“Sounding Politics,” A Roundtable
Featuring The Reminders, Linqua Franqa (Mariah Parker), Rennie Harris, and Sacramento Knoxx.Moderated by Michael Jeffries, Wellesley College.
This presentation is part of ,a series of events in March that explore the music, politics, performance, and pedagogy of Hip-Hop.
The event took place on Wednesday, March 17th at 6:00 MST online. The event recording is presented below.
[video:https://youtu.be/wk5YsLd5D_8]

Knoxx's versatile background with different forms of musicallows him to blend traditional and contemporary styles creating dynamic storytelling experiences with live music performances, dancing, andvideo projections that take audiences on a participatory journey and a creative experience. Currently he shares interactive music performances, blending captured moments in life andcreative imagery through large projection motion graphics. Building from raw experience and grit his works sends vibrations to help assemble the worlds we want to live in.

Mariah is also openly queer, a hip-hop artist (her stage name is Linqua Franqa), a PhD candidate in linguistics at the University of Georgia where she is also a graduate teaching assistant in the Department of Language and Literacy Education, and a community organizer dedicated to transformative politics and civic engagement. As County Commissioner, she is focusing on creating economic stability and racial justice as well as criminal justice reform and raising the minimum wage.


The Reminders have been recognized and applauded for their work internationally through concerts, tours, music awards, TV and radio appearances. They haveshared the stage with artists such as Snoop Dogg, Nas, andBig Boiandhave touredwith Ms. Lauryn Hill.

"The Basquiat of the US. Contemporary dance scene, Rennie Harrishas literally embodied the history of hip-hop dance." ~London Times~
In 1992founded the Harris Puremovement American Street Dance Theater, a street dance company dedicated to preserving and disseminating Hip-hop culture. Credited with creating the term, “Street Dance Theater,” and coining the term, “Hip-hop Concert dance,” Harris’ first evening-length work entitled “Rome & Jewels”remains the longest touring hip-hop dance theater work in American history and has been the recipient of three Bessie Awards, four Black Theater Alvin Ailey Awards, a Herb Alpert award, and a nomination for a Lawrence Olivier Award (UK). “Rome & Jewels” has performed for sold-out audiences nationally and internationally. Harris is known for bringing "social" dances and styles to the "concert" stage, creating a cohesive dance style that finds a cogent voice in the theater.He is featured in Rose Eichenbaum’s Portraits of America’s GreatChoreographerswith dance legends such as Carmen de Lavallade, Judith Jamison, Fayard Nicolas and Gregory Hines.Rennie Harris was awarded a Master of African American Choreography Medal from the Kennedy Center, was voted one of the most influential people in the last one hundred years of Philadelphia history, and has been compared to twentieth-century dance legend Alvin Ailey and Bob Fosse. He is a United States Artists Rose Fellow, Guggenheim Fellow, PEW Charitable Trust Fellow, USA Artist of the Year Fellow, and he served as an ambassador of Hip-hop/Street dance for President Ronald Reagan (1986). In 2012 he served as an ambassador of Hip-hop for President Barack Obama in the Middle East.In addition, Harris is a recipient of the Palm Desert Festivals Lifetime Achievement Award,Dance Magazine’sLiving Legend Award and in 2020 he received theDoris Duke Artist Award.
