Two of Philadelphia’s trademark companies, PHILADANCO/The Philadelphia Dance Company and RHPM/Rennie Harris Puremovement, have joined together on stage for an evening performance entitled, Straight Outta Philly. The juxtaposition of RHPM’s hip hop movement against Philadanco’s modern vocabulary celebrated the diversity of black and brown bodies while tackling relevant, urgent social issues through dance. Joan Myers Brown and Rennie Harris, the founders and directors of PHILADANCO and RHPM respectively, did not compromise their individual visions for dance and still succeeded in uniting dancers despite their different forms of embodied expression.
PHILANDANCO, the Philadelphia Dance Company, is a nonprofit organization that presents the highest quality of dance performance and improves the skills of emerging and professional dancers and choreographers. PHILANDANCO is celebrated for its innovation, creativity, and preservation of predominantly African- American traditions in dance. RHPM’s work encompasses rich and diverse African-American traditions of the past while simultaneously presenting the voice of a new generation. RHPM’s goal is to provide audiences with a sincere view of the essence and spirit of hip-hop, rather than the commercially exploited stereotypes most often presented by the media.