AMERICAN STREET DANCER by Rennie Harris Comes to Penn Live Arts

Penn Live Arts will present the world premiere of American Street Dancer by Artist-in-Residence Rennie Harris on March 14-15, 2025. The new work, commissioned for the second year of the Philadelphia-born Harris’s three-year PLA residency, explores the evolution and impact of street dance by showcasing its various styles and iterations in cities across the country. With American Street Dancer, Harris engages groundbreaking artists who are the leading experts in their respective genres: tapper Ayodele Casel showcases her salsa-infused style; Michael Manson and his collective, House of Jit, represent Detroit jitting; King Charles and his crew, Creation Global, bring Chicago footwork; and, Rennie Harris Puremovement will perform GQ, the Philadelphia style of stepping. DJ Razor Ramon, a longtime collaborator with Harris, and a hip-hop orchestra of bucket and hand bone players provide the soundscape while another frequent collaborator, Julie Ballard, will create multimedia visuals and lighting design. See calendar listing (below) for performance details. For tickets and information, visit PennLiveArts.org.

“This project is very close to my heart and something I’ve wanted to do for a long time,” said Rennie Harris. “This is a street dance show—not hip hop. It’s an homage to street dance culture, and the subtext is why we as African Americans are so interested in rhythm and footwork. Mike Manson, King Charles, and Ayodele are phenomenal pioneers and practitioners in their respective fields. Together we will trace African American dance and its progression through different cities while looking at the cultural phenomenon of street dance and its cultural implications. We can’t wait.”

“Rennie is a true innovator, and we are honored that Penn Live Arts serves as his artistic home,” said PLA Executive and Artistic Director Christopher A. Gruits. “With this three-year residency, we’ve provided the platform for Rennie to create exciting new work and share that with Philadelphia audiences first, further connecting him with the hometown community that helped shape his great talent.”

As part of PLA’s ongoing commitment to fostering community engagement with the performing arts, the residency will feature in-depth educational programming beyond the public performances of American Street Dancer. Led by interdisciplinary teaching artist Darnell Powell, students from West Philadelphia High School and George Washington Carver High School of Engineering and Science will participate in engagement activities focusing on autobiography and self-expression. Students will be asked to explore how to tell their own story through movement and then make broader connections by seeing the live performance as part of PLA’s Student Discovery series.

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