• A WELCOME FROM FIRSTWORKS
• “ROME & JEWELS” PROGRAM NOTES
• AN ESSAY ON “ROME & JEWELS” BY JESSICA T. PEARSON (opens in new tab)
• ABOUT FIRSTWORKS
• SPONSOR CREDITS

Photo credit: JHsu Media

WELCOME FROM THE EXECUTIVE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR OF FIRSTWORKS

A warm welcome as we gather to be inspired by the artistic vision of Rennie Harris, an artist who has been central at FirstWorks since our beginnings. This week’s residency with Rennie Harris Puremovement American Street Dance Theater marks the third time that FirstWorks audiences and Providence students have engaged with this legendary choreographer. Tonight’s extraordinary “Rome & Jewels” performance is a masterwork of hip-hop theatre. Rennie picks up Shakespeare’s “Romeo & Juliet” and places it in the streets of Philadelphia. Tonight’s performance is an epic undertaking – at its origin over 30 years ago and for where we are today.

FirstWorks is counting down to our 20th anniversary as a proud contributor to the cultural landscape of Providence and Rhode Island. Tonight’s performance is the culmination of years of dreaming and planning. It exemplifies the transformative power of creative expression to uplift, challenge, provoke and inspire us.

Live performance is at the heart of FirstWorks. It is surrounded by a constellation of activities and events that extend the impact of the arts far beyond the stage. FirstWorks’ arts education program connects brilliant artists to students through workshops in schools. Last night, Dance Floor Dialogues brought stellar local artists into community with members of the Rennie Harris company and generated conversations and dialogues which explore the ideas behind the art.

Thank you for being a part of this cultural experience – please join us for global journeys in 2024 as we celebrate FirstWorks at 20!

Kathleen Pletcher
Executive Artistic Director and Founder
FirstWorks

MORE WAYS TO ENGAGE

We invite you to stay on immediately after tonight’s performance for a FirstWorks Artist Up-Close conversation with RHPM’s Ozzie Jones and Rodney Mason, moderated by Jessica T Pearson.

Read an essay on “ROME & JEWELS” By Jessica T. Pearson (opens in new tab)

FirstWorks and Rennie Harris Puremovement American Street Dance Theater

presents

ROME & JEWELS

DIRECTED, CHOREOGRAPHED, WRITTEN & CONCEIVED BY
Rennie Harris

ADDITIONAL WRITERS
Ozzie Jones, d. Sabela Grimes,
Rodney Mason and Raphael Xavier

DRAMATURG
Ozzie Jones

ORIGINAL LIGHTING DESIGN
Pamela Hobson

LIGHTING DESIGN
Julie Ballard, Elyjah Kleinsmith

SOUND DESIGN & MUSICAL DIRECTION
Darrin Ross

MUSIC
Numb by Portishead and Leave it by YES

ORIGINAL VISUAL DESIGN
Howard Goldkranz

VISUAL DESIGN
Ryder Palmere

CAST & DANCERS
James Colter, Ozzie Jones, Anthony Denaro, Tracey Thomas, Ramon Gilmore, Miyeko Urvashi Rennie Harris, Joel Martinez, Rodney Mason, Angel Anderson, Fyness Mason, Maggie Waller, Rachel Snider, Joshua Archibald, Phil Cuttino, Jr.

RENNIE HARRIS PUREMOVEMENT CELEBRATES 30 YEARS OF STREET DANCE THEATER

WHAT’S WHAT?

When I was young, I saw West Side Story and immediately thought to myself, “Why aren’t there street dancers in this movie?” I re-imagined it with street dancers every time I watched the film. Little did I know, I’d grow up to become a choreographer. Some years later, around the mid to late 1990s, a thought popped into my mind: “Do a Hip-hop version of West Side Story.” Immediately, I began to create the work in my head and dreamt of it for weeks. By 1996-97, I started to set phrases on the company. Unbeknownst to the company I secretly cast Duane Holland as Rome. I continued to work out ideas every day with no financial support or performance in sight. Eventually Mark Murphy, the former presenter of On The Boards, caught wind of what I was doing and asked if I would present the workshop version of it at On The Boards Theater in Seattle, Washington. I agreed and presented a 45-minute workshop of the Rome & Jewels. At this point, there were no monologues it was purely dance. By 1998, I wrote the first draft of the script. It was a fusion of the original script of Romeo and Juliet mixed with colloquial language. One day before the start of rehearsal, Rodney Mason walked through the door and yelled aloud, “Yo Rome, thou art a villain, so what’s up”?! And there you have it! Down goes Sonny Liston. It became clear to me we didn’t really have to stay so exact. That night I began re-writing the script and gave everyone updated scripts, but there was a problem. The dancers couldn’t act. Well, not the way that would be believable. I then reached outside of the company for actors that could street dance and remembered a young man I worked with in the past by the name of d. Sabela Grimes. Next, I brought in a dramaturg who I knew as an accomplished director and rapper in Philadelphia, Mr. Ozzie Jones. At some point during the creation process I hired Ozzie to play my version of the Tony character in West Side Story “Old Man.” The last change to the script came as a default decision but not in a negative way. d. Sabela Grimes and Rodney Mason were established poets and readers of Shakespeare and, as if ordained by Shakespeare himself, each of them began to fuse their poetry with dialogues and eventually wrote their own monologues. Ozzie Jones also wrote his own monologue and the rest is history. The title Rome & Jewels is an encoded jab at the Hip-hop community. Rome = Roam, Jewels = jewelry. It means roaming for jewelry. In my opinion, the Hip-hop community is always roaming, or rather searching, for the golden grail/money/riches, as if it were their only means of rising out of their current situation. Ozzie Jones’s opening monologue explains it brilliantly. “Big and Pac roamed for jewels, but don’t we all? You ain’t nobody until you’re somebody on some motherfucka’s wall. One big, black, fat, and ugly, the other scarred up like tags on a train. Spitting freestyles for thirty Gs with pounds of weed on the brain. Now, here, heartbreak gets popped too while bullets crash through. Cause in the jungle sometimes what love got to do? When all your eyes are set on nothing you get tempted like David Ruffin. Cause in the death angel’s arms, our screams sound like mumbling. Through Rome, we see Jewels, and Rome stands for quest to get love, props, or dough before he dies from the stress.”

WHO’S WHO?

“Harris is the most respected and, to my knowledge, the most brilliant Hip-hop choreographer in America” ~ Joan Acocella, The New Yorker

LORENZO RENNIE HARRIS (Founder, Artistic Director, Choreographer and Director). Dr. Lorenzo (Rennie) Harris was born and raised in an African American community in North Philadelphia. Since the age of 15, Harris has been teaching workshops and classes at universities around the country and is a powerful spokesperson for the significance of “street” origins in any dance style. In 1992, Harris founded Rennie Harris Puremovement, a street dance theatre company dedicated to preserving and disseminating street dance culture through workshops, classes, lecture, lecture demonstrations, residencies, mentoring programs, and public performances. Coining the term Street Dance Theater and Hip-hop Concert dance, Harris founded his company based on the belief that hip hop culture is the most important original expression of a new generation. With its roots in the inner-city African American and Latino communities, hip hop can be characterized as a contemporary indigenous form, one that expresses universal themes that extend beyond racial, religious, and economic boundaries, and one that (because of its pan-racial and transnational popularity) can help bridge these divisions. Harris’s work encompasses the diverse and rich African American traditions of the past, while simultaneously presenting the voice of a new generation through its ever-evolving interpretations of dance. Harris is committed to providing audiences with a sincere view of the essence and spirit of hip hop rather than the commercially exploited stereotypes portrayed by the media.

Currently, Harris tours a collection of evening-length works as well as classic repertory works of the last 30 years. Rome & Jewels, the first evening-length work written, choreographed, and directed by Rennie Harris, uses Shakespeare’s text, to tell its own story based on West Side Story and Romeo and Juliet. To date, Rome & Jewels is the longest touring street dance theater work in American history with three Bessie Awards and four Black Theater Alvin Ailey Awards. It was also nominated for a Lawrence Olivier Award (UK) and received The Harman Shakespeare Theater Award for adaptation of West Side Story and Romeo and Juliet. Rome & Jewels has performed for sold-out audiences nationally and internationally. The Philadelphia Inquirer wrote of the work, “Harris has built a wedge that will open the doors of America’s art centers, displaying hip hop as clear cultural expression, compelling to all races and generations… Rome & Jewels is clearly the work of an artist of uncommon vision…we get to witness, right here in our city, the evolution of an important new dance form.”

In addition, Harris’s body of work includes evening length works such as Falling Crumbs From the Cake, Something To Do With Love, Legends of Hip hop, Facing Mekka, 100NAKEDLOCKS, HEAVEN, LUV American-Style, Rennie Harris Funkedified, LIFTED, and two new works still in creation and development phase-American Street Dancer and Losing My Religion. In Facing Mekka, Harris continues his quest to present street dance on the concert stage. To this end, he has developed a solo that challenges his own choreographic experiences and audience’s expectations of hip hop and street dance. Harris approaches the vocabulary of this work, entitled Lorenzo’s Oil, as a butoh-style hip hop dance. The solo is meant to integrate calming, serene space (represented by the butoh style) with Popping. Lorenzo’s Oil turns street dance on its head in order to draw attention away from the spectacle and acrobatic and high-powered movements that many audiences, particularly those outside of hip hop movement, expect, and see what it could/should be. Dr. Harris found a way to marry his story with social dances and bring them to the concert stage, creating a cohesive dance style that finds a cogent voice in the theater. Much of Dr. Harris’s work has explored his personal experiences as an African American male growing up in North Philadelphia.

At the turn of the century alongside Princess Grace Kelly, Dr. and Julius Erving, Rennie Harris was voted one of the most influential people in the last one hundred years of Philadelphia history. He’s been compared to twentieth-century legends, Basquiat, Alvin Ailey and Bob Fosse. In 2010 he received an honorary doctorate in the Arts and Humanities from Bates College (Maine) and a 2nd Honorary Doctorate in the Fine Arts from Columbia College (Chicago). He received the Kulu Mele’ African Rooted Dance award and the Guggenheim (2010). He has also been 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. In addition, he was awarded a medal from the Kennedy Center (DC) as a master of African American Choreography. Touring Egypt, Jordan, Palestine and surrounding countries, Rennie Harris served as one of four Ambassadors for the United States as part of President Obama’s cultural exchange program, Dance Motion USA, which was led by former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Recently, Rennie Harris became a recipient of The Doris Duke Artist Award (2020). He and his group of dancers and their infectious brand of movement have toured around the globe pioneering Hip-hop Dance Theater as a cogent and viable voice. Dr. Lorenzo “Rennie” Harris is atop the hip-hop heap, its leading ambassador.

ACTORS/DANCERS

Rodney Mason aka Duck Butt (Rome) Original Cast Transplanted to Portland from South Philly, Rodney is a Song and Dance man who won the starring role of “Tony Sinclair” for the Tanqueray worldwide campaign beating out the Wayans brothers and 800 candidates in the US and UK for this sophisticated Black Brit. Rodney has become a famous character in commercials, print/editorial, billboards, and live guest appearances at major events. Rodney has served his country and is a Gulf War Veteran. His experience defending his country as a Marine has colored his work and his performance message. He is also a theatre and performance artist, utilizing his Street Dance skills, spoken word poetry, and rap to create many unusual and original characters for ﬁlm, television, commercials, and stand-up comedy appearances. Rodney has also worked with the Groundlings and 2nd City in Chicago and toured the world with Rennie Harris Puremovement, an American Street Dance Theater company out of Philadelphia PA, as a core member. He is known for his award-winning role (Lawrence Olivier Award—Best Performance) in ROME & JEWELS. Other stage work includes TOTEM ROAD with the Olive Dance Company and a stint with the Baltimore Outreach Program in YO BALTIMORE where he received critical acclaim. His TV appearances include the MTV Vibe awards, hosting Comedy Central, and cable TV.

Joel Martinez aka Teknyc (Merc) was born and raised in Santurce, Puerto Rico until 13. He credits an early interest in breaking “breakdancing” to his older brother Willie Martinez. As a B-boy, Teknyc and his crew, Skill Methodz, became one of the most iconic crews in the dance’s street dance history as a graﬃti writer Teknyc is a proud member of one of the most legendary crews, Fame City Kings (FC) and Fast Breaking Artists (FBA). Teknyc has painted murals worldwide, from NYC to Puerto Rico, Los Angeles, Paris, Japan, London, Amsterdam, Portugal, Dubai, Prague, Berlin, Argentina, and Brazil. He was also a member of Rennie Harris Puremovement in Rome & Jewels, Facing Mekka, and repertory works nationally and internationally. As a member of Rennie Harris Puremovement, he served as an ambassador of Hip-hop for President Obama’s Dance Motion USA that toured Israel, Egypt, Jerusalem, Palestine, and other surrounding countries on behalf of the United States.

Joshua Archibald aka butterﬂy.god (Tybault) is a Jamaican-born, Miami-raised multidisciplinary performance artist. Having a background in music production and performance as well as theatrical performance and writing, Joshua received most of his dance training at Miami-Dade College as both a dance major and member of Jubilation Dance Ensemble. Following his studies, he moved to Atlanta, GA, in pursuit of his artistic career utilizing all his experiences and acquired knowledge. Having completed a season with T. Lang Dance Company, Joshua spent two additional years in Atlanta training the rest of his skill set. In that time he worked with production crews for many local events (such as art installations, galleries, live performances etc.), as well as frequently engaging with artists of those respective communities. Since then, he has moved back to Miami to further his development and begin creating work for himself as an independent artist.

Ozzie Jones (Old Man & Dramaturg) Original Cast Born in West Philadelphia on September 6th, 1970, Mr. Jones has directed The Countess Cathleen by William Butler Yeats and composed the score for Third and Indiana by Steve Lopez for the Arden Theater Company. A representative for the Philadelphia Theater Initiative in the United States and Europe, he also became the First African American in the Republic of Ireland’s history to direct a play in Ireland for an Irish Theater company, directing a production of Othello for Second Age Theater. David Nolan of the Irish Times called the production “the most creative and innovative production of Shakespeare seen in Ireland in decades.” Ozzie “Old Man” Jones, along with Larry “Mr. Cisum” Fowler Jr. and Jared “Grand Agent” Taylor, started the hip hop group NAME. NAME went on to become one of the central figures in the Neo-Soul and underground Hip hop scene in Philadelphia, which produced stars like DJ Drama, Jill Scott, Musiq Soulchild, and The Roots. The records released by NAME within 1995 and 2000 include, Mohammed Ali, Black Thought, Artist of the Yeah (Featuring Poor Righteous Teachers and Schooly D), Twelve, Logic, and By Design by Grand Agent featuring Ozzie “Old Man” Jones. NAME toured throughout the United States and Canada. In 2000, Mr. Jones became the Producing Artistic Director of the Walt Whitman Arts Center in Camden, NJ, until 2007. Currently, Mr. Jones is developing an extensive series of plays on Jazz called The Real Book. He has directed staged readings for Chasin’ the Bird and Kind of Blue an African. Mr. Jones has just completed writing a road gang and cotton field hollers opera called, Gwine Dig a Hole, and recently starred in the film Hail Mary, which is written and directed by Nnamdi Kanga and will be released in Spring of 2021.

Anthony Denaro aka B-boy YNOT M.F.A explores the design, sustainability, history, and community of Hip Hop. Through a futurist lens, YNOT’s work manifests in dance, typography, music, and architecture. YNOT’s reputation in the dance world precedes him. As a B-boy, he’s traveled the world extensively judging battles, teaching workshops, and building cultural awareness. In YNOT’s vision of the sustainability of Hip Hop, teaching and mentorship are paramount. Currently, YNOT teaches workshops internationally as well as virtually and in person through University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Arizona State University, and Texas Tech where he facilitates Breaking Technique, Stylized letterform Design and Sound Design For Electronic Music Production. Alongside his dance and professorship, YNOT creates two- and three-dimensional visual works (physical and digital) that construct a possible future of the Hip Hop aesthetic.

James Colter aka Cricket Original Cast is a professional street dancer who has performed, taught, and lectured on the form internationally for over 22 years. In addition, he is a well versed visual artist (sequential art, children’s book illustrations, etc) choreographer and artistic director. Mr. Colter (Cricket) has taught globally at numerous hip hop dance festivals including Bates Dance Festival and the Illadelph Legends Festival. Cricket was a featured dancer in the Disney movie Step Up 2: The Street and has danced for various recording artists including, Boys II Men, KRS-1, Will Smith, Eve, Avril Lavigne, Fall Out-Boy and was a host MTV Japan’s Dreamers television show. Cricket has worked with the legendary street dance pioneer Bill “Crutch Master” Shannon, urban tap dancer, Tamango Van Cayseeleas, and London’s best known urban theatrical wordsmith and curator, Jonzi D. Cricket has produced and directed various dance pieces in Philadelphia, New York City and London, including Heroes, a London based hip hop theater show where he acted as director and principal costume designer. Mr. Colter is a part of the “Step-Fenz” dance crew, a NY based dance group that is known for its mix of B-boy and House dance. He is a founding member of Rennie Harris Pure Movement (RHPM) and has worked with the company for over 16 years. He is an original cast member of Rennie Harris’s Bessie award winning multidisciplinary hip hop theater presentation, Rome and Jewels. During his time with RHPM, Cricket was involved in teaching and performing throughout the globe and was the leader of Puremovement’s educational outreach program. Cricket’s artistic mission is to push the limits of the various movements that exist in Hip- Hop and in other contemporary dance forms by blending various art forms in order to tell a viable story on the concert dance stage and rid the stigma that Hip-Hop is merely an athletic form of dance that can only be performed in a showcase setting. Cricket believes that, through Hip Hop, complex stories can be told and the boundaries of theater can be pushed by adding the urban/hip hop aesthetic to costume design, set design, soundscapes, etc. Mr. Colter has recently founded his own company “Concept Kinetics” to accomplish his goal.

Phil Cuttino, Jr. aka JipTheRuler (Ben V) is a Philadelphia native hip-hopper from birth, is skilled in breakin’, graffiti, DJ-ing, and rapping. His first performance was at the age of four with his father, a prominent MC and B-Boy in the Philadelphia hip-hop scene. He started in a crew called the X-men doing local talent shows and learned from some Philadelphia greats. He has toured throughout the United States and internationally and currently is a core member, advisor and the director of social media of Rennie Harris Puremovement American Street Dance Theater.

Miyeko Urvashi Rennie Harris the eldest daughter of Rennie Harris was born in Philadelphia and began training at the age of eight in Austin, Texas. She later returned to Philadelphia and began her pre-professional training at the Koresh School of Dance where she trained under Melissa Rector, Roni Koresh, and Eva Szabo. Harris performed with Koresh Youth Ensemble for three years. Most recently she performed with Maura Townsend Dance at the 2022 Los Angeles Dance Festival at the Luckman Theatre. Harris is a recent high school graduate currently attend California State University of Los Angeles with a major in Communication Disorders. She is excited to be performing with Rennie Harris Puremovement and looks forward to this next chapter in her life.

Fyness Mason was raised in New York City, is a Temple University, B.A., and Harcum College Graduate. Her Hip Hop dance career began with Rennie Harris Puremovemnt Dance Company in 2005. Mason has performed nationally and internationally in theaters such as the Kimmel Center, Kennedy Center, Saddlers Wells in London, England, Alvin Ailey theater, Carpenters Center in Long Beach, Joyce theater, Lied Center, Bates Dance Festival, Bryn Mawr College, Wells Fargo Center, N.Y.C. SummerStage, and Bam Theater. In addition, she’s taught classes at Temple University, Bryn Mawr College, Florida State University, Bates Dance Festival, and more. Fyness teaches classes that incorporate movement from the African Diaspora, as well as Hip-hop. Fyness has also performed with Face Da Phlave Entertainment, Montazh all woman’s Hip Hop Dance Company, Flyground with Lela Aisha Jones, Oyin Hardy’s Troupe Dada, and the late Kariamu Welsh. During Fyness’s hiatus from dance, she went back to school to study Occupational Therapy Assisting. She raised three children with her husband, Steve Mason (resident D.J. at W.D.A.S. Philadelphia radio station). Recently Fyness returned to the stage and is ready to share her love for dance with her community with the goal of uplifting women through hip hop dance culture with a message that you can do anything you put your mind to and then some.

Angel Anderson is a movement artist whose origins are the south suburbs of Chicago. She is an alumna of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where she obtained her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance and her Bachelor of Science in Psychology. Anderson’s interests revolve widely around dances of the African Diaspora, traditional dances from West Africa and the ways in which both can and do exist in a contemporary setting. She is also interested in the hybridization of and dialogue between dances from the African Diaspora and continent. Her research largely examines this, and the African retention present inside of street and club dance culture in forms such as House and Hip Hop. She has received her certificate of completion for finishing her first year of the Africa Diaspora Training Program at Ecole Des Sables. During her time in Senegal, she trained with artists such as Serge Aimé Coulibaly, Alesandra Seutin, Josepha Madoki, and Anani Sanouvi. Alongside performing as a new core member in Rennie Harris Puremovement in works such as LIFTED, Nuttin’ But A Word, and Rome and Jewels, she is also studying under Rennie Harris University to expand her knowledge on the lineage of street dance and club culture. She is most looking forward to the opportunity to develop her own pedagogy and teaching practice.

Maggie Waller is a dancer, choreographer, and teaching artist born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona. Heavily involved in the local hip hop community, she pulls from various dance forms, such as Waacking, House, Locking, Breaking, Hip Hop, Postmodern Contemporary, and Tap, in her performance work, choreography, and freestyle/battle practice. She is a recent graduate of Arizona State University, obtaining a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance, a Minor in Justice Studies, and two Certificates in Arts Entrepreneurship and Socially Practice in Design and the Arts. In addition, Maggie is a Fulbright Summer Institute Participant, a recipient of the Joan Frazer Memorial Award for Judaism and the Arts, and a published writer. Maggie currently lives in Washington, D.C., teaching and making. She is deeply honored to be a core company member of Rennie Harris Puremovement and to be a part of the Rome & Jewels legacy.

Rachel Snider is a Chambersburg, PA native who now resides in Philadelphia. She began training under the direction of Moncell Durden’s Keystone Dance Project, performing lecture demonstrations and after-school programs. Rachel later met her biggest dance inspiration and mentor, Marcus Tucker, of The Hood Lockers, whom she’s trained under for six years. She is an alumnus at Jacob’s Pillow for Social Dances – Jazz to Hip Hop. Rachel performed in Hood Nation’s D.E.E.T.O.U.R. show at Jacob’s Pillow, Ursinus College, and York College and supported Marcus Tucker’s teaching residency at Eastern University. She has taught in Philadelphia for six years at Movemakers Philly and First Position Dance Arts. Rachel is excited to continue her dance journey with Rennie Harris Puremovement in this work.

DJ’S

Evil Tracy The International Showoﬀ Original DJ started under a local Philly legend, DJ Grand Master Ant, who used to rock house and block parties back in 1981. Ant would let Tracy and a friend carry crates and rap with his legendary Philly group Fatal Funk Force. Eventually, Tracy began DJing under his cousin DJ Kid Swift and later founded Action Figure Crew, which included his cousins DJ Kid Swift, DJ Aktive, and DJ Ghetto (Battle Champions) along with other legendary Philly DJs. To his credit, Tracy is in video and television programs such as Street Soldierz by On The Go Magazine and the Tru Heads Movie, which premiered on HBO, BET, and The Avenue. He has opened for several artists, including Busta Rhymes, Raekwon the Chef of Wu-Tang Clan, to name a few. Tracy has toured brieﬂy with Lyfe Jennings and did a couple of shows behind Melanie Fiona at two separate events in Philly. He has also toured with Rennie Harris Puremovement on three award-winning productions: Rome and Jewels, Illadelph Legends, and Facing Mekka, all of which are internationally acclaimed. Tracy was able to showcase his talents on Broadway (NYC) and London’s West End. He was the star DJ for Illstyle & Peace Productions Hit the Breaks, a B-boy and tap dance show. Additionally, he has performed in the internationally acclaimed Steve Love production of Break The Urban Funk Spectacular. Tracy is also the creator of his show Needle To Da’Groove, which toured brieﬂy to three U.S. Cities. “In black society, being a showoﬀ is frowned upon. The term itself means someone is doing the most or being extra, over the top with whatever they’re doing, wearing, or saying at the time to impress whoever. Simply put, I own it, I’m a showoﬀ because when you think about it, every professional artist that you know gets paid to travel the world and show oﬀ their skill or knowledge. When you come to see artists perform, it’s called a “show.” When we are on our game, we often refer to it as going oﬀ on stage or wherever. I have to be honest and say, I like it when my family and friends are in the audience. It inspires me more because I’m literally showing oﬀ for them” ~Evil Tracy The International Showoﬀ~

DJ Razor Ramon is a DJ/ Turntablist/ Producer from Philadelphia. He has been in the Philly Hip-Hop scene for over 30 years and has been inﬂuenced by DJs such as Grandmaster Flash, Grandmixer D.XT., the late Jam Master Jay, DJ Jazzy Jeﬀ, and DJ Cash Money. The award-winning Turntablist is the 2001 Philadelphia City Paper Pitch Control DJ Battle Champion as well as the 2002 NBA All- Star Weekend DJ Battle Champion and the 7- time Power 99fm (Clear Channel) DJ Battle Champion. Ramon has also performed on stages throughout the United States and internationally including Toronto (Canada), Venice Italy), Monaco (France), London (U.K.), 23 cities in The Netherlands, Auckland (New Zealand), 6 cities in Mexico, Bejing (China), and Melbourne and Sydney (Australia). Razor Ramon has performed with such artists and poets like Ursula Rucker, Mo Beasley and Rich Medina, Hip Hop artists Grand Agent, Kenny Muhammad The Human Orchestra, Poor Righteous Teachers, DJ Cash Money, Supernatural, Medusa, Hezekiah, Boogaloo Sam (the creator of popping & boogaloo) & The Electric Boogaloos, the late Don Campbell (the creator of Campbell Locking), Crazy Legs, Pop Master Fabel. The Rock Steady Crew, Illstyle and Peace Productions Dance Theatre Company, Danse4Nia Repertory Ensemble, and Rennie Harris Puremovement American Street Dance Theatre Company, to name a few. Ramon was part of one of the ﬁrst Hip-Hop acts to perform at the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia, Pa. (Rennie Harris’ Hip- Hop Legends). He has commercially recorded music with Grand Agent, Mel Ink, Shawn Kelly, Boyz II Men, Wort Und Totschlag (W.U.T.-German Hip Hop Artists), and NFL Films. He also released two solo albums entitled INTRODUCING THE TURNTABLISTIC DJ RAZOR RAMON and FOR BEATS SAKE VOLUME I. DJ Razor Ramon is the recipient of the 2003 Philly DJ Appreciation Award for his years of dedicated service, and he continues to create music, perform in theatres, clubs, and lounges throughout Philadelphia and abroad, displaying his skills and passion for the art of Turntablism.

THE DESIGNERS

Pamela Hobson Original lighting designer Pam began her career at Howard University in 1982 in Washington, D.C. and is the original lighting designer for Rome & Jewels and other repertory works. She was also the road manager for Rennie Harris Puremovement as well as Lejá Dance Company, Patty Labelle, INVINCIBLE: A Glorious Tribute to Michael Jackson, created, produced and directed by Darrin Ross for RossLive Entertainment, The Boys Choir of Harlem and many other artists and companies. Hobson is the founder and director of INTO THE LIGHT productions in 1996 and is a veteran lighting designer who has shaped the industry for over 25 years.

Julie Ballard Lighting Designer Julie E. Ballard, USA829 is a professional lighting designer, ETCP Certified Electrician and theatrical technician. Ms. Ballard is an Assistant Professor of Theater Arts, specializing in lighting and sound, at Illinois Wesleyan University. She is affiliated with IATSE Local 2 and the Actors’ Equity Association and was previously the Stage Manager and Properties Master for Hubbard Street Dance Chicago. Additionally, Ms. Ballard is the owner/operator of Overlap Lighting, a freelance production company specializing in production/stage management, lighting design and photography. She has designed for the Charlotte Ballet, Ballet West and Hubbard Street Dance Chicago.

Don Miller Costume Designer Donald Miller III is the premiere clothing designer in Philadelphia. To his credit he is also a Certified Public Accountant with a Bachelors of Science degree from Xavier University of Louisiana. He is the founder of Rock Paper Denim 1970, an inspirational apparel brand with an upscale urban prep look that is rooted in the music and culture of the 70’s. The distressed, but polished aesthetic portrays the grit and grunt that the grind unselfishly gives along the journey. The mission of the company is to inspire people with a message of hope that is expressed through style and story. Rock Paper Denim is mainly an athletic casual brand with a range of unique clothing styles. However, they believe purpose is your finger print engrained on life’s surface. Therefore, the brand is designed to inspire individuals to aspire to pursue, maintain and manifest their passion. You’re all welcome. Join us at www.rockpaperdenim.com.

Darrin Ross Original sound designer/composer recently completing the score and soundscape for Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s ﬁrst two act ballet called LAZARUS, Ross has been collaborating with Dr. Rennie Harris for over 35 years. He started by producing and engineering songs with Jam On Productions in 1984. His work with Jam On Productions led to various television and record productions. Eventually, Darrin founded I.Q. Records. He also did sound design and composition for Suzan Lori Parks’ TopDog/Underdog. Ross, over the years, has received numerous grants for his works from the Rockefeller Foundation, Ford Foundation, Meet The Composer, Dance Advance, and recently from the Gross Foundation. He is the recipient of a 2001 New York Dance & Performance Award (Bessie) for his music composition and soundscape for Rome and Jewels. Ross has worked with and many established artists in the industry such as: Jazzy Jeﬀ, Newcleus, Doug E. Fresh, Freeway, Kim Waters, The Roots, Bahamadia Todd Terry, Joanna Gardner, The Intruders, Mike Knox, and many more. His sound design and composition credits include Rennie Harris Funkediﬁed, Rennie Harris Lifted, HEAVEN, Facing Mekka, Rome & Jewels, LOW, Prince Scarecrow’s Road To The Emerald City, The Kimmel Center Presents, Philadanco: The Philadelphia Experience, Same Spirit Diﬀerent Movement, Impossible Izz Possible, Evolution, Champions of the Dance, BREAK!, The Urban Funk Spectacular, King Michael, Fallen Crumbs from the Cake, Cool Heat Urban Beat, BREAK! and Skate, The Pennsylvania Ballet, The Memphis Ballet, The Colorado Ballet, Hot Mouth, RHAW Love American Style, Maurice Hines’ Hot Feet, The Kennedy Center Honors, Carols in Color, We Dance to Inspire, and numerous dance theater works. Ross is the president of RossLive Entertainment. He is currently touring his production Invincible: A Glorious Tribute to Michael Jackson and scoring an upcoming T.V. drama called the N.C.

Ryder Palmere (Visual Designer) was created in the East and refined in the West. He is a Renaissance man inspired by the lives and works of Jung, Klimt, Lynch, Morricone, and Bukowski. He wants two dogs.

Elyjah Kleinsmith (Lighting Designer) is a freelance lighting designer and a proud graduate of Illinois Wesleyan University’s BFA Theatre Design and Technology program. In 2022, he was the recipient of The Hope Ellen Pape President’s Club Award in the Fine Arts for outstanding accomplishment in Music and Theatre Arts. Ely has had the incredible honor of designing for The Common Dance Conservatory and being the recipient of the Bates Dance Festival Production Fellow in ‘22, where he designed for Shura Baryshnikov and Aretha Aoki. He has also had the opportunity to work with groups such as Rennie Harris Pure Movement, David Dorfman Dance, and Fist & Heel Performance Group.

Rodney Hill (Executive Director) was born and raised in the tough streets of North Philadelphia, entering the Hip-hop scene in 1988. For more than a decade, Hill has blazed the stages in venues, nationally and abroad. He has been featured in many videos for such artists as Boys II Men, Will Smith, and Musiq Soulchild, to name just a few. He has also performed on TV shows such as R&B Divas: Los Angeles, Late Night with Conan O’Brien, Soul Train, NBC’s NFL Under the Helmet, and BET’s Teen Summit. In addition, he has toured and performed with Rennie Harris Puremovement, R&B singer Brave Williams, Julian King, R&B group AAries, Mad Skillz, rapper Eve, R&B legend Teddy Pendergrass, Janet Jackson’s Dj Aktive, R&B singer Shanice Wilson, Mary J. Blige, 50 Cent, and Philly’s own The Roots. An accomplished dancer, choreographer, and teacher, Rodney Hill has performed and taught at universities and dance studios locally, nationally, and internationally in London, Santiago (Chile), Toronto, Bermuda, Monaco. Bogotá; Democratic Republic of Congo, East Asia, Egypt, England, Israel, and Palestine. In 2020, Hill graduated from Wilson College in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, with an MFA in choreography. Hill’s inspiration for dance comes from his community and family. He continues to educate and inspire others through his hard work, dedication, and commitment to Hip-hop and its culture. In January 2022, Hill was sworn in as Councilman for Sharon Hill, Pennsylvania, a suburban community just outside North Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he grew up.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Rennie Harris Puremovement would like to thank Joan Meyers Brown, Artistic Director and Founder of Philadelphia Dance Company, The Community Education Center (Philadelphia), and Carla Perlo, Executive Director of Dance Place Theater (Washington, DC) for their support. In addition we’d to thank those who supported the re-mounting of Rome & Jewels: Jeremy Alliger, Theresa Pelicata, Bonnie Cox, Jackie Lopez, Cheryl Curcio, In addition a special thank you thank you to Emily Harrison, Sheila McDaniel, Laura Faure, Beth Boone, Janice Marks, Teresa Eyring, Olga Garay, The Bracciale family, and The Kedhar family for their generous donations. Last but not least a special shout out goes to Moncell Durden who got us to our goal in the last hour, thank you sir! And a special special thanks to Tina Hueges who made this happen. Thank you for all the hard work and positive energy that pushed all of us through to the other side. I remain in your debt….Rennie Harris.

ABOUT FIRSTWORKS

FirstWorks is a non-profit based in Providence, Rhode Island whose purpose is to build the cultural, educational and economic vitality of its community by engaging diverse audiences with world-class performing arts and education programs. Since 2004, FirstWorks festivals, performances and programs have attracted more than 700,000 participants. Central to FirstWorks’ mission is creating access to the arts and connecting the community with significant creators of our time such as Yo-Yo Ma, Urban Bush Women, Kronos Quartet and scores of local performers. FirstWorks’ education program harnesses the power of the arts and experiential learning to help over 2,000 youth annually succeed in school, life and work. Embracing collaboration, FirstWorks has fostered over 90 community partnerships across business, social service, government, arts and education sectors. As the founding partner of PVDFest, FirstWorks collaborates with the City of Providence to curate and produce the City’s free signature arts celebration, which has employed over 4,000 local luminary artists since its inception. Visit firstworks.org to learn more.

FOR FIRSTWORKS STAFF LIST AND BOARD OF DIRECTORS – CLICK HERE

FUNDING CREDITS

Rennie Harris Presents: Rome & Jewels is made possible in part through funding support from the Rhode Island Council for the Humanities, an independent state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. The Council seeds, supports, and strengthens public history, cultural heritage, civic education, and community engagement by and for all Rhode Islanders.

Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this [project] do not necessarily represent those of the Rhode Island Council for the Humanities and the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Funded in part by the New England States Touring program of the New England Foundation for the Arts, made possible with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts Regional Touring Program and the six New England state arts agencies.