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The Rennie Harris Puremovement was the first street dance theater company that is "based on the belief that hip-hop is the most important original expression of a new generation." The company seeks to emphasize African customs that are embedded in hip hop culture to circumvent westernization of hip hop. "Harris is committed to providing audiences with a sincere view of the essence and spirit of hip-hop rather than the commercially exploited stereotypes portrayed by the media." *CLICK* Rome and Jewels is a prominent work by the company. The production conveys a retelling of the stories Romeo and Juliet and West Side Story set in Philadelphia and told through movement. The piece grew popular because of its intrepidity to tackle themes including gang culture, racial inequality, and greed. "Rome & Jewels is a story of fear, love, violence, and triumph that can give us insights into many of the racial, religious, and economic questions [people of color] face." (RHPM). Rome and Jewels has gained national and international recognition by earning "3 Bessie awards, a Shakespeare Theater Award, and a nomination for the United Kingdom's Lawrence Olivier award" (RHPM). *CLICK* In 2022, it is the 30th anniversary of the Rennie Harris Puremovement, the longest running street dance theater company in American history. Rennie Harris and the company not only helped proliferate and preserve hip hop culture, but marked an influential beginning for hip hop being introduced in studios.

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Hip hop is a style of dance that originated in Bronx, New York during the late 1960's and early 1970's. *CLICK* The Bronx possessed a diverse population filled with a black and hispanic community. *CLICK* Hip hop dance was formed as a way for minorities in the Bronx, specifically the black and hispanic community to endure life and shape their own selfhood. *CLICK* Like a lot of the minority youth in these urban communities, Dj Kool Herc, the creator of hip hop music, grew up in a crime-ridden neighborhood. His music aided in uniting communities in New York. Hip hop dance grew popular in the 80s because of the popularization of hip hop music. Although it was growing in popularity, studios were not welcoming to the new style because it was deemed as untraditional. *CLICK* Today, hip hop is the most commercialized style because of social media. *CLICK* The popularity of the style has grown, yet the moves that are admired are not necessarily steps that represent the culture of hip hop, specifically black culture. In today's society, especially powered by social media, hip hop has lost its meaning. Hip hop dance has been plagued by a mainstream ideology, one which lacks the true culture and roots of the art form.

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*CLICK* In the 1970's, the Bronx was known as a community filled with diversity. As mentioned before, it possessed a black and hispanic population. *CLICK* Because of the low socioeconomic status of the borough, drugs, crime, poverty, and gang violence plagued the community, specifically youth. *CLICK* Hip hop was created in hopes of paving the allowance for the youth to conquer struggle and live a better life.

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DJ Kool Herc is known as the father of hip hop and migrated to the Bronx from Jamaica at the age of 12. *CLICK* Block parties became a popular event within the community. *CLICK* At these block parties during the decade, Herc, livened the celebrations by "[playing] music on his turntables [as] the community would come out to mingle and dance." *CLICK* This action he started to perform was known as deejaying. With DJ Kool Herc's innovative creation of deejaying, it marked the birth of hip hop. *CLICK* As the father of hip hop deejayed more block parties, he noticed the crowd was fond of the breakbeat of the songs played. "The breakbeat is the instrumental, percussive section in funk and R&B records." Herc facilitated a new artform that inspired folks in the community.

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The Bronx block parties birthed the first hip hop dance style known as breakdancing, or *CLICK* breaking. *CLICK* These breakers danced to the breakbeats of the Herc's tracks. *CLICK* Herc dubbed these artists B-girl and B-Boys.

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Breakers began to repeat others steps. *CLICK* Toprocking are the dance moves breakers execute from a standing position in order to transition into *CLICK* downrocking. Downrocking are the dance moves that utilize a hand, foot, and floor connection. In this low level, breakers perform *CLICK* power moves including windmills and headspins. Power moves are "any type of moves in Bboying which requires spinning and/or rotating in a way that can be done so in multiple rounds." Power moves are utilized to transition into *CLICK* freezes, which require an immense amount of core and arm strength.

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By the early 1980's, hip hop ventured out of the streets of the Bronx. Specifically, into the *CLICK* Lincoln center, located in New York, New York. Battles were performed frequently in the Bronx where either two people or two groups of people took turns dancing in the middle of a circle. At the lincoln center, two dance crews, Rock Steady Crew and the Dynamic Rockers, battled gaining national exposure. *CLICK* They battled in front of 180,000 people. The demographics of the 180,000 people were white, black, hispanic, and Asian. *CLICK* Not only did hip hop start by unifying one community, but it began to unify communities of different heritages. *CLICK* In addition to the unity of people, hip hop began to spread across the states.

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*CLICK* Rennie Harris was a Philadelphian dancer who was inspired by Don Campbell, the inventor of a street dance called locking. *CLICK* At the age of 15, Harris began to teach at performing arts institutions, at the age of fifteen, to diversify the dance curriculum taught at schools by teaching hip hop classes. *CLICK* In fact, Harris has been teaching workshops and classes at universities around the country and is a powerful spokesperson for the significance of "street" origins in any dance style." *CLICK* By 1992, Harris founded Rennie Harris Puremovement.

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