The dudes get down to dancin’

Dancer-choreographer Rennie Harris wants the world to know about hip-hop. That it’s not just street dance but a culture, a way of life, whose history is longer, perhaps, than one might realize.

Ya hear what I’m sayin’?

Wanting to spread the H-word, Harris founded his Philadelphia-based troupe, Puremovement, in 1992. But during the last seven years, the award-winning performer has also been touring with an all-star lineup, “The Legends of Hip-Hop.” The high-decibel show, which opened at REDCAT on Wednesday and runs through Sunday, features Harris as emcee, some cool ‘70s archival film footage and a rocking roster of nearly two dozen dancers and musicians.

Although Harris doesn’t get down with dancin’, his crews do. Take the eternally young Don Campbell, the godfather of locking, whose signature funkadelic robot moves look none the worse for wear as he adds a bit of hat-tipping business to his undulating body language. Elsewhere, Sugar Pop, Mr. Wiggles, Skeeter Rabbit and Poppin’ Pete -- the Electric Boogaloos -- get real with their leader, Boogaloo Sam. Clad in zoot suits and tearing up the stage with sliding legs, deft slo-mo popping and classic split jumps (easily traceable to those iconic tappers the Nicholas Brothers), they show off many steps also immortalized by Michael Jackson.

But Wednesday night belonged to the new generation, especially the megawatt B-Boy Crew -- six dudes who ruled with armless flips (“floats”), adrenaline-fueled head-spinning and leg-whipping midair drills, their unison noggin-twirling finale nothing short of jaw-dropping.

Hip-hop is also about the music, and Harris delivers a high-tech package of three virtuoso DJs. Evil Tracy, Razor Ramon and Swift, each on his own crib-like platform, may have been deafening, but their vinyl scratchings were akin to Heifetz noodling on a Stradivarius -- if the fiddler had also plunked out tunes using his back and butt.

Another musical novelty was offered by Anointed S, whose vamping with a microphone in an extended solo had some in the audience reaching for earplugs. Alternately sounding like 1,000 subways or a frog ribbiting, a little of S’ sonic bling went a long way. So too did Tokyo City Lockers, a sextet directed by Tony T and decked out in baggy knickers, lame cummerbunds and striped leggings. Their East-meets-West sensibility, with karate-inspired kicks that accented isolated body-part moves, proved more filler than phenom.

While “Legends” isn’t the groundbreaker that Savion Glover’s tap extravaganza, “Bring in ‘Da Noise, Bring in ‘Da Funk,” was, Harris and pals deserve piles o’ props.

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Rennie Harris Puremovement

Where: REDCAT at Walt Disney Concert Hall, 2nd and Hope streets, L.A.

When: 8:30 p.m. today through Sunday

Price: $20 to $32

Contact: (213) 237-2800