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 fun and dynamic workshop, krump pioneers Lil' C and Miss Prissy will teach the basic movements of krump. All levels of experience welcome!

To watch a video of Lil' C with his thoughts on krump followed by a TED Talk demo, click here.

To watch an interview with Miss Prissy on Current TV, click here.

About the Artists:

Dancer and choreographer Christopher A. Toler, best known as Lil’ C, began his career in 2001 and has appeared in music videos for Jennifer Lopez, Missy Elliott, Christina Milian, Gwen Stefani and Madonna. He was one of the dancers profiled in Rize, a 2005 documentary following the rise of krumping. He has choreographed performances for the Teen Choice Awards, American Music Awards and NAACP Image Awards. Lil’ C has appeared in the films Stomp the Yard and Be Cool, but is perhaps best known as a choreographer and guest judge for FOX’s So You Think You Can Dance. He can also be seen acting in You Got Served: Beat The World and StreetDance 2. (Twitter, Wikipedia)

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) 

Related Events:

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

Journalism Director’s Forum—Krump on the Screen and Stage
A Conversation with Miss Prissy, Star of Rize, and Journalist Jessica Koslow
Tuesday, September 11, 12 p.m.
Annenberg 207
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