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PASS to present Rennie Harris Puremovement Mar. 10
ISSUED: 25 February 2005
CONTACT: Valerie Owens
304/876-5465
(PASS to present Rennie Harris Puremovement Mar. 10)
EDITOR--PLEASE NOTE: Click on the thumbnail to download an image:
  
Shepherdstown, WV--The Performing Arts
Series at Shepherd will present hip-hop dance company Rennie Harris
Puremovement Thursday, March 10 at 8 p.m. in the Frank Center Theater.
Immediately following the performance the artists will participate in a
question and answer session with the audience.
Founded in 1992 by Lorenzo "Rennie" Harris, Puremovement's work
features the various techniques of b-boy (break dancing), house dancing,
stepping, and other styles that have emerged spontaneously from the North
Philadelphia community where he was raised. With its roots in the inner-city
African-American and Latino communities, Harris uses hip-hop dance to bridge
the divisions of racial, religious, and economic boundaries. Harris'
choreography encompasses the diverse and rich African-American traditions of
the past, while presenting the voice of a new generation.
Harris' company challenges stereotypes and preconceptions of hip hop
culture and addresses issues of racism, identity, and personal triumph. They
also work with children and at-risk youth to promote their positive
philosophy of education through hip-hop dance. On Friday, March 11 the
company will visit Job Corps in Harpers Ferry to conduct a hip hop dance
workshop.
Harris is a 1996 recipient of the Pew Fellowship in the Arts for
Choreography, a 2003 Herb Alpert Award recipient and has been voted one of
the most influential people in the last 100 years of Philadelphia. He also
was a 2001 recipient of Chicago's Black Theater Alvin Ailey Award for best
choreography. The company has been hailed by the Chicago Tribune as
"achieving an almost perfect synthesis of drama and dance... fusing break
dance, hip hop, and jazz in a stunning display of virtuosity."
The program is made possible by a grant from the Mid Atlantic Arts
Foundation in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts Regional
Touring program and through a grant from the West Virginia Division of
Culture and History, with approval from the West Virginia Commission on the
Arts, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts. Support for
this program has also been provided by the Shepherd University Office of
Multicultural Student Affairs through the Social Justice Initiative Grant
Program sponsored by the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission.
Tickets are $15 for general admission; $10 for senior citizens,
Shepherd faculty/staff and Jefferson County public school employees; $5 for
kids under 18; and free to Shepherd students with a valid Rambler card.
Tickets may be purchased at the Student Center Information Desk or by
calling 304/876-5497.
-30-HORST
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