Hip-Hop Legend Rennie Harris to Make Joyce Theater Return With New York Premiere of LIFTED: A GOSPEL HOUSE MUSICAL

The Joyce Theater Foundation will celebrate the joy of hip-hop dance and gospel music in the New York premiere of LIFTED: A Gospel House Musical, the latest work from the brilliant mind of Rennie Harris. The universal story of one man's spiritual journey told through dance will play The Joyce Theater from August 9-14. Tickets, ranging in price from $10-$55, can be purchased at www.Joyce.org, or by calling JoyceCharge at 212-242-0800. Please note: ticket prices are subject to change. The Joyce Theater is located at 175 Eighth Avenue at West 19th Street. For more information and to read about The Joyce Theater's detailed health and safety protocols, including required face-coverings and proof of vaccination policies, please visit www.Joyce.org.

One of the most preeminent hip-hop choreographers in America, Rennie Harris, brings his street dance theater to The Joyce this summer with the New York Premiere of LIFTED: A Gospel House Musical. Centered on the story of one young black man and his path to healing and redemption through faith and community, the evening-length work is a seamless fusion of live gospel music, hip-hop dance theater, and house dance. In Rennie Harris: LIFTED, this master of movement celebrates the rich traditions of each art form while intertwining their individual traits to create a story that speaks directly to the human spirit.

ABOUT Rennie Harris

Lorenzo "Rennie" Harris is a leading ambassador for hip-hop, having grown up entrenched in its culture and immersed in all its forms. Throughout his career, he has embraced hip-hop culture and sought to honor its heritage from both African and African American-Latino cultures. Devoted to bringing hip-hop and street dance to all people, Harris's artistic philosophy reflects a deeper understanding of people that extends beyond racial, religious, and economic boundaries. He is well-versed in the vernacular of hip-hop "proper," as well as B-boy, house, GQ, and other styles that have emerged spontaneously from the inner cities of America, like the North Philadelphia community in which he was raised. Noted for coining the term "Street Dance Theater," Harris has brought social dances to the concert stage, creating a cohesive dance style that finds a cogent voice in the theater. He is the recipient of three Bessie Awards, four Alvin Ailey Black Choreographer Awards, an Ethnic Dance Award, and the Herb Alpert Award in the Arts for Choreography. Harris was nominated twice for Olivier Awards, for his seminal work Rome & Jewels, as well as Love Stories in 2006. He has received a Guggenheim Fellowship, PEW Fellowship, USA Artist of the Year Fellowship, and the coveted "Philadelphia Rocky" Award, among others. In 2000, Harris was voted one of the most influential people in the last 100 years of Philadelphia, alongside the likes of Dr. Julius Erving and Princess Grace Kelly.

ABOUT The Joyce Theater

The Joyce Theater Foundation ("The Joyce," Executive Director, Linda Shelton), a non-profit organization, has proudly served the dance community for almost four decades. Under the direction of founders Cora Cahan and Eliot Feld, Ballet Tech Foundation acquired and renovated the Elgin Theater in Chelsea. Opening as The Joyce Theater in 1982, it was named in honor of Joyce Mertz, beloved daughter of LuEsther T. Mertz. It was LuEsther's clear, undaunted vision and abundant generosity that made it imaginable and ultimately possible to build the theater. Ownership was secured by The Joyce in 2015. The theater is one of the only theaters built by dancers for dance and has provided an intimate and elegant home for over 400 U.S.-based and international companies. The Joyce has also expanded its reach beyond its Chelsea home through off-site presentations at venues ranging in scope from Lincoln Center's David H. Koch Theater, to Brooklyn's Invisible Dog Art Center, and to outdoor programming in spaces such as Hudson River Park. To further support the creation of new work, The Joyce maintains longstanding commissioning and residency programs. Local students and teachers (K-12th grade) benefit from its school program, and family and adult audiences get closer to dance with access to artists. The Joyce's annual season of about 48 weeks of dance now includes over 340 performances - both digital and in-person - for audiences in excess of 150,000.

Performance Details:

The Joyce Theater presents the New York premiere of Rennie Harris: LIFTED from August 9-14. The performance schedule is as follows: Tue-Wed 7:30pm; Thu-Fri 8pm; Sat 2pm & 8pm; Sun 2pm. Tickets, ranging in price from $10-$55, can be purchased at www.Joyce.org, or by calling JoyceCharge at 212-242-0800. Please note: ticket prices are subject to change. The Joyce Theater is located at 175 Eighth Avenue at West 19th Street. For more information and to read about The Joyce Theater's detailed health and safety protocols, including required face-coverings and proof of vaccination policies, please visit www.Joyce.org.

Test and expand your Broadway knowledge with our new game - The Broadway Match-Up! How well do you know your Broadway casting trivia?	Play the Daily Game, explore current shows, and delve into past decades like the 2000s, 80s, and the Golden Age. Challenge your friends and see where you rank!
How well do you know your Tony Awards history? Take our never-ending quiz of nominations and winner history and challenge your friends.	Can you beat your friends? Play today’s daily Broadway word game, featuring a new theatrically inspired word or phrase every day!