RENNIE HARRIS was born and raised in an African-American community in North Philadelphia. In 1992 Harris founded Rennie Harris Puremovement American Street Dance Theater, a Street Dance company dedicated to preserving and disseminating Hip-hop culture throughout. Celebrating 30 years of Street Dance Theater, Harris’ first evening length work entitled Rome & Jewels remains the longest touring Hip-hop dance theater work in American history with three “Bessie” awards, five Black Theater Alvin Ailey Awards, a Herb Alpert award, and a nomination for a Lawrence Olivier Award (UK). Rome & Jewels has performed for sold-out audiences nationally and internationally.

Harris has brought "social" dances and styles to the "concert" stage, creating a cohesive dance style that finds a cogent voice in the theater. Harris was voted one of the most influential people in the last one hundred years of Philadelphia history and has been compared to twentieth-century dance legends Alvin Ailey and Bob Fosse. He was awarded the key to the city of Miami and the key to the city of Philadelphia and awarded the 2011 Creative Ambassador of Philadelphia. He is currently featured in Rose Eichenbaum’s Masters of Movement-Portraits of America’s Great Choreographers with dance legends such as Carmen de Lavallade, Judith Jamison, Fayard Nicolas, and Gregory Hines and holds honorary doctorate degrees (1st Street/Hip-hop Dancer, Bates College 2010; Chicago’s Columbia College 2013). Rennie Harris was awarded a Master of African American Choreography Medal from the Kennedy Center (Washington, DC) and is a United States Artists Rose Fellow and a Guggenheim Fellow. He has been recognized as a Pennsylvania Artist of the Year by Governor Rendell and toured as an ambassador of Hip-hop/Street Dance for Presidents Reagan, Clinton, and Obama.