By Rachel Tair

On January 5, the many students who spent countless hours perfecting outfits and dances put on the highly anticipated Fashion Show. Consisting of four main skits, two mini skits, and modelling between each dance, Fashion Show caters to a variety of talents and interests. Some students sport their favorite outfits and proudly walk down the runway while others perform intricate dances to their favorite songs. This year’s theme was Fashion Show Takeover, in which zombies, vampires, aliens, and robots took over South.
This year, seniors Derek Coval, Dani Drucker, Ellie Kraus, Elina Malamed, and Ashley Yu took on the honor and responsibility of coordinating Fashion Show. “I’ve been a part of Fashion Show since sophomore year, and it is one of my favorite parts of high school,” said Yu. The five coordinators have choreographed dances and planned walks since June of last year. Along with dancing and modeling, coordinators also collaborated with stage crew to create props and lighting cues. The stage crew created life-size UFOs, battleships, and tombs.
In preparation for the show, each coordinator choreographed one six minute skit and created remixes for their dances. “Creating a mix of songs for my skit was definitely time-consuming, but it was so fun to find songs that corresponded with each theme. My skit’s theme is zombie, so I included “No-Brainer” by Justin Bieber and “Thriller” by Michael Jackson,” said Yu.
The cast of Fashion Show began learning their dances in October and practiced weekly in hopes of putting on a great show. “We met once or twice a week to learn the choreography. Learning dances was very hard, but once the day of the show came all our hard work was well  worth it,” said junior Samantha Siegel.
Alongside the dancing, the show also showcases fashion and clothing. In between each skit, students sport their favorite outfits and walk down the runway. Local stores like Infinity, Max and Gino’s, Mixology, Haus of Tova, and Twenty5A, allow performers to rent outfits to wear in the show and to showcase their personal style and emerging trends. “For the vampire walk, I rented my outfit from Mixology. It was so cool to shop for my walk and wear some of my favorite outfits on stage,” added Siegel. Students not only rent clothes but also design. Senior Izzy Surielow has created  outfits for the coordinators for the past two shows. This year, Surielow created four intricate dresses and one suit using unique fabric and colors that each coordinator picked out.
This year half of the proceeds earned were donated to the Child Mind Institute, an independent, national nonprofit dedicated to transforming the lives of children and families struggling with mental health and learning disorders. Coordinator Elina Malamed created a fundraiser on her Facebook page where people donated to this cause.
This year, Fashion Show welcomed two new advisors: Ms. Roozdar and Ms. Cum. “With an emphasis on presenting high-fashion and a quality performance, the dream team truly shined on stage this year. Our effort towards highlighting the Child Mind Institute is the aspect that is closest to my heart. I love the way fashion presents itself as a visual art performance for charitable causes,” said Ms. Roozdar. The new advisors set out to make Fashion Show comfortable and welcoming for the cast members and audience. They were ecstatic to continue the traditions of Fashion Show and hope that next year even more students will participate.