Rennie Harris: Honoring Where the Dance Begins
Black History Month at Dance AS | Week 3
This week, we honor Rennie Harris—an artist who reminds us that where dance comes from matters just as much as where it goes.
Rooted in hip hop and street dance traditions, Rennie Harris has spent his career insisting that these movement forms are not trends or tricks, and not entertainment to be separated from their meaning. They are cultural languages—born from community, lived experience, and history—and they deserve care, respect, and understanding.
When Harris brought hip hop to the concert stage, he did not ask it to change its voice. He brought it as it was. His work challenged long-held ideas about what belongs in formal dance spaces and who gets to decide what is considered “art.” He made clear that innovation does not require erasure, and that legitimacy should never come at the cost of identity.
Rennie Harris’s choreography carries urgency and honesty. It speaks to the present while remaining deeply connected to its roots. His work reminds us that hip hop is not something to be borrowed lightly—it is something to be learned, credited, and protected.
For dancers and educators, his legacy offers an essential reminder:
- Learning movement also means learning context.
- Celebrating dance means honoring its origins.
- Progress does not mean forgetting where we started.
At Dance AS, we honor Rennie Harris by teaching our dancers that dance is more than steps. It is voice. It is culture. It is lived experience. We strive to create spaces where movement is respected not only for how it looks, but for what it carries and where it comes from.
Dance will continue to evolve.
But its roots matter.
And protecting those roots is part of our responsibility as artists and educators.
