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Discover The Street Dance Certification Program Spring 2022
Rennie Harris University cordially invites college and university students to apply for the first ever Hip Hop and Street Dance Certificate Program. The Certificate program is dynamic, rigorous and uniquely designed to prepare participants to advance the field of dance; nurturing the next generation of hip hop scholars.
Rennie Harris has been developing the Street Dance Teacher Certification Program for the last 40 years. Having spent the last 10 years offering courses in academia, Harris has developed a curriculum that functions within the academic institution while establishing a strong foundation for all Street Dance forms, also referred to as “styles.” The program goes beyond teaching dance steps, by fostering technically proficient teachers who are cultural ambassadors of the rich history and cultural lineage of the forms.
As Hip-hop and Street Dance alike become global phenomena, it is imperative to create a training program that establishes a strong foundation in technique, musicality, improvisation, and the historical context that informs the genre. The program will serve as a model for future teacher training programs within the field of Street Dance.
The organization is encouraging dance communities and dance enthusiast to participate in this program, and to share this information directly with others within the dance community respectfully. Spring applications will open up October 1st, the deadline to apply December 15th. For more information please feel free to visit RennieHarrisUniversity.org. In addition, if you are interested in experiencing RHU, the university invites you to join the Winter Cypher Session intensive the weekend of December 16-19, 2021 at University of Colorado Boulder. The fee for the intensive is $350.00, however, there is a code that will give you a $150.00 discounted rate for the weekend, which "CU2."
Rennie Harris University's Importance To The Field
Today, Hip-hop dance and culture has dispersed throughout the world, with classes, courses, and workshops being offered in academia, local studios, and community centers nationally and internationally. Unfortunately, the majority of these institutions are teaching a hybrid Hip-hop dance style void of the cultural specificity that comprises the form. Focused on the isolation technique of Jazz dance coupled with B-boy and B-girl gestures, attitude, and the swag of rappers and gangsters, this hybrid “studio Hip-hop” dismisses the cultural aesthetic, technique, philosophy, and history of Hip-hop dance. By extracting these particular cultural gestures, “studio Hip-hop” reinforces stereotypes of Black life, Black masculinity, and the thuggery associated with African-Americans. Additionally, “studio Hip-hop” emphasizes the performative nature of Hip-hop, which showcases an external meter rhythm. Participants lack the ability to access a complex, visceral rhythm internally through their hips and lower bodies.
Rennie Harris has been developing the Street Dance Teacher Certification Program for the last 40 years. Having spent the last 10 years offering courses in academia, Harris has developed a curriculum that functions within the academic institution while establishing a strong foundation for all Street Dance forms, also referred to as “styles.” The program goes beyond teaching dance steps, by fostering technically proficient teachers who are cultural ambassadors of the rich history and cultural lineage of the forms. As Hip-hop and Street Dance alike become global phenomena, it is imperative to create a training program that establishes a strong foundation in technique, musicality, improvisation, and the historical context that informs the genre. The program will serve as a model for future teacher training programs within the field of Street Dance.
Schedule
2021 FALL WINTER 5th ELEMENT & CYPHER SESSION
Cypher Session #1 (4 day)-December 16th - 19th, 2021 CU Boulder Colorado
2022 SPRING 5TH ELEMENT & CYPHER SESSION #2
Virtual Classes (12 weeks) January 17th - April 11th, 2022
Cypher Session #2 (4 days) May 12th - 15th, 2022 Miami Florida
Fee
NON-CERTIFICATE
- General public: all Non-certificate fees are a la carte. $700.00: Live Zoom lecture
- No Access to archive or vault
- Price: $350 for a 4-day intensive or $75 for elective classes
CERTIFICATE TEACHER: Candidate History/Technique
- Live Zoom lecture-The Day Before Hip-hop “Paradigm Shifts” (120 min)
- Virtual/In person Technique-Hip-hop, House Basics & Rhythm House (90 min)
- Pop-Up: Guest Lectures: rising stars and pioneers in their field
- Breath/Stretch/Strengthen (RISE)@intensive-Virtual/In person
- Cypher Intensive Sessions-three 1-week sessions (4days)
- Personal one on one mentorship and assessment Develop Street dance syllabus for history and or technique or both
- Elective Classes included
- Vault Access: Clips and films of Hip-hop, Social Justice etc.
- Price: $4,000 (C1 Level)
CERTIFICATE: Candidate teacher w/technique focus
- Live Zoom lecture-The Day Before Hip-hop “Paradigm Shifts” (120 min)
- Virtual/In person Technique-Hip-hop & House Basics (60 min) Breath/Stretch/Strengthen (RISE) @intensive-Virtual/In person Three Cypher Sessions (see Cypher Session)
- Limited Teaching Archive Access
- 1 Elective Class included
- Price: $3,400.00 (C2 Level)
CERTIFICATE COMPLETION: Candidate-non-teacher
- Live Zoom lecture-The Day Before Hip-hop “Paradigm Shifts” (120 min)
- Virtual/In person Technique-Hip-hop & House Basics (60 min) Breath/Stretch/Strengthen (RISE) @intensive-Virtual/In person Three Cypher Sessions
- Non-teacher Certificate
- Price: $3,000 (C3 Level)
CERTIFICATE: Candidate-non-teacher w/intent
- Per semester (See Certificate Focus-Level 4)
- Price: $1,050 (C4 Level)
Rennie Harris and team look forward to working with you and advancing the field of hip hop and beyond.
