the most respected — and the most brilliant — hip-hop choreographer in America
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Rennie Harris is one of the great veterans of hip-hop dance, having broken down barriers between the vocabulary of the street and the vocabulary of the concert hall for nearly forty years. At the age of twelve he formed his first crew, and by the age of twenty-five he had shared the stage with many of hip-hop’s founders, including Run DMC, Sugarhill Gang, Salt ’n’ Pepa, and Kurtis Blow. He comes to Reynolds Theater with his company Rennie Harris Puremovement, repeat Bessie Award-winners whom The New York Times call “phenomenal” and “seemingly without a semblance of gravity.”
As hip-hop rose to the mainstream and splintered into factions, Harris evolved, breathing new life into popping, locking, breaking, and voguing. The New Yorker calls Harris “the most respected — and the most brilliant — hip-hop choreographer in America.” Puremovement’s program begins with the new four-movement work Nuttin’ but a Word, which, as Harris says, aims to “challenge the hip-hop puritans at every turn.” After intermission the company perform two Rennie Harris classics: Continuum and Students of the Asphalt Jungle.
Performance: Friday & Saturday, October 23 & 24, 8PM, Reynolds Industries Theater. More Info
Masterclasses and Class Visits:
Monday, October 19, 7:30-9:00PM - Hip Hop Workshop with Rennie Harris Puremovement. Register here.
Tuesday, October 20 & Thursday, October 22, 10:05AM-11:20AM, Hull St. Studio. Register here
Tuesday, October 20, 6:15-7:45PM, Ark Dance Studio: guest instructors in Advanced Modern class. Register here.
Wednesday, October 21, Noon - Company talk, moderated by Duke professor Mark Anthony Neal, Franklin Humanities Center
Wednesday, October 21, 6:15-8:45PM - Guest Lecturer in Let's Dance! Live Art & Performance/Dance 165. Location: Friedl Building 107
Thursday, October 22, 2015 - 11:45am to 1:15pm - Rennie Harris will be the guest lecturer for the Introduction to Dance class (Dance 101)
