A week ago today, the Black Student Union premiered Black Orgasm: The Fashion Show. This year we had the honor of showcasing designs from two Black owned companies based out of NYC: Attaria NYC and Mario and Lee. For the first time in the history of BSU Fashion Shows, every piece was designer. JC Penny generously sponsored by lending our models jewelry, shoes and accessories for the duration of the show, but all the clothing was straight from New York. Chinasa and Jason from Attaria NYC outfitted half the scenes while Lionel and Adam from Mario and Lee covered the rest. And I daresay the results were stunning. Twenty models, all students of color from UVM and Champlain College rocked their outfits with the kind of confidence only weeks of dedicated rehearsal can produce, and if the enthusiasm of the crowd says anything about their performance, it was a successful show indeed.
Between the scenes, Antwoine Roper and Rob Parris engaged the audience in candid spoken word about diving deep into the struggles of oppression, family dynamics and religion. Antwoine traveled from Georgia to share his poetry, while Rob Parris is the former President of the UVM Black Student Union and a senior at the University of Vermont. Later in the show, BSU Publicist Nkosi Edwards and Max McCurdy took the stage spitting rhymes. Backed up by DJ and BSU Vice President Gabriel Martin-Scruse, the duo filled the room with their passion and joy as they told stories through music. BSU President Ivonne Headley and her sister Ivette directed the whole event as MC's, guiding the audience through every moment with their flawless rapport. The entire event was suffused with the power of #blackgirlmagic and #blackboymagic, but we also got to see some physics magic orchestrated by our very own Damien Nieves. The cheers and the calls, the laughter and the active engagement of the audience brought the show to life, but behind the scenes, there were myriad contributors making sure everything fell in place. From the very beginning, Richie Eltosam and Rob Parris dreamt up the show's focus on highlighting black sexuality in a nuanced way. For almost a year, they have been designing the scenes, choosing the music and finessing the finer details of the event as artistic directors. Ivonne Headley was also intricately involved in all aspects of the show and Morandah Garrett from Champlain College served as an incredible coach for the models, helping to run rehearsals nearly every Sunday for the last month and a half. JC Penny and our designers, performers, numerous photographers from the Cynic and beyond, the Davis Center staff, and of course, our brilliant models were all critical in making the show a success, but behind all this, another woman was working magic. BSU Treasurer Brianna DaSilva orchestrated the complicated process of sorting out travel logistics for the designers and performers and organizing ticket sales, not to mention running backstage during the show itself. Her hard work is the least glamorous of any part of running the show, but absolutely indispensable. Without her dedication, and the hard work of everyone involved, the show could never have expressed the depth of strength, power and beauty in the people of color at UVM, especially Black students, that was so poignantly conveyed in this year's exceptional fashion show. A week later, I am still humbled by the hard work everyone involved poured into this show; it was by every means a night to be remembered. If you would like to see more photos from the show, you can find them on UVM's Black Student Union Facebook page. I will also be posting a short film in the next few weeks, and the UVM Cynic did a feature article on the event if you're interested in more details. |