July 22-28, 2004

artpicks

Oracle of 'Delph

dance

Anyone who has watched a performance by Rennie Harris Puremovement has likely at one point or another wondered, "How did they do that?" The company's hip-hop and breakdance-based moves are often quite ingenious, not to mention difficult. You try spinning on your head with legs raised up in the air, then come out of that by launching into a series of backflips. A fair amount of what this troupe does takes years to master; still, you can learn the basics in classes conducted July 26 to 31 at Temple University's Boyer College of Music and Dance. It's just one of the learning opportunities offered by RHPM's annual Illadelph Legends of Hip-Hop Festival, which brings in the phattest hip-hop heads in all the land.

Other events include a symposium on hip-hop culture July 26 at Temple University led by Harris and featuring dance legends Boogaloo Sam and Crazy Legs. At 6 p.m. July 28 Club Flow hosts The B-Boy Legends of Hip-Hop contest, where $5,000 is up for grabs to the best crew. The festival concludes Saturday evening at the Prince with a fancy-footin' dance and music extravaganza that is sure to offer a bunch of how-did-they-do-that maneuvers.

Illadelph Legends of Hip-Hop Festival, Mon.-Sat., July 26-31, for venue information or to register, call 215-382-8191 or visit www.RHPM.org.

—Deni Kasrel