Welcome to the Rennie Harris American Street Dance Archive (RHASDA), a project of Rennie Harris Puremovement – the longest running Street Dance theater company in American history.
About RHASDA
The American Street Dance Archive (RHASDA) is a leading collaborative digital archive committed to preserving, documenting, and sharing the rich histories of Hip-Hop and Street dance. Created by and for a global community of practitioners—including legends, pioneers, scholars, educators, cultural leaders, and emerging artists—RHASDA serves as a living resource that honors the people, places, movements, and creative practices that have shaped these traditions over time. Through community-centered archival work, storytelling, research, and cultural documentation, RHASDA traces the roots, evolution, and ongoing influence of Street dance forms while ensuring that the voices and experiences of those who built and continue to sustain the culture remain at the center. Our mission is to increase the visibility and accessibility of these histories, strengthen academic and public records through authentic partnerships, and celebrate the lasting legacy, innovation, and global impact of Hip-Hop and Street dance culture.
PRINCESS LOCKEROOO'S UPCOMING WAACKING DOCUMENTARY IS ALMOST HERE!
“Princess Lockeroo is the reigning force behind waacking, a dance born in 1970s Los Angeles clubs that nearly disappeared during the AIDS crisis, but is now booming with popularity across the globe. Mentored by original waacking icon, Tyrone Proctor, Lockeroo found healing and purpose through the dance. Since his passing in 2020, she is determined to carry on the legacy of waacking’s origins.”
“Her mission: to build the first American waacking company in decades, The Fabulous Waack Dancers, and train them to compete in one of the world’s largest street dance competitions in Guangzhou, China.”
Fall Events
The four elements of Hip-hop are Deejay, Emcee, Graffiti, and Dance. The fifth element – Knowledge – grounds the other four, as an intrinsic value to the dissemination and preservation of the culture. While innovation at home and abroad is vital, it can also result in appropriation, misunderstanding and misrepresentation. Visit the 5E Knowledge / Rennie Harris Library for first person, oral and embodied narratives which are VITAL to public understanding of the enduring American art forms of Hip-hop and Street Dance.
MC / DJ / GRAFFITI / BREAKIN
The Mother of rap sits down w/ Jazzie Belle to discuss the inception of hip hop and how she became the 1st female mc to rock the mic w/ the funky four + 1. She also tells us about their iconic performance on SNL and what it was like being
Filmed at Street Science in 2009, Kool Herc discusses his thoughts on the current state of b-boying and hip-hop, thoroughly intimidates us and drops some eye-opening surprises.
I had the honor of speaking with a legend of our culture: Darryl CORNBREAD McCray. This exclusive interview reveals his early graffiti in 1965 in Philadelphia and highlights the significant moments of his journey that led him to paint his name on the Jackson 5's jet, dozens of police cars,
Hear from one of the leading ladies of breaking. Rokafella has a serious story to tell.
WE'RE ON THE GRAM
Hello, my name is Benedict Paul (he/him) and I’m from Upper Darby, PA, and I am honored to be working with the Rennie Harris American Street Dance Archive (RHASDA). As a History and English double major at Saint Joseph’s University, I wanted to take on the opportunity because I have always had an immense passion for all things involving research and writing, and RHASDA has provided me the chance to do so through a broader (and more inclusive!) lens while making a difference. In my spare time, I like to read celebrity memoirs, sci-fi, and historical fiction books while also preparing myself for law school as I have a strong interest in pursuing a law career. As an ambitious and driven person, I am determined to use my experiences in administrative support, organization and problem-solving towards a place where I can contribute meaningfully while continuing to professionally grow through impactful work.
Hip Hop theatre in Detroit. Hip Hop therapy inside an Australian forensic hospital. And a new digital archive preserving the history of American street dance.
Featuring the BRED hiphoptheatrefest / bred4anything, research connected to westernsydneyu, and the RennieHarris americanstreetdancearchive
These are the kinds of stories you’ll only hear about together in the Hip Hop Can Save America! media ecosystem.
Hip Hop news that isn’t about dumb sh*t. Tap in. 🎧📺📰
#HipHopCanSaveAmerica #HipHopNews #HipHopCulture #HipHopTheatre #HipHopTherapy
Check out this archive of Black history created by @drmichaelhforde . Videos are compiled into a searchable spreadsheet, so users can sort by specific topics. Check out the link in Dr Forde`s bio to search the library for yourself.
Hi! I’m Emily Lathers (they/them) and I’m a Philadelphia-based archivist and dance artist. I interned with RHASDA twice as a student archivist in the fall of 2024 and summer of 2025. I graduated from Swarthmore College in 2025 with degrees in History and Dance. I aim to interrogate the histories of performance, policing, and protest through the critical methods of community archives and multidisciplinary performance. I have worked with the Swarthmore College Peace Collection, Voices Collective, RHASDA, Arden Theatre Company, and the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. I am interested in decolonial and liberatory archiving practices that preserve the memories and histories of vulnerable communities in their own words, on their own terms, and in their own time. Deeply grateful to the team at RHASDA for creating this space!
@emily.m.l
Hi! My name is Jay (Jasmyn) Haralson! I am a performing and teaching artist based in Santa Rosa, California! I graduated from Sonoma State University in 2022 with a B.A. in Dance. To me, movement is the best medicine. It heals, it rebels, it brings joy and celebration. Dance is how we process the world around us, connects us to the earth, and honors those who came before us. Joining RHU @rhuniversity has been such an incredible experience. It has been a place for me to connect with other Hip-Hop practitioners who share the same care and passion for the culture as I do. I am honored to contribute my studies into the archive and uplift the black and brown voices who have worked hard to create and preserve Hip-Hop culture. I’ve always loved researching historical events and following the lineage of people and places. For the archive, I researched the growth of Hip-Hop music. I researched music before the funk era, how sampling beats became a core part of producing Hip-Hop music, and how those samples traveled across the U.S. to become our favorite tracks today! I am so grateful for RHU as a place to educate the future generations and make use of that 5th element of Hip-Hop
@jay_h0530 @rhuniversity @rennieharris
Hi, my name is Chioma Ibida (she/her), born and raised in Newark, New Jersey, and I am a senior studying Psychology and Sociology at Swarthmore College. Last summer, I had the opportunity to intern for RHPM as a student archivist, where I gained knowledge from digitizing materials to narrating past stories through digital media. At school, I work as a Writing Associate, strengthening student writing and artistic pursuits. I look forward to the ongoing work of RHPM that brings BIPOC voices to life.
@saucyyy.chi @swarthmorecollege @thelangcenter @rhpm.1992
Check out a bunch of the new summer and fall events RHASDA has compiled. With a mix of global and local cyphers, masterclasses, intensives, and more, there are so many opportunities to get more involved with Street Dance.
Click the link in our bio for more information on events like these
“Lately I’ve been thinking about Dave the Renegade – honestly, I’m reminded of him all the time.
It’s hard not to be, since we both loved funk, electro-funk, disco, and early hip-hop – basically all I still listen to today. If you knew Dave, you knew he was dat-cat who never held his tongue. His confidence was unlike anyone I’ve ever met; he was a fire starter in everything he did.
He got his start with the legendary Wynnefield popping crew Short Circuit, where he was known as Disco Dave.
Short Circuit included Disco Pete (founder/leader), Tuesday, The Count, Rodney, and Darryl “Boogaloo” Wright. In the early-to-mid ‘80s he joined the Scanner Boys and became “Dave the Renegade,” a name that fit him perfectly. There were plenty of nights we rumbling cats because Dave smashed a cat in his jaw for talking reckless about us. Renegade stayed true to that spirit right up until he passed.
Without him, I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t be here – I’II tell that story soon. Tomorrow he would have turned 60, and I know he would’ve wanted to celebrate big. I can hear him now, plotting what he’d do, how he’d do it, and ending it with one of his classic lines: “Believe it, buddy.” Love you, miss you – you’re always with me. Dave The Renegade Philly Legend! StandUp illadelph!”
– Rennie Harris @rennieharris
#illadelph #illadelphia #hiphopparty #hiphop #phillyhiphop @therealraphaelxavier @crikitdidit @duaneleeholland @2bcrystylz @rhpm.1992 @americanstreetdancearchive
