This year marks the tenth anniversary of krump, an energetic and expressive street dance created by youth in South Los Angeles. Visions and Voices will celebrate this milestone with a series of events exploring the art of krump. In this panel discussion, journalist Jessica Koslow, USC ’12 MA, and krump pioneer Miss Prissy will discuss the collaborative process involved in making a documentary and producing a live performance about krump. The conversation will address the relationship between interviewer and interviewee, ethnographic strategies and documenting a living-arts event across multiple media platforms. Annenberg faculty members Sasha Anawalt and Taj Frazier will moderate.

Marquisa Gardner a.k.a. “Miss Prissy” is trained in all areas of dance, from ballet to hip hop, and has vocal abilities that have been compared to the likes of Brandy, Keyshia Cole, Mariah Carey and Lauryn Hill. She was featured in the 2005 film Rize, in which she is called “the queen of krump.” She has toured with such artists as Snoop Dogg, the Game and Madonna. Classically trained, Miss Prissy started lessons at the age of four, learning everything from ballet to jazz to tap. She discovered hip hop dancing at 13 and enjoyed its expressiveness, but didn’t really begin to take her art seriously until after high school, when she began teaching it to kids. It was at one of these lessons that a student introduced her to krump, the new form of dance that was becoming popular in L.A., and brought her to a session. Miss Prissy was struck by its wild energy, and soon joined in on the performances and competitions herself, her natural talent and creativity making her one of krump’s stars. Miss Prissy is currently running her own production company and working on her second mixtape entitled Da Stronger Side of P. (Twitter, YouTube)

Other Links:

Sasha Anawalt: Bio
Taj Frazier: Bio
Jessica Koslow: Blog

Related Events:

The Underground: From the Streets to the Stage
Wednesday, September 5, 8 p.m.
Bovard Auditorium
For more info, click here. 

Krump Dance Workshop with Lil’ C and Miss Prissy
Wednesday, September 12, 5 p.m.
North Gym, Physical Education Building
For more info, click here. 

Organized by Sasha Anawalt, Taj Frazier and Jessica Koslow (Communication and Journalism).

Co-sponsored by Program Board Special Events Committee.

For further information on this event:
visionsandvoices@usc.edu