris and his namesake company, rennie harris. In 2009 she became a zumba instructor and has certificates inzumba basic, zumba toning, and zumba circuit. Oct 24, 2015 rennie harris is one of the great veterans of hiphop dance, having broken down barriers between the vocabulary of the street and the vocabulary of the concert hall for nearly forty years. Harris has received a pew fellowship for choreography and awards from the pennsylvania council on the arts, the city of philadelphia cultural fund, philadelphia dance projects commission, and a pew repertory development grant. At the age of twelve he formed his first crew, and by the age of twentyfive he had shared the stage with many.
Inside rennie harriss year as aileys firstever artist. It is an updated version of the software that was originally used by merce cunningham and that had the name lifeforms at his time. Rennie harrischoreographer, founder, and artistic director of streetdance troupe rennie harris puremovementcreated his company in 1992 as a way to further the appreciation and understanding of. Rennie harris born and raised in an african american community in north philadelphia. Rome and jewels by rennie harris the components of the english dialect commonly engaged in the critique of promenade are scarcely ample for the reason of recounting rennie harris take on romeo and juliet rome and jewels. Downplaying the abstract while pushing a dramatic aesthetic, rhaw will forge new paths for young hip hop hopefuls, and will present hip hop in its rhawest. Rennie harris funkedified is a multimedia work that celebrates funk music and street dance of the 1970. Loosely based on the story of oliver twist, lifted follows a young black man who is surrounded and supported by his church. The ailey organization launches a new online streaming series, ailey all access, march 30 with a screening of the acclaimed dance piece, alvin aileys revelations. This work by acclaimed hiphop choreographer rennie lorenzo harris explores the idea of exodus from ones ignorance and conformity as a necessary step toward enlightenment. Mar 24, 2015 hiphop choreographer rennie harris exodus, a new work by the hiphop choreographer rennie harris, will be given its world premiere in june during alvin ailey american dance theaters twoweek season at lincoln center, the companys artistic director, robert battle, announced on tuesday. Rennie harris puremovement nypl digital collections.
Maria dear jhon, theres a computer program for composing choreography called danceforms. Rennie harris puremovement dance company works to encompass rich and diverse africanamerican traditions of the past, while simultaneously presenting the voice of a new generation. Rennie harris puremovement rhpm is a dance company. Rennie harriss phone number, email, address spokeo.