Renowned Hip-Hop Dance Company Rennie Harris Puremovement

Wortham Center for the Performing Arts will welcome renowned dance company Rennie Harris Puremovement to downtown Asheville, Friday and Saturday, Jan. 17 and 18, 2025.

As the leading street dance theater company in the US, Rennie Harris Puremovement is dedicated to preserving and disseminating hip-hop aesthetics and street dance culture through workshops and classes, long-term residencies, mentoring programs and public performances.

The company has toured the globe extensively, including throughout Europe, South and West Africa, Brazil, Mexico, Canada, Japan, China, Kazakhstan, Congo, Australia, New Zealand, Columbia, and Monaco. In 2012, Rennie Harris Puremovement company members were ambassadors for the US and traveled to Egypt, Israel and Palestine as part of President Obama’s cultural exchange program, Dance Motion USA.

Challenging Perceptions of Hip-Hop

So, whatever you think you know about hip-hop, these works created by founder and artistic director Rennie Harris are designed to challenge popular perceptions of street dance to reveal the complex narratives and artistic ingenuity at its core. Harris has been swerving away from stereotypes and expectations of hip-hop dance for decades, while staying true to its roots.

Harris’s latest work, “Nuttin’ But A Word,” challenges the structural integrity of various street dance styles such as Campbell locking, house, hip-hop and B-boying.

“The title . . . was taken from a cultural phrase used amongst many Blacks in the United States,” says Harris. “The full saying is, ‘You ain’t said nothing but a word’; loosely translated, it means, ‘Your words mean nothing—pay close attention, because what I do next will trump anything you have to say.’ It serves as a reminder that without individuality, creativity, and innovation, there cannot be progression of life as we know it.”

The Artist

One of the most respected hip-hop choreographers in the country, Lorenzo “Rennie” Harris grew up entrenched in hip-hop culture and was immersed in all its forms—music, dance and language. Throughout his career, he has embraced the culture and sought to honor its legacy, recognizing its heritage as one of the purest forms of movement from African and African American-Latino traditions.

Harris has been awarded three Bessie Awards, four Alvin Ailey Black Choreographers Awards, and the Herb Alpert Award in the Arts for choreography. He was nominated for a Laurence Olivier Award (UK) for his work “Rome & Jewels,” and nominated for best choreography in 2006 for Love Stories, presented at the Alvin Ailey Dance Theater. Harris is the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, a PEW Fellowship, and USA Artist of the Year.

Performances & Classes

Rennie Harris Puremovement performs three shows in Asheville: 8 p.m. on Friday & Saturday, Jan. 17 & 18, 2025, and a Student Series show at 10 a.m. on Friday, Jan. 17. All are open to the public. The company will also host a community street dance master class on Saturday, Jan. 18 at 1 p.m. in Henry LaBrun Studio at the Wortham Center. This 90-minute class for beginner to intermediate level dancers is a deep dive into various street dance techniques in styles such as Campbell locking, house and hip-hop.

Harris will be joined by local author, actor, and prolific street dancer Otto Vazquez to lead pre-show discussions prior to the evening performances on Jan. 17 & 18.

Vazquez will be partnering with Wortham Center this season to offer education and community engagement programs, including a hip-hop pop-up class on Tuesday, Jan. 14 at 7 p.m. prior to the RHPM residency, and an 8-week hip-hop class in February and March 2025 at the Wortham.

Rennie Harris Puremovement & Otto Vazquez 2025 Events

• January 14 at 7 p.m. Hip-hop dance pop-up class with Otto Vazquez, Henry LaBrun Studio, Wortham Center
• January 17 at 10 a.m. Rennie Harris Puremovement – Student Series show, Diana Wortham Theatre
• January 17 & 18 at 7 p.m. Rennie Harris and Otto Vazquez lead pre-show discussions
• January 17 & 18 at 8 p.m. Rennie Harris Puremovement performances, Wortham Center
• January 18 at 1 p.m. Street / Hip-Hop Class with Rennie Harris Puremovement company dancers
• February 4 through April 1 at 7 p.m. 8-week hip-hop class with Otto Vazquez, Henry LaBrun Studio, Wortham Center

For more information, and to purchase tickets, please visit www.worthamarts.org/events/rennie-harris-puremovement.