Kick off the year with Visions and Voices' annual arts extravaganza!

This dynamic event will feature a welcome by Provost C. L. Max Nikias; a breakdance performance by the acclaimed Quest Dance Crew, whose members were featured on So You Think You Can Dance; mesmerizing music by multi-instrumentalist singer/songwriter Novice Theory; inspiring words by poet and actress Crystal Irby; renowned performance artist and comedian Kate Rigg; cutting-edge independent films, including Karen Lum's Slip of the Tongue; and presentations by Howard Gillman, dean of the USC College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, and Tara McPherson, associate professor of critical studies and gender studies in the USC School of Cinematic Arts.

The event will be followed by a reception with music by DJ Tripetta Cartel. Attendees will receive free Visions and Voices T-shirts and bags. Refreshments will be served.

About the Artists

Crystal Irby writes with her soul wide open. Born in the '70s and raised in the '80s, Irby is a child of the South and the hip-hop generation. Her roots and self-knowledge define her writing. As an award-winning poet and actress, Irby has performed on world stages and been featured in several documentaries. She recently completed her first book, Milk: Poems, Short Stories, and Other First Lessons from God, and is currently working on a spoken-word CD. She recently debuted her one-woman show Hunched Shoulders: Allowing Others to Hold Up the World.

Novice Theory is multi-instrumentalist singer/songwriter Geo Wyeth. Based in Brooklyn, New York, Wyeth grew up in a family of performing artists and began performing his own music in bars, coffee shops and public spaces at age 13. Wyeth's background in classical and jazz piano features heavily in his lyrically dense songs, which explore family relationships, transgender exile, New York City and racial passing. He is inspired by the stylings of Nina Simone, Tom Waits, Keith Jarrett, Cab Calloway and Charles Mingus.

Quest Dance Crew's internationally acclaimed members have been featured on the first three seasons of FOX's So You Think You Can Dance; in music videos for Mims, Papa Roach and the Black Eyed Peas; and in numerous movies and commercials. In addition to their busy individual careers and their national and international performances as Quest, the members participate in local community events and teach workshops to the next generation of dancers.

Kate Rigg is a notorious culture and subculture vulture. A graduate of the acting school at Juilliard, she started her solo performance career at the New York comedy club Carolines on Broadway, showcasing her particular brand of character-based comedy and edgy sociopolitical commentary. Her work links diverse communities through art, challenging cultural stereotypes and opening up discussions about popular culture, race, comedy, gender and tolerance. She has brought this funky urban Asian sensibility to performances at the Kennedy Center, the Smithsonian Institution, Chicago's Museum of Contemporary Art, New York's Public Theater and countless international engagements.

Tripetta Cartel is a multimedia artist who works with sound, photography and fashion. As a DJ, she is inspired by diverse cultural iconographies and mythologies, bringing together multiple textures, including new urban sounds, underground nostalgia and world music.