Rennie Harris' RHAW Grooves at New Victory Theatre, Now thru 5/26

Dr. Rennie Harris, Alvin Ailey Award recipient and renowned choreographer, returns to the New Victory stage (Legends of Hip-Hop, New Vic 2004, 2006; Puremovement, New Vic 1999) to inspire the next generation of hip-hoppers with Rennie Harris Awe-Inspiring Works-RHAW. Featuring a hip-hop dance theater company of talented young dancers, RHAW delivers straight- up Philly soul and fresh spins on classic street dance styles, creating depictions of city life and young love. Rennie Harris' RHAW, will run at The New Victory Theater, 209 West 42nd Street from tonight, May 17 through the 26th.

Downplaying the abstract while pushing a dramatic aesthetic, the fresh, enthusiastic and generous performers of Rennie Harris Awe-inspiring Works (RHAW) take street dancing back to the basics. RHAW will feature three works by the versatile Dr. Rennie Harris: "Brother," an emotional performance about less fortunate male figures in society who are often judged and condemned; "Three B Boys & A Girl," a love story told through nontraditional break dancing vocabulary; and an excerpt from "Bohemian Rhapsody," a dance musical featuring music by Queen, which tells a coming-of-age story about one young man's search for love, identity and justice.

Additional numbers include the memorable "110th Street," featuring music by Bobby Womack and Peace, and "JAM/Hip Hop Bows," a grand ode to The King of Pop choreographed by Rodney Hill and featuring music by Michael Jackson. Upbeat, fun and full of verve, "JAM/Hip Hop Bows" utilizes popping and hip-hop social dances of the 80s and 90s to create a buoyant show finale that summarizes the foundation and core of RHAW-youthful, energetic and ready at a moment's notice.

A Philadelphia native, Dr. Harris founded RHAW in the "City of Brotherly Love" to serve urban youth by demonstrating discipline and focus through performance, dance education, outreach programming and mentorship. Inspired by the overwhelming interest from local teens and young adults who hoped to join his internationally renowned company Rennie Harris Puremovement, Dr. Harris also aims to foster and cultivate hip-hop culture and preserve its legacy. Ultimately, RHAW is an emerging artist Dance Company that teaches its members professionalism, show production, street dance history and technique in various styles of movement including Campbell Locking, Popping & Boogaloo, Bboy/girl, House and Hip-hop.

RHAW is directed by Dr. Rennie Harris and features dancers Davion Brown, Amaryah Bone, Katia Cruz, Joshua Culbreath, Phillip Cuttino Jr., Neka Chantol French, Brandyn S. Harris, Mai Lê Ho Johnson, Macca Malik, Kevin S. Rand, Neha Sharma, Mariah Tlili and Shafeek Westbrook. The company is managed and directed by Rodney Hill. Raphael Xavier serves as artistic director and Crystal Frazier serves as assistant artistic director while Brandyn S. Harris is rehearsal director, David Todaro is the technical supervisor and lighting designer and Darrin M. Ross is the production manager.

RHAW is recommended for everyone 6 and older. This project is partially supported by a grant from Pennsylvania Performing Arts on Tour, a program developed and funded by The Heinz Endowments; the William Penn Foundation; the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agency; and The Pew Charitable Trusts; and administered by Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation.

To watch a video from RHAW, click HERE.

Performance Schedule - 10 performances:

Fri 5/17 7pm*

Sat 5/18 2pm and 7pm

Sun 5/19 12pm and 5pm

Fri 5/24 7pm*

Sat 5/25 2pm and 7pm

Sun 5/26 12pm and 5pm

*TXT Marks the Spot
After select Friday performances of RHAW, The New Victory invites ticketholders to participate in TXT Marks the Spot, which combines digital gaming, scavenger hunting and the performing arts into a unique post-show experience for families to enjoy together. Equipped with a map and personal mobile device, each family will interact with New Victory Teaching Artists as they roam from lower lobby to mezzanine, learning more about the theater and the performance they've just seen. For RHAW, TXT Marks the Spot will take place on May 17 and May 24.

Tickets for RHAW at The New Victory Theater (209 West 42nd Street) cost $25, $18, $12 and $9 for Members and $38, $28, $18 and $14 for Non-members based on seat locations.

Theater-goers who buy tickets for three or more New Victory shows in the current season qualify for free Membership benefits, including up to 35-percent savings on tickets all season long. To purchase tickets online, visit NewVictory.org, and to purchase by phone, call 646-223-3010. The New Victory Theater box office (209 West 42nd Street) is open Sunday and Monday from 11am-5pm and Tuesday through Saturday from 12pm-7pm.

For more information, visit NewVictory.org.

Dr. Rennie Harris started teaching hip-hop at the age of 15 with the Smithsonian Institute and continues to teach worldwide. In 2001, in addition to receiving an Alvin Ailey Award for Choreography, he received three Bessie Awards for Rome & Jewels and was nominated for a Laurence Olivier Award. His critically-acclaimed adult company Rennie Harris Puremovement, founded in 1992, is the first and longest running hip-hop dance touring company. Among many awards and honors, he received an honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts from Bates College, a 2010 Guggenheim Fellowship for recognition of his work as a choreographer and a 2007 United States Artist Fellowship. Harris was voted one of the most influential people in the last one hundred years of Philadelphia history and has received the keys to both Miami and Philadelphia. In 2011, Puremovement was chosen to serve as a cultural ambassador for President Obama's "Dance Motion USA" campaign in the Middle East.

Since The New Victory Theater opened its doors in 1995, it has become a cultural rite of passage for young New Yorkers, their families and schoolmates. At affordable prices, The New Victory presents sophisticated, thought-provoking and professional productions that are as artistically rich as they are entertaining, resulting in season after season of multidisciplinary works from around the globe and close to home. The theater's contributions to the cultural landscape of the city were recently celebrated by the prestigious New York critics' organization, The Drama Desk, which presented The New Victory Theater with a 2012 Special Award for "providing enchanting, sophisticated children's theater that appeals to the child in all of us, and for nurturing a love of theater in young people."

An independent, nonprofit organization, The New 42nd Street was created to assume long-term responsibility and oversight for seven historic theaters on 42nd Street between 7th and 8th Avenues. The projects of The New 42nd Street include: The New Victory Theater, a performing arts theater devoted to kids and families; the New 42nd Street Studios, a state-of-the-art, 10-story rehearsal studio/office/theater "complex", and The Duke on 42nd Street, an intimate 200-seat black-box theater.