January 9, 2006

LIVINGSTON, Ala.—Performing highly charged break dancing to super-smooth stepping, Philadelphia hip-hop dancers will take the stage Tuesday, Jan. 17, at 7:30 p.m. in Bibb Graves Auditorium on the University of West Alabama campus. Rennie Harris Puremovement (RHPM), founded in 1992 in Philadelphia, is a company dedicated to preserving and disseminating hip-hop culture through workshops, classes, hip-hop history lecture-demonstrations, long-term residencies, mentoring programs and public performances. The company will perform a free repertory show at UWA encompassing the diverse and rich African-American traditions of the past, while simultaneously presenting the voice of a new generation through its ever-evolving interpretations of dance.

Since its inception, Rennie Harris Puremovement has performed to sold-out audiences at venues in the United States and abroad. RHPM’s Livingston performance will feature five dance numbers and video interludes. The program includes "Continuum," a flashy hip-hop dance jam, "P-FUNK," an old-school funk-inspired groove set to the music of Parliament Funkadelic, and "March of the Antmen,” inspired by the 10-year anniversary of the Million Man March on Washington.

Under the direction of Rennie Harris, who has been compared to twentieth-century dance legends Alvin Ailey and Bob Fosse, RHPM has established a strong reputation in Philadelphia for innovative and exciting classes and workshops for children, beginning with Rennie Harris' own involvement teaching as part of the Smithsonian Institution's Folklife Center from the age of 14. The company engages its community on a number of levels and has made significant impact with at-risk youth in Philadelphia.

RHPM commits itself to providing audiences with a sincere view of the essence and spirit of hip-hop rather than the commercially exploited stereotypes portrayed by the media. The RHPM performance is sponsored by the Greene County Society of Folk Arts and Culture, the York Coleman Center and the Sumter County Fine Arts Council in cooperation with UWA through a special grant from the Alabama State Council on the Arts.