Rennie Harris Puremovement to Open Dance Series

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The Center for the Arts at the University at Buffalo will present Rennie Harris: Puremovement at 8 p.m. on Oct. 14 in the Mainstage theater in the Center for the Arts on the UB North (Amherst) Campus. A pre-performance talk will be held at 7 p.m. The performance is sponsored by KeyBank.

Rennie Harris Puremovement, is dedicated to preserving and disseminating hip-hop culture. The company's work encompasses the diverse and rich African-American traditions of the past, while presenting the voice of a new generation through its ever-evolving interpretations of dance. Since its inception in 1992, Rennie Harris Puremovement has performed to sold-out audiences at venues in the United States and abroad.

The Guardian says, "Puremovement push hip-hop as far as it can go, not just in their jaw-dropping coordination…but in the elaboration and reinvention of basic moves. This is much, much more than simply dancing to records -- just as the live DJ act that accompanies them is much more artful than simply spinning vinyl."

The Philadelphia City Paper says "Harris' works and teachings have re-shaped hip-hop in dance form, making the ancient modern and the modern ancient, fusing all African cultural relationships into one vibing, jiving aesthetic."

Lorenzo (Rennie) Harris, an expert in the vernacular of B-boy dancing, house dancing, stepping and other emerging styles, has been teaching dance workshops and classes at colleges and universities around the country since the age of 15. Harris brought these "social" dances to the concert stage with Rennie Harris Puremovement, a hip-hop dance company that presents dance workshops, hip-hop history lectures, long-term residencies, mentoring programs and public performances. Harris founded his company based on the belief that hip-hop is the most important original expression of a new generation.

With its roots in the inner-city African-American and Latino communities, hip-hop can be characterized as a contemporary indigenous form. Rennie Harris Puremovement is committed to providing audiences with a sincere view of the essence and spirit of hip-hop rather than commercially exploited stereotypes. Harris' artistic philosophy reflects a deeper humanitarian vision of bridging racial, religious, and economic boundaries with the universal themes expressed through hip-hop.

As a pioneer in performing, choreographing and teaching hip-hop dance, Harris has toured the world, starting the first organized hip-hop tour in America, the "Fresh Festival" starring Run DMC, Fatboys, Kurtis Blow, Whodini. He is a 1996 recipient of the Pew Fellowship in the Arts for Choreography and has received awards from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, the Pew Repertory Development Initiative grant, the City of Philadelphia Cultural Fund, and the Philadelphia Dance Projects Commission. Rennie Harris is a 2001 recipient of Chicago's Black Theater Alvin Ailey Award for best choreography. He has also received three Bessie Awards for the production of Rome & Jewels. Harris received an Herb Alpert Award in 2003 and has been voted one of the "most influential people in the last one hundred years" of Philadelphia history.

Tickets for Rennie Harris Puremovement are $18 for adult and $10 for students. Exclusive discount coupons will be available one month prior at all KeyBank locations. Patrons may also present their Key To Your Town key tag at the box office to receive the same discount. Tickets are available from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday in the Center for the Arts Box Office and all Ticketmaster locations, including Kaufmann's. To charge tickets, call 852-5000; in Canada, call 1-416-870-8000. For group sales, call 645-6771. For more information, call 645-ARTS or visit http://www.ubcfa.org. The Center for the Arts is a Ticketfast location.