He becomes the second CU Boulder dance faculty to win the Doris Duke Artist Award
Lorenzo āRennieā Harris, a pioneering Hip-hop choreographer and artist-in-residence at the University of Colorado Boulder, is one of eight people to win the prestigious 2020 Doris Duke Artist Award.Ģż
The award, bestowed by the , supports exemplary individual artists in contemporary dance, jazz, theater and related interdisciplinary work.Ģż
The $275,000 prize aims to provide āthe freedom of unrestricted supportā to take creative risks, explore new ideas and fund professional needs.
At the top of the page:ĢżRennie Harrisā āFunkedifiedā.ĢżPhoto by Elizabeth Robertson.Ģż“”²ś“Ē±¹±š:ĢżLorenzo āRennieā Harris
Erika Randall, associate professor of dance and chair of the CU Boulder Department of Theatre & Dance, said Harrisā award is particularly well-deserved:
āRennie is a giant in the dance world, one who has not only revolutionized the way we see concert dance and Hip-hop, but who continues to innovate (one of the main tenets of Hip-hop) and create masterful new work,ā she said, adding that his mentoring of students has been ātransformative and exhilarating.āĢż
Harris said learning that he had been recognized by fellow artists was immensely gratifying. āThat meant the world to me,ā he said, adding, āI was floored.ā
Artists generally look for approval from peer groups of artists, scholars and academics, he noted. āThe accolades from the public, your friends and family are definitely amazing and wanted, but itās really about what our peer group thinks.āĢż
Harris added that he does not know which peers chose to recognize his work with this award, ābut Iām sure I will find out soon, and when I do, man, a lot of hugs will be given out.ā
Harris is considered the pioneer of street dance theater and a choreographer internationally known for creating a cohesive dance styleāboth staunchly rooted in and expanding the boundaries of Hip-hopāthat finds a ācogent voice in the theater,ā the foundation said.
I canāt think of another dance program, or arts program for that matter, that has ever been graced by two faculty members who have received this prestigious award."
Born and raised in North Philadelphia, in 1992 he founded , a Hip-hop and street dance theater company dedicated to preserving and disseminating Hip-hop culture and bringing these dance forms to the traditional stage.Ģż
In 2012, Rennie Harris Puremovement was chosen to be part of DanceMotion USA, a cultural exchange program created by the Obama administration and produced in partnership with the Brooklyn Academy of Music, as one of four companies to serve as citizen-diplomats touring Egypt, Israel, Palestinian territories and Jordan.Ģż
His work āā (2018) is a multi-media dance creation that challenges audiences to reevaluate what they think they know as Hip-hop dance and culture in a celebration of the street dance and funk music of the 1970s.Ģż
Some of his other notable works include āā (2018), āā (2017), āā (2016), āā (2015) and āā (2014).
Harris is the second CU Boulder faculty member to win the Doris Duke Artist Award, which has given nearly $33.5 million to 122 noteworthy artists since May 2012. Michelle Ellsworth, professor of dance, won the award in 2019, a winning streak that Randall, the department chair, reveled in:Ģż
āIt is thrilling to have a Doris Duke award winner in the house two years in a row,ā Randall said. āI canāt think of another dance program, or arts program for that matter, that has ever been graced by two faculty members who have received this prestigious award.ā
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