Cohorts
Madyline Jaramillo
Madyline Jaramillo is an active member of the Sonoma County community and a student at Sonoma State University. Her dancing is informed by her experiences in her high school's theatrical dance program, improvisation/freestyle, contemporary styles, hip hop, and workshop training with notable companies such as BANDALOOP, Urban Bush Women, Henny Jurriens School, and CALI&CO. Madyline works to co-organize meaningful, relevant, and engaging community events and artistic creations while pursuing her studies. She is involved in student leadership organizations like SSU's Social Justice Club, Students for Justice in Palestine, and the Dance Collective. Passionate about hip hop, Madyline is excited to continue learning about its rich history and emphasizes the importance of ongoing research and the preservation of cultural knowledge.
Maggie Waller
Maggie 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 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-Engaged 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. She recently became an Arts and Humanities Fellow through the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, further supporting her work in community. Maggie is deeply honored to be a Principal Company Member of Rennie Harris Puremovement, as well as the company’s administrative assistant and grant writer. She currently lives in New York City, teaching and creating.
Monica Campbell
Eli Kababa
Eli Kababa is a street dance artist and educator from the New Jersey, New York City metro area. He believes street dance has and continues transforming lives, schools, and communities. From martial arts to breaking with local crews, Eli is versed in street arts and fine arts. He earned an AFA in 2001 and was hired by New York City Ballet's Education Department, where his work as a Teaching Artist began. He co-founded and directed Garden State Dance Project, a street dance education company that provided assemblies and residencies during that time. He has been on staff at 92NY since 2015. He has hosted several professional adult learner development sessions as a facilitator for DEL, the Dance Education Laboratory. He is best known for his work with 92NY School of Arts Engagement, where he authored the "Hip-Hop to the Top” curriculum, serving over 1,000 students in New York City public schools annually pre-pandemic. You can read more about this work in Dance Teacher Magazine. Eli earned his MFA from Wilson College under the artistic guidance of street dance legend Rennie Harris. At Wilson College, he formed Kababa & Co., a street dance theatre company that premiered his newest work in the street dance cypher, Decipher. He is also a Part-Time Lecturer at Rutgers University's Mason Gross School of the Arts, where he teaches Street & Club Dances.
Kerian Nank
With over 12 years of training at Carlsbad Dance Center, I honed my craft as a dedicated dancer and instructor. My journey included ten years on the competition team, where I also assisted with tap and hip-hop classes both recreational and competitive. I’ve had the opportunity to sub for various genres like tap, hip hop, contemporary, ballet, heels, point, and many more at Carlsbad Dance Center and choreograph competition numbers, showcasing my versatility and creativity. I have also recently joined Rennie Harris University to further expand my knowledge
in the hip-hop universe. In October 2023, I performed with Brooklyn Jay at Carnival, a highlight in my dance career. I also participated in a charity event with my college choreographing and performing, raising funds for children in need of facial reconstruction surgery. Additionally, I completed a two-week summer program through the California State University system in Fresno with the RHU Crew,
and another two weeks in fresno focusing on embracing cultural heritage through dance. When attending this event in Fresno i had a full summer ride scholarship.
Currently, I am pursuing a major in Mathematics education and a minor in Dance at CSUSM. I am passionate about sharing my love for hip-hop and am working on establishing a hip-hop crew or club at the university to foster a vibrant dance community.
Monica Campbell danced nationally and internationally with Diavolo –Architecture in Motion, where she also acted as the Rehearsal Director and Associate Artistic Director with Jacques Heim. She is currently an Associate professor in the Department of Dance at Utah Valley University. She has a profound respect and passion for learning the history, techniques, and pedagogical approaches of Hip-hop culture and dance. She is thrilled to have the opportunity to gain deeper knowledge from the incredible RHU faculty and partners!
Stephanie Franco, Miami FL
Stephanie Franco, mover and creator, embodies dance in all that she does and honors its sacred message, hoping to be a vessel to pass on to generations in the most fruitful way. Franco practices hip hop, freestyle, house, salsa, and krumping. She danced at Miami Dance and Music Academy for 11 years & then at Dance Attack Miami for 9 years, then attended Miami Dade Kendall Campus Dance with Michelle Murray.
Angel Anderson
Angel Anderson is a movement artist from the south suburbs of Chicago.She is a recent graduate from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where she obtained a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance and a Bachelor of Science in Psychology. She is a M’singha Wuti licensed teacher of the Umfundalai technique and has recently received her certificate of completion for finishing her first year of the Africa Diaspora Training at Ecole Des Sables in Toubab Dialaw, Senegal.
Jennifer Rivera
Jennifer Rivera is an emerging professional dance artist based in Miami, FL. She practices Hip-hop and House Dance, and intends to become a historian of Street Dance styles and culture while continuing her professional development in styles she knows and wants to learn about through the incredible faculty and partners of RHU. She has performed at Miami DanceMakers with Adele Myers and Dancers. Rivera attended Miami-Dade College Kendall Campus under the direction of Michelle Grant-Murray and University of the Arts with Kyle and Dinita Clark and received her Bachelors of Fine Arts (2021).
Genesis Castaneda
Genesis Castaneda primarily practices House Dance and has been dancing with Rennie Harris RHAW since 2022. She performed Lifted! with Rennie Harris Pure Movement at Annenberg in March, 2022. Castaneda studied at University of the Arts and Miami Dade College. Castaneda loves to immerse herself in the history of street dance and believes that a practitioner of Street Dance is someone who understands the movement and academia and can actively practice the standards of the ever-evolving culture that comes with dance.
Sanchel Brown
A highly acclaimed performing and teaching artist, Sanchel began her career in Brooklyn, NY as an apprentice with Urban Bush Women. Sanchel is a 2022 U.S. Hip Hop Cultural Ambassador with Next Level Hip Hop Diplomacy Project. Her performance credits include Let 'Im Move You: This is a Formation (national tour 2021) , World of Dance Philadelphia, The Kimmel Center's 2018 Jazz residency (soloist/choreographer), and Theatre Horizon's Black Nativity (Barrymore Win!). She has been featured in Davido’s Coming to America Tour and Runa’s all natural energy drink commercial. Sanchel holds robust teaching experience and has taught dance workshops across the United States and Senegal, West Africa.
Jasmyn Heralson
Jasmyn (Jay) Haralson is a recent graduate of Sonoma State University, earning her Bachelor of Arts in Dance. During her time at SSU she was able to dip her toes into the different Club and Street styles as well as various euro-centric forms. Haralson has a deep respect and passion for learning the history of Hip-hop culture and dance, as well as the technique. She practices Popping, Locking, Waacking, House, and Party/Social Grooves and has trained with Dynasty Dance Crew (3 years), Urban Bush Women (2 week intensive), and SSU Blue Baronz Dance Crew. In addition to SSU, Haralson has attended Mendocino College (3years) and The Dance Center of Santa Rosa (2 years).
Sheila Russell
Sheila Russell RN, MSN currently lives in the Bay Area on Ohlone land and gives thanks for this often. She is the artistic director of the dance company See Through Soul. Movement Technician, registered nurse, certified doula, massage therapist, Reiki “master”, and certified Compassion Key® practitioner. She has a Master’s of Science in nursing and is working on her second Master's in Nursing. She is a lifelong learner/student. Her biggest joys are her son, family, and friends, whom she loves fiercely.
Pedro Torres
Pedro Torres is a member of The Bronx Boys Bronx Girls Rocking Crew and practices House, Breaking, Rocking, Locking, and Hip Hop. He has been dancing since 1992 and has performed with Fearless Crew at the Festival Internacional Chihuahua 2010. Torres has combined his engineering career with his love for dancing, and started performing in 2010 and teaching in 2008. He has trained at Bboy Hodown workshops, Hip Hop International workshops, Las vegas Locking Camp, Jardy Santiago Online program, 36 Chambaz of stylz, and Rennie Harris University cypher intensive. Torres has created and promoted breaking, all styles, and popping events in his community. He also organizes weekly house dance sessions, where he brings OG's and other dancers to help educate and inspire the new generation of dancers in his city. He looks forward to gaining more in depth knowledge from dance professionals and pioneers in order to continue better educating the new generations.
Vidya Shaker
Penelope Armstead-Williams
Stephanie Sanchez
Farrah McAdam
Darcy Naganuma
Angelina Ponzio Labate
Angelina Ponzio Labate (snowflake.productions) is a Brooklyn based teaching and performing artist, choreographer, poet, student, storyteller and documentarian who is guided by the Afrodiasporic traditions of Hip-hop, Street and Club Dance. Angelina's work for film, stage, music videos, and theater has been shown from Los Angeles to the Bay to New York. In addition, Angelina is the Director of Archives and Street Dance History for a Rennie Harris Puremovement project. Her ongoing training includes: Hip-hop, Street and Club Dance events, classes and parties; a Street Dance Teaching Certificate Candidacy from Rennie Harris University; a certificate of continuation from MOPTOP Universal; an M.F.A in Choreography from Wilson College, mentored by Dr. Lorenzo Harris; a B.A with a minor in Visual and Performing Arts Education from the University of California, Los Angeles, and an A.A. with a certificate in African Heritage Dance Production from City College of San Francisco. Angelina gives many thanks e grazie mille to Rennie Harris, her teachers and mentors, family and community, the students, the spirits, the (d)ancestors, the music and the movement...