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Rennie Harris University: Cipher/Deciphering Da Truth About Hip Hop and Street Dance

5/10/2023

Walking into the space at Miami Light Project in Miami Shores, FL, I had no idea that I would be schooled in da realest dance history class. The ambiance was set, giving off a club vibe. The DJ spun tunes softly adding just the right element of club vibes. I scanned the room to see who was there, located our seats and made my way to the bar (okay!). There was a warm euphoria that was present as well as the spirit of community and family. Beth Boone, the Artistic Director and Executive Director came over and hugged both my son and myself. Brittany Williams, Managing Director of Rennie Harris University joined us, and we talked and laughed in our usual playfulness. Michelle Grant-Murray joined in the love fest. I sealed this moment with several photos.

The panel discussion titled “Rennie Harris and the State of Hip Hop and Street Dance took place during the Spring Cypher (May 5 -7th) which offered classes at Miami Dade Kendall Campus in a plethora of styles taught by local and national powerhouse dancers, practitioners, and scholars. Classes taught were B-boy Ynot (Rocking/Breaking); Cedric (Urban-Funk); J9 (Waving); Tawanna Hall (Hip Hop); Hot Rod (Hip Hop); Nubian Nѐnѐ (House Foundation/Waacking); Dr. Ayo Walker (Afro-Hip Hop/Dunham Technique); Pop Master Fabel (Popping/Boogaloo); Zedric (Urban Funk); Jip The Ruler (Wu-Tang/Jersey Club; Baltimore/Philly Club); Rennie Harris (House Basic Combo/Loft House Floor); and Hot Rod (Hip Hop Partnering/Hip Hop Philly Club).

Invited guests, RHU students, and all interested patrons arrived, and it was time to get it! Michelle Grant-Murray, Miami Dade College-Kendall Dance Program Director read a section Rennie Harris wrote from “There’s an Elephant in Da Room: The Mis-Education of Hip Hop Dance” In Beyond the Surface: An Inclusive American Dance History which she edited. Speaking to the 2023 cohorts, Grant-Murray offered these pearls of wisdom, stating that they are on the “Verge of change…shifting the narrative. [She added that] paradigm shifts are essential for the world to change…Hip Hop dance and Hip Hop culture is the culture of America, it is the fabric that binds us together that makes things happen inside of the world that everyone wants to succumb to and when they get there, they bring themselves with them, they bring everything that they left with them” (Grant-Murray 2023).

Brittany Williams gifted us with more wisdom discussing the continued denial and marginalization of Black dance and culture, specifically Hip Hop; she states “we’re not just talking about Rennie, we are talking about a group of people who are innovating and risk taking, people who are challenging each other in the streets—that history has to continue to pass on with integrity, with love, with deep deep self-knowledge” (Williams 2023). This beautiful charge to action segues into her discussion of RHU. Brittany’s passion for this work is evident, her intentions are clear offering the audience an eloquent definition of the mission—"The mission of RHU is to develop intergenerational Hip-Hop and Street Dance artists and to foster skills, work habits, and a comprehensive understanding of Hip-Hop cultural phenomena, preparing them for success in the discipline” (RHU 2023).

She goes on say that they are not going to sit and wait for someone to give them permission to validate the culture and celebrate the gifts and talents of the community—this institution is the manifestation of the desire and hard work to push forward the vision of elevating Hip Hop and Street Dance.
A wonderful documentary “Hip Hop Dance Legend Rennie Harris Shares Five Major Moments | If Cities Could Dance” was shown which captured “five major moments in his life” providing context and (his)tory about the man known as “the high priest of Hip Hop” who believed that he was “going to feel God and see God” through his artistry. Two of the Spring 2023 RHU cohorts were introduced, Farrah McAdam: Cohort 2023 (from the Bay Area) and Jennifer Rivera: Cohort 2023 (Miami, FL). They shared their journey, how they are engaging with the art form, and where they are going with it.

After the scripture reading and praise and worship, we were ready for the word! The panel discussion moderated by Teo Castellanos was interactive, raw, and engaging. Each panelist: Rennie Harris, Nubian Nѐnѐ, Dr. Ayo Walker, Michelle Grant-Murray, and Pop Master Fabel brought their truth to the cipher to share, expound, theorize, clarify, and perform an authentic political and theoretical discourse that was empowering. Tao’s questions were provocative generating a range of emotion, debate, and theories.

Question 1: What does Hip Hop mean to you?
Question 2: Challenges and possibilities?
Question 3: How is it transforming and evolving?

The responses from the panel provided themes such as 1. The issues with commodification and capitalism; 2. The need for certification; 3. The need to define our own thing; 4. Embodied knowledge versus written knowledge; 5. Documentation; 6. The importance of having Black and Brown folks on accreditation boards; 7. The lack of understanding of the culture; and 8. The Boriqua contribution to the culture (this question set it awffffff!). This took us all over the Boogie Down Bronx, Brooklyn, Philly, and Florida. Each question and response are worthy of its own dissertation. Rodney Hill, Executive Director of Rennie Harris Pure Movement was in the audience and offered his truth. It was a privilege to witness such brilliance. As Rennie Harris stated, in the midst of the disagreements, loud talking, and aggressiveness—this is what Hip Hop is. It is about community, family, and communicating “da truth.” This should be the model for dance history and dance appreciation courses instead of the lecture based, non-interactive, racist, exclusionary, and ethnocentric models that are being used in many dance programs in the US.

Conclusion
Rennie Harris University (RHU) embodies Cipher/Deciphering. Cipher/Deciphering is an expression of the constant flow of riddim’—bodies performing stories—signifyin’ and bringing “da truth” to the space, classroom, floor, and/or street. For many of us that are involved in social justice work, we are Cipher/Deciphering, fighting, maneuvering, and performing our activism on multiple levels. Our strategies are cyclical, inclusive of the continuous rotation of involvement in coalitions and support groups. Our energy is exerted in unique ways, which includes teaching, creating curriculum, building coalitions and institutions, letter writing, organizing, and attending meetings, marching, creating artistic work, and performing that work etc.

Work Cited
Harris, Rennie. 2013. “There’s an Elephant in Da Room: The Mis-Education of Hip Hop Dance.” In Beyond the Surface: An Inclusive American Dance History, ed. Michelle Grant-Murray. Dubuque: Kendall Hunt.

Koed Arts. 2021. "Hip Hop Dance Legend Rennie Harris Shares Five major Moments/If CIties Could Dance." YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGSGTrn5INA.

Image 1: AKeitha Carey and Tiago Carey-Smith
Image 2: Tiago Carey-Smith, Michelle Grant-Murray, and Brittany Williams
Image 3: Brittany Williams
Image 4: Beth Boone
Image 5: Michelle Grant-Murray
Image 6: Teo Castellanos
Image 7: Panelists
Image 8: Pop Master Fabel
Image 9: Audience
Image 10: Brittany Williams and Pop Master Fabel
Image 11: AC and Rennie Harris
Image 12: Michelle Grant-Grant Murray and Rennie Harris
Image 13: Brittany Williams and Rennie Harris
Image 14: Teo Castellanos and Rennie Harris
Image 15: 2023 RHU cohorts Farrah McAdam and Jennifer Rivera

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Bridget Baker Whole Project… “Meadow”

5/3/2023

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Bridget Baker Whole Project… “Meadow”
When I pulled up at the Miami Dade Auditorium, it jogged a memory of my performance with Neri Torres and IFE ILE Afro-Cuban Dance Company on the main stage over 20 years ago. I was already in a state of nostalgia. I veered around the building to the entrance of the Black Box Theater. I walked into the building immediately seeking out places for photo ops to capture my attendance and add visuals to my writing piece. I entered the performance space and scanned the audience, taking in demographics of the patrons: age, gender, ethnicity, and race, how were they dressed, what energy were they giving, and what languages were spoken? As I locate my seat, I begin to think about the elements that guide my writing: what did I see (Warren 2022), what am I reminded of, how am I entering the work, what are the themes, references, and politics, and what scholarship supports my thoughts?

I sat down and began deeply listening to the pre-show playlist (Nina Simone: “I Think It’s Going to Rain Today”; Bing Crosby: “Paradise”, De La Soul: “Tread Water”, The Impressions: “Keep on Pushing”, and Moby: “We Are All Made of Stars”) wondering about the information conveyed and the temperament and character of the artistic director Brigid Baker. This was an eclectic playlist which revealed the range of musical interests of the curator. I scan the stage and see a cluster of items; one is a tall phallic object draped in gold fabric. Standing next to it was a shorter pointing object also draped in gold (shimmery) fabric with a gold ball at the tip. Hanging from that was a greenish shinny and shimmering tassel like attachment. Laying at the foot of the shrine was possibly a fish fossil and several other unrecognizable items. I wondered where and how I would enter the work.

Baker states that “Meadow” begins to deal with the light, via the cosmos. It is named for the composer Thomas Meadowcroft. The first piece, 'ABRACADABRA' is a laying down of grids and lines, a grounding of light into the material. The second piece 'arbadacarba', takes those same geometries, and lines and humanizes them” (Baker 2023). ABRACADABRA focuses on the “still point” and 'arbadacarba' travels and moves while committed to the same movement structure; “There is an homage to hip hop in the costuming, because along the road of this ascension process, hip hop is the last created American dance form. There's the black and gold of disco, because time spent in the clubs was a gathering of love” (Baker 2023).

This is what I saw…

The piece began with a series of short films; the first featuring women constructing, pasting, and painting a globe. This was fascinating because I had never thought about this process before. We always see the final product without considering how this is done, which is very meticulous. The second film showcased a spider maneuvering through a beautifully spun web. The third film demonstrates how a gold plate is molded into a particular shape. Next, we see some kind of magic trick, and the last film is an image of the earth expanding into the universe. The soundscape is soft and soothing. Viewing the galaxy in this manner reminds me of my experience at the planetarium. The next image is a gold liquid sun.

‘ABRACADABRA’: Three dancers, Meredith Barton, Isaiah Gonzalez, Amy Trieger enter the space dressed in all black—black leotard, black tights, and black ballet slippers with a thick gold choker necklace. There is a sameness and androgynous element which neutralizes the eye. The sterility of the stage encourages the viewer to focus on particular elements. The dancers roll a gold painted medicine ball-like prop over each other as they travel across and down the stage performing the same pattern. It becomes meditational and ritualistic. The video images of vibrant color add depth and texture to the space. The dancers partner each other, cut, carve, and mold with their extremities, holding positions—arabesque and attitude. Their faces are stoic. The gaze is internal, “eschewing emotion, glamour, and…favoring a deadpan, paced delivery that aime[s] to render a dancer an impersonal agent: a “neutral ‘doer,’’’ (Morse 2008, 55). The dancers are fierce technicians performing leaps, extensions, assemblé’s, waltzes, and triplet phrases with beautifully shaped arms, “This striking ensemble is all the more eloquent because the choreography allows no transitions between successive movements. The dancer is fully involved in one movement and then immediately engages in the next” (Foster 1986, 13).
The sound scape transformed the space with screeching flute like sounds that built and regressed creating a soundtrack to the movie I created in my head. There was a feeling of familiarity that I was unable to pinpoint immediately. As the work progressed, I continued to develop my own narrative, I envisioned an other worldly experience. The dancers were traveling the galaxy similarly to the “Lost in Space” rerun episodes from the 1960’s that I watched as a kid in the 80’s. I wondered “What were they seeing?” and “What is their mission?”
During intermission, seconds before the dancers returned, a young man in the front row asked me what my perspective was and “What did I get from this?” I wondered about the purpose of his questioning. Was it for clarity for him or was he testing me. I explained to him that I was a dance writer and what that there were many things to take into consideration—the movement, costume, spatial design, setting, music and how all of these things connected or not and that question couldn’t be answered in 5-10 seconds. As an informed viewer and an educator, I questioned if my response was sufficient, useful, or helpful.
'arbadacarba’: The dancers returned in a change of costume—they added flowing black pants, a black tunic top, black ballet slippers and an even chunkier necklace. The second half began with a video of the galaxy, it was textured—the moon. The image switched to a lava-ish, orange/red picture. The music is light, the focus is brighter. There was a shift. The movements are more open and freer. There is more breath in the body and the couples move with more connection, engagement, and eye contact. They look out into the audience and include us in their intergalaxy journey.
Image 1: Justin Trieger
Image 2: Justin Trieger
Image 3: Justin Trieger
Image 4: Justin Trieger
Image 5: Justin Trieger
Image 6: Karime Arabia
Image 7: Karime Arabia
Image 8: Brigid Baker
Image 9: A’Keitha Carey

*Choreography, Set Installation, Costumes and Movies: Brigid Baker
*Sound Design and Video Projection Artist: Justin Trieger
*Building Assistant: Meredith Barton

Citations:
Foster, Susan. 1996. Reading Dancing: Bodies and Subjects in Contemporary American Dance. Los Angeles: University of California Press.
Morse, Meredith. 2018. “Minimalist” Dance, Social Critique: Revisiting Yvonne Rainer and Steve Paxton’s 1963 Word Words.”

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Dancing, Mothering, and Black Womanhood: Shanna Woods

5/1/2023

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Shanna Woods is a dance artist, educator, entrepreneur, and mother from Delray Beach, FL.  She describes herself as the “Sweetest mango with a dash of ghost pepper.” This description offers some insight into the personality of this Queen and visually piques the interest of the reader. Who is this sweet and spicy woman? Shanna has an extensive resume having performed nationally and internationally with Deeply Rooted Dance Theatre, Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Theatre, Jubilation Dance Ensemble and currently with Olujimi Dance Theatre. She has a musical theater background as well—her credits include “Deena Jones in Dreamgirls, The Wiz, The Producers, Ethel in Memphis The Musical, and dance captain for Man of La Mancha and The World Premiere A Wonderful World and Mayme in Intimate Apparel” (https://www.shannawoods.com). She is certified in KAY Yoga for Children, AkhuYoga, and Kemetic Yoga and she developed the “Art of Acceptance” self-care workshop series. Shanna is the Director of Dance at Boynton Beach Community Highschool, and founding member of Florida Black Dance Artist Organization, and is currently the first Artist in Residence at Bailey Contemporary Arts Center in Pompano Beach, Fl. Okay Sis, we see you!

My relationship with Shanna is multi-dimensional. I first met her as a student at Miami Dade College Kendall when she took my CaribFunk class. We currently dance together in the Olujimi Dance Collective. I have supported her business “Lavish Lovin’ Skin Soul Care Line products (the skin is giving island tropics hunny!) and we cofounded The Florida Black Dance Artist Organization with several other local dance artists. I have watched her mother her daughter Lilian with a fierce tenacity and incredible love, instilling African principles.  Ms. Lilian is quite often adorned in African print clothing; she is exposed to Black/African books and authors and enrolled in African dance and Capoeira classes and both of their hair is beautifully locked. I have also listened to Shanna discuss the joys and pains of teaching dance in K-12 which has produced numerous squawks and gut busting howls. It is truly inspiring to see how Shanna is mothering her daughter in a very intentional manner, educating her about the beauty, brilliance, and resilience of her ancestors. This sensibility is transposed into the classroom where it is evidenced that she is practicing motherwork, “this type of [work] recognizes that individual survival, empowerment, and identity require group survival, empowerment, and identity” (Collins 1994, 374).

Black womanhood has produced a narrative that has negatively impacted the lives of many, “Black women have been victimized by the sociopolitical racist and sexist ideologies that control the discourse entrapping Black females” (Gammage 2019, 9) but we can overcome these abuses by centering our survival, power, and identity (Collins 1994). Shanna’s new work “Rituals” addresses this. “The dance work, Rituals, challenges my thoughts around survival, thriving, rest and joy. In the past, I felt like I was always in survival mode out of fear, trying to make it through, and barely sustaining myself and my daughter. Rituals is an exploration of my desire to thrive with the intersections of joy and dream. As a Black woman, it is my experience that Black folk always innovate laughter, music and dance even in our times of sorrow. One thing we forget is that we deserve to rejuvenate our minds, bodies, and spirits” (Woods 2023). Through storytelling, play, movement, visual art, spoken word, and music, the audience is drawn into a love letter offering healing to women, children, and the community.
My son and I attended the show at Bailey Contemporary Arts on Friday, April 7, 2023. The performance took place during the “Old Town Untapped” event which is an outdoor street festival with live, music, DJ, art gallery openings, craft beer, street vendors, and food trucks. (https://www.pompanobeacharts.org/events/untapped?mibextid=Zxz2cZ). Admittingly, I was a bit confused because what I saw versus what I was expecting didn’t match. I made a phone call to Michelle Grant-Murray to get some clarity and stumbled upon Shanna and Lilian standing outside the building. Lilian was saging/smudging her mom before they entered the space; I immediately felt at ease and recognized that I was indeed in the right place. Shanna took her seat in front of a video which featured Michelle Grant-Murray speaking; Lilian is standing behind her.  The video ends and Shanna acknowledges the earth. Shanna rises, moving through the space with a ferocious calm. Elegantly dressed in all white—white pants and a white off the shoulder top with a black cowrie shell bra underneath, she cuts through the room with her brown extremities reaching through, above, and beyond the watchers and finds her brief resting place seated on the floor—Lilian finds her seat in the same chair.

Lilian is dressed in white pants, a white long sleeve shirt with blue fabric wrapped around her waist. She opens her book and takes us on a journey. She references Yurugu throughout the reading. Yurugu is “A being in Dogon Mythology which is responsible for disorder in the universe. This is a being conceived in denial of the natural order, which then acts to initiate and promote disharmony in the universe. In African Cosmology such a being is deficient in spiritual sensibility, is perpetually in conflict, is limited cognitively, and is threatening to the well- being of humanity” (Ani 1994, xxviii). Lilian reads a few lines that are powerful and potent, resonating and affirming with such depth: “I need community. I need people who are going to share and critique…It’s about partnership, that is something I desire.”

Shanna’s movement vocabulary demonstrates the multitude of techniques and aesthetics that she has been exposed to with a layer of Black womanhood, magic, confidence, pain, and joy. She embodies sensuality and play. Her hips circle, wine, and skank positioning her pelvis to give and receive. The cadence of her body shifts responding to the text. She makes her way to the outer realm of the room and leads us up the stairs. The audience follows her, most can’t see. They can only imagine what is taking place in the narrow stairwell. The mood has shifted. The energy is high, and the sound is cutting. The instrumentation is wild and eerie, and Shanna’s body matches it. The sound changes to a lighter flow and the female voice is soothing, singing “I saw things, I imagine…” This shift is refreshing for both the viewer and those who were on the outskirts imagining what was going on.

Shanna makes her way up the stairs and into the center area that is partitioned off. The audience follows. She turns her back to us and changes her clothes. She takes off her top and pants and puts on a white flowing spaghetti strap dress. There is a woman speaking in a gentile tone. I hear her say “She guards her authenticity as carefully as she guards her baby.” The act of mothering everyone and anything is powerful.

Shanna methodically takes a piece of fabric and wraps her hair. The audience is mesmerized. She walks over to the table which has several liquid and colorful items on it. She places her hand in a bowl, submerges it in the concoction, removes it, walks over to the wall and begins hand painting. Shanna voice is illuminated piping loudly through the speakers; she offers us a manifesto of self-love. Her soothing voice is therapeutic and healing. I am drawn into the words of affirmation and declaration. She offers:

“I desire to liberate myself from ancestral depression”
“Inside me is an empire’
“I desire to love and be loved without ownership”

A Black woman to my right is weeping. My soul leaps. I am grateful. I am drawn into the ecstasy that is abundant in her smile. This is the embodiment of Black womanhood.

#dancewriter
#culturalcritic
#blackwomanhood
#artofacceptance
#shannawoods

Image 1: Shanna Woods
Image 2: Michelle Grant-Murray
Image 3: Shanna Woods
Image 4: Shanna Woods
Image 5: Lillian S. Harris
Image 6: Shanna Woods
Image 7: Shanna Woods
Image 8: A’Keitha Carey at Affirmation Wall
Image 9: Affirmation Wall
Image 10: Shanna Woods
Image 11: Lillian S. Harris
Image 12: Olujimi

**There was an area set up where you were asked to write/set your intentions and place them in the designated area. She also provided mini tubes of body butter and invited guests to her workshops: Shea Butta, Movement Meditation, Kemetic Yoga, Mango Butta.

Citations
Collins, Patricia H. 1994. “Shifting the Center: Race, Class, and Feminist Theorizing About Motherhood.” In Representations of Motherhood, ed by Donna Bassin, et al., 371- 387. New Haven: Yale University Press.

Gammage. Marquita. M. 2019. “Introduction.” In Challenging Misrepresentations of Blackwomanhood: Media, Literature, and Theory, eds Marquita M. Gammage and Antwanisha Alameen-Shavers, 8-18. New York: Anthem Press.

Marimba, Ani. 1994. Yurugu-An African Centered Critique of European Cultural Thought and Behavior. Trenton: Africa World Press.

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I am writing about dance, fitness, Caribbean culture, race, cultural studies, body politics, and popular culture.

Rennie Harris University: Cipher/Deciphering Da Truth About Hip Hop and Street Dance

Bridget Baker Whole Project… “Meadow”

Dancing, Mothering, and Black Womanhood: Shanna Woods

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