The Joyce Theater in New York City hosted the premiere of a new dance work titled "To Philly, Love, Rennie," choreographed by Rennie Harris and performed by the Philadanco! company on Wednesday. The piece aims to pay tribute to the distinctive sound of Philadelphia soul, often referred to as Philadelphia International Records or the "Sound of Philadelphia," but the production received mixed reactions for its execution.

Harris's choreography incorporates sampled elements of lesser-known tracks by the O’Jays, including fragments of “Message in Our Music,” “Put Your Hands Together,” and “A Prayer.” However, these audio samples are often fragmented and layered beneath distortion and drum patterns approaching a house music style, which contributes to a somewhat muted overall effect. Harris employs his characteristic movement vocabulary featuring slow-motion stage crossings juxtaposed with bursts of intricate footwork, reflecting a resilient spirit facing adversity. While moments of solo improvisation, drawing from West African dance and funk locking, provided highlights, the dancers were critiqued as occasionally imprecise or rigid, and the piece gave an impression of being a work-in-progress. The full iteration of Harris’s project is scheduled to premiere in Philadelphia this December.

Another piece on the program, "Promise Me You Won’t Call," choreographed by Tommie-Waheed Evans and slated for 2025, also drew on Philadelphia International Records, notably featuring isolated vocal snippets of Patti LaBelle’s “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” and “If Only You Knew.” Despite the singers’ recognizable voices, the sound seemed disconnected, isolated within ambient space. The choreography showcased the dancers’ strong ballet technique and momentary virtuosic elements but was criticized for lacking clear structure. The production’s extensive use of elaborate lighting by designer Nick Kolin did not fully compensate for the work’s shapelessness.

In contrast, Thang Dao’s “Without Witness” presented a more conventional contemporary ballet format with a standard soundtrack and showcased a more coherent structure but was described as generic and similar to numerous other contemporary works.

The strongest reception came for Christopher Huggins’s older piece, “Enemy Behind the Gates,” originally created in 2002 and a longstanding part of Philadanco!’s repertoire. The ballet is set to sections of Steve Reich’s composition “The Four Sections,” whose momentum and urgency are mirrored in the choreography’s escalating energy and martial-style formations culminating in a powerful finale. This piece resonated well with the audience and remains a crowd favorite nearly 25 years after its debut.

Overall, the program highlighted the technical skill and commitment of Philadanco! dancers but underscored challenges in fully capturing the distinctive spirit and coherence of the Philadelphia soul traditions that inspired the new works.