Hip Hop Dance Legend Rennie Harris Shares Five Major Moments | If Cities Could Dance

Dancer, Choreographer and Artistic Director Rennie Harris founded the first and longest running hip hop dance company in the U.S., Rennie Harris Puremovement (https://www.rhpm.org/). The Philadelphia native pioneered street dance theater, bringing social dances to concert stages with ground breaking narratives. His first solo work, called “Endangered Species,” shared personal experiences and fears of living as a Black man in America. His first full-length work, “Rome and Jewels,” restaged Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, and was set in Philly with rival gangs fighting for control. Before Harris became one of the country’s most sought after choreographers, he danced with the street dance crew The Scanner Boys. As a talented popper, he toured with top rap artists on the country’s first hip hop tour, The Fresh Festival, then hosted the TV dance show One House Street. Rennie breaks down with us five major moments from his life. 📖 Read the full story here: https://bit.ly/ICCDDanceLegendxRennie... ⬇ Download English transcript here: https://bit.ly/ICCDxRennieHarrisxTran... 🔔 Hit that SUBSCRIBE button! 🔔 https://bit.ly/SubscribeKQEDArts Our history. Our culture. Our moves. KQED Arts’ award-winning video series #IfCitiesCouldDance​ is back for a fourth season! In each episode, meet dancers from across the country representing their city’s signature moves. Watch a new episode from season four of the video series every other week. ****** 👍🏽 Join us on Instagram:   / ​   👍🏽 Like us on Facebook:   / kqedarts​   👍🏽 Follow us on Twitter:   / kqedarts​   👟 Featured dancers: Rennie Harris Members of The Scanner Boys Members of Rennie Harris Puremovement, including cast members in Rome and Jewels, Facing Mekka, Funkedified, and LIFTED 🖼️ Featured Mural: The North Philadelphia Beacon Project by James Burns and ‪@phillymuralarts‬ 📖 Chapters: 00:00 - 00:52 Introduction to Rennie Harris 00:53 - 01:21 Rennie Harris and growing up in Philadelphia 01:22 - 02:23 Rennie Harris dancing with The Scanner Boys 02:24 - 03:19 Rennie Harris hosting the TV show One House Street 03:20 - 4:51 Rennie Harris’ first solo work Endangered Species 4:52 - 6:45 Rennie Harris Puremovement and Creating Rome and Jewels 📌 Editor’s note: This episode was filmed under strict guidelines due to the coronavirus pandemic. Safety parameters were followed to protect the health of the dancers and video production team. #HipHop #RennieHarris #IfCitiesCouldDance