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The master of dance and #Philly native @rennieHRHAW brings his brilliant new choreography #Funkedified to the @KimmelCenter 6/6-6/8. More info @ kimmelcenter.org
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Lauren Woodard
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LWoodard@kimmelcenter.org
Jessica Christopher
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THE KIMMEL CENTER CULTURAL CAMPUS
PRESENTS HIP-HOP LEGEND & PHILADEPHIAN RENNIE HARRIS’ NEW,
INTROSPECTIVE WORK: FUNKEDIFIED
JUNE 7 – 8, 2019
A Must-See Collaboration of Street Dance, Hip-Hop, and Funk Music
“Philadelphia’s most famous choreographer-dancer, Rennie Harris, continues to push the artistic and theatrical possibilities of hip-hop dance.”– Broad Street Review
“He is a choreographer, probably the greatest one in hip-hop.” – The New York Times
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (Philadelphia, PA, May 7, 2019) – The Kimmel Center Cultural Campus is thrilled to present Philadelphia hip-hop legend Rennie Harris’ new work Funkedified at the Merriam Theater on Friday, June 7 and Saturday, June 8, 2019. Praised by The New Yorker as “the most brilliant hip-hop choreographer in America,” Harris’ latest work features his PureMovement dancers in a must-see multi-media collaboration that celebrates funk music and street dance of the 1970s, set against the landscape of a video montage of African American communities of the era.
Narrated by Rennie Harris, Rennie Harris: Funkedfied is a visual motif of the 1970s accompanied by The HoodLockers and the New York funk band, Invincible, who will paint an eclectic soundscape and texture. The performance navigates the audience through a snippet of the decade per Rennie Harris’ journey into funk music and culture, which ultimately evolves into hip-hop culture.
“Rennie Harris is a Philadelphia institution whose talent and passion has made an impact on dancers and dance lovers across the globe,” said Anne Ewers, President and CEO of the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts. “His work pushes artistic limits of hip-hop dance, while paying homage to both personal and social history. It has been a privilege to present Harris’ work, alongside multiple companies this spring, as part of our varied Kimmel Center dance offerings.”
Lorenzo "Rennie" Harris was born and raised in North Philadelphia. In 1992, he founded Rennie Harris Puremovement, a hip-hop dance theater company dedicated to preserving and disseminating hip-hop culture. Voted one of the most influential people in the last one hundred years of Philadelphia history, Mr. Harris has received several accolades, including the Herb Alpert Award in the Arts, the Governor’s Arts Award, a United States Artist Fellowship, and an honorary doctorate from Bates College. The London Times wrote of Mr. Harris that he is “the Basquiat of the U.S. contemporary dance scene.” Rennie Harris Puremovement was chosen by DanceMotion USA as one of four companies to serve as citizen-diplomats to tour Egypt, Israel, Palestinian territories, and Jordan in 2012.
A pop culture icon, Rennie Harris was a member of several dance groups who have opened and performed with Salt-n-Pepa, Madonna, Sister Sledge, and more. He has worked on two dance television shoes, Dancin’ on Air and Dance Party USA, as well as had his own TV show, One House Street. No stranger to the Kimmel Center Cultural Campus, Rennie Harris’ acclaimed work “Lazarus” was presented by the Alvin Ailey American Dance Company in the Academy of Music in February 2019. His work most recently appeared on the Kimmel Center Cultural Campus as part of PHILADANCO: Dance Philly Style in April 2019.
RENNIE HARRIS: FUNKEDIFIED
Kimmel Center’s Merriam Theater
June 7, 2019, 8:30 p.m.
June 8, 2019, 3:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.
Tickets
Tickets are on sale now starting at $20.00. Tickets can be purchased by calling 215-893-1999, online at www.kimmelculturalcampus.org, or at the Kimmel Center Box Office. Group sales are available for groups of 10 or more and can be purchased by calling 215-790-5883. See www.kimmelculturalcampus.org for more information.
The Kimmel Center Cultural Campus
Located in the heart of Center City, Philadelphia, our mission is to engage the region’s diverse communities with art through performance and education. Our Cultural Campus serves more than 1 million guests per year and includes the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, the Academy of Music, and the Merriam Theater- representing more than 160 years of rich history for the performing arts along Philadelphia’s Avenue of the Arts. We are home to eight esteemed Resident Companies: The Philadelphia Orchestra, Opera Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Ballet, The Philly POPS, PHILADANCO, The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, The Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, and Curtis Institute of Music. With nearly 9,000 seats per night, we are the region’s most impactful performing arts center, and the second largest in the country. Our Cultural Campus serves as a preeminent and inclusive place to enjoy exceptional experiences that reflect the spirit of our region by cultivating a creative and socially-responsible environment where our community shares experiences that are delivered with pride, integrity, and respect. As a 501 c 3 nonprofit organization, we collaborate on, present, and produce a broad range of relevant and meaningful events, we serve as an active gathering space for social and community events, we educate the region’s young people through access to quality arts experiences, and we provide support to artists in the creation of new work. TD Bank, America’s Most Convenient Bank, is our proud sponsor of the Kimmel Center’s 2018-2019 Season. American Airlines is the official airline of Broadway Philadelphia. For additional information, visit www.kimmelculturalcampus.org.
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