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Hip-hop theatre is a form of theatre combining hip-hop dance, dialogue, and urban music that presents "contemporary stories told in the vocabulary of hip-hop".
Other cultural markers of hip-hop such as spoken word, graffiti art, beatboxing, and DJing can be included as well although they are not always present. What is most important is the language of the theatrical piece and the plot's relevance to the world.
Danny Hoch, the founder of the Hip-Hop Theater Festival, further defines it as such: "Hip-hop theatre must fit into the realm of theatrical performance, and it must be by, about and for the hip-hop generation, participants in hip-hop culture, or both."
Rennie Harris Puremovement is a good example of Hip-hop theatre. RHPM's work encompasses rich and diverse African-American traditions of the past while simultaneously presenting the voice of a new generation and has continued to increase audience numbers each year by 35%, encourage young dancers, and share their enthusiasm for hip-hop dance theatre.
It performs to sold-out audiences at venues in the U.S. and abroad including Grad Halle de Parc de la Villette in Paris, Reichhold Center in St. Thomas, the Kennedy Center in D.C., MCA in Chicago, the Holland Dance Festival, Kiasma Museum in Helsinki, Spoleto Dance Festival, the Wilma Theater in Philadelphia, and the Nervi Festival in Italy to name a few.
Harris, a North Philadelphia native, founded RHPM based on the belief that hip-hop is the most important original expression of a new generation, with the unique ability to express universal themes that extend beyond racial, religious, and economic boundaries.
He is a recipient of a Pew Fellowship in the Arts for Choreography and has received awards from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a Pew Repertory Development Initiative grant, the City of Philadelphia Cultural Fund and a Philadelphia Dance Projects commission.
Harris was also awarded the Bessie Award and was recognised as the Pennsylvania Artist of the Year by Governor Rendell in 2007.
“ Heaven”, described by Harris as his most ambitious and intricate work of his career, "Heaven: A B-Girl Ballet" showcases a production platform and cultural impact rarely highlighted within the Hip-hop dance theatre arena.
Heaven employs Stravinsky's "Rite of Spring." The re-fashioning of this celebrated dance classic allows Harris to challenge the possibilities of Hip-hop theatre, his artistic merit and credit the role of women in Hip-hop dance. This collaborative love story utilises women and the breaking movement vocabulary which is one of the most physical, athletic and masculine forms.
In a society where hip-hop is often portrayed as a violent, undisciplined counterculture, RHPM deconstructs popular perception of this medium, expanding and challenging the boundaries and definitions of hip-hop in general.
As hip-hop continues to be chosen as the modern generation's medium of expression, RHPM works to explore its ideas and further its contributions to the surrounding community.
In conjunction with the U.S. State Department's Bureau of Educational and Urban Affairs and the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM), Rennie Harris Puremovement has been selected to participate in the DanceMotion USA cultural exchange program.
Hip-hop theatre productions appear in a wide range of platforms from single performances, to week-long festivals, to travelling repertory companies. Marc Bamuthi Joseph is an award-winning spoken word artist and dancer who has been commissioned several times to create and direct single hip-hop theatre works. British choreographer Jonzi D is the artistic director of the London based Breakin' Convention, a week-long hip-hop theatre festival. Rennie Harris, Mourad Merzouk, and Victor Quijada are artistic directors who run hip-hop theatre companies in the U.S., France, and Canada respectively.
The Rock Steady Crew, Magnificent Force, and the Rhythm Technicians pioneered this theatrical genre which started in the United States.
Rennie Harris Puremovement
1500 Market Street
12th Floor, East Tower
Philadelphia, PA 19102
USA
Info@rhpm.org
Here are few videos reflect some of their work.