By Allisen Lichtenstein
Senior Alyssa Kaufman steps onto the stage. Cameras flash and the crowd screams so loud, she can’t even hear the music. Before she starts dancing, she thinks to herself, “All my hard work has paid off; Fashion Show is finally here.”
Kaufman started working on Fashion Show in May 2011, when she first found out she would be a coordinator. Kaufman had to work hard over the years to achieve this position: Unlike most girls in the show, she had never been formally trained in dance. This was an obstacle for Kaufman; however, she overcame it through perseverance.
Her first role in Fashion Show was as a dancer her sophomore year. Kaufman’s first year was enough to know that she had “already fallen in love with it.” By junior year, she had already made it into the all-girls skit, which in past years has mostly been only seniors.
When Kaufman found out she was coordinator, she was ecstatic. Taking on this role also meant taking on a lot of responsibility. Kaufman, as well as the other coordinators, had to make the major decisions in the show, such as selecting the cast, choreographing the dances, approving the clothing, and controlling the budget.
Kaufman also brought new ideas to the show. She and the other coordinators were able to keep the entire show running without any black outs. They also took out an intermission and added more fashion walks to the show.
This year’s Fahsion Show theme was the elements, and each coordinator represented a different element. Since Kaufman’s element was air, she learned about lyrical dance, which is a fusion of ballet with jazz and contemporary dance techniques.
Kaufman said, “Each of us was so different from each other that we could really represent our element. The differences came together in the show and worked out beautifully.”