Rennie Harris: Facing Mekka

Philadelphia's Rennie Harris reigns as the leading ambassador of hip-hop and its various techniques: B-boy, house dancing, stepping, and other styles that have emerged from urban, inner cities of America. In Facing Mekka, Harris and a cast of 17 undertake an epic journey through global hip-hop set to a new score of live percussion, vocals, and turntables. Harris expertly uses hip-hop (removed from its popular commercial context) to address a fractured world, linking the personal, political, and spiritual to create a work of unity between people and cultures. Co-commissioned by the Walker Art Center.

Critic's Comments

"He (Harris) has found the means to rewrite the law of the streets to insist that love and tenderness and openness have a place there too."- The New York Times

"They're a berserk regiment, utterly in tune with one another, centered and grounded."- The Philadelphia Inquirer

About the Company

Rennie Harris, a powerful voice for the significance of "street" origins in any dance style who has been compared to 20th century dance legends Alvin Ailey and Bob Fosse, began dancing at 14 with a group called the Scanner Boys. After a stint with commercial music videos in the '80s, he chose to move in a more artistic direction and founded his much-heralded hip-hop company, Puremovement, in 1992. The company's work encompasses 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. Harris returns to pure dance roots with Facing Mekka, a special project apart from his Puremovement company. This project engages a unique combination of dancers, some from the company, some from the outside.