NC Region
(At a glance)
Organizational Structure:
- Composed of mostly college aged students
- Static level of community involvement due to conservatives who clash with the more liberal themed shows
- Groups mostly student organizations for colleges and universities, and a few high schools
- New members initiation traditions are common, some incidents of hazing allegations (though rare)
- Two main runway styles-one older Ebony fashion fair influenced, the other with a more choreographed versions with underground and dance influences
- Shows from top-tier troupes have quality production content (backdrops, video interludes, lighting, props, avant gard fashions, etc.)
- Troupes may get sponsorships from retailers, but such things are uncommon for most
- Traditional-Runway, Group routine, Ending Runway
- New Style-Depends on the troupe executing it
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| Evalesco Models of North Carolina Central University - 2010 |
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| Epiphany Modeling Troupe of Winston-Salem State University - 2010 |
Unlike the DMV area troupes, most performance modeling organizations in NC are restricted to academic institutions. This is in part due to the high concentration of potential members that attend schools. Since the state's populated areas are spread out, having a community based organization that is not attached to an academic, religious, corporate, government, or other institutional umbrella is difficult; almost impossible due to less effective transportation and smaller population density.
Performance modeling in North Carolina is influenced by a superior collection of inspirations than usually expected. Due to the state's proximity between the lower South and more liberal DMV areas, people from all over the eastern seaboard visit and relocate to the area, passing their unique perspectives on the performance modeling art form. These artistic migrations refresh the state's ballroom, modeling troupe, and even lower end professional fashion scenes with ideas from New York City, Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Miami, and other artistic metropolises.
However, unlike these places, North Carolina doesn't have a high population of local fashion designers or stylists who are willing to develop symbiotic business relationships with modeling troupes or ballroom houses. Some groups have been able to forge such partnerships with various retail sponsors, however such relations are fleeting and may last only for a season (literally) or for a fashion show put on by either the performance group or the retailer. As a result, most troupes usually rely on their own creative teams to manifest fashions for shows. These can be in the forms of altered retail outfits, self-made designs, or completely store purchased items ß(not cute if the whole group results to such a thing).
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| Bon Vivant Fashion Society of North Carolina Central - 2010 |
Choreography in NC performance modeling was traditionally an off shoot of the 70's style modeling seen in the Ebony Fashion Fair. Troupes developed their own turns and put on fashion shows for either their university's homecoming events or as end of semester galas hosted by their sole organization. However this aesthetic began to change gradually by the early 2000's with the troupes which were established around that time. These millennium troupes (Couture, Epiphany, Verge, Fasho, etc.) brought new interpretations and group choreography to the modeling scene, inspired by the then underground gay club scene which emulated j-sett, cheerleading, and other dance elements. When some of these gay men were then elected to positions of creative direction in the troupes, these new movements were then added to the stage, shaking up the traditional runway style of many older established groups who felt threatened by the new troupes springing up seemingly every 5 seconds and their new creative take on the NC college modeling. As gay rights made more gains in the 1st decade in of the 21st century, more LGBT students have come out, and more of what was once underground gay performance culture has become visible on college modeling (men in heels, females dressed and performing in masculine roles).
Since NC lacks some of the more cosmopolitan cultures of DC, Atlanta, and Florida, many of the states performance modeling groups focus more on the art of modeling more so than doing it with the aim of breaking into the fashion industry. This can be seen especially in the troupes established in the early 2000's and onwards, who focus on competing and elaborate shows as opposed to the older troupes that were established in the 70's, 80's and 90's (Mozik, Black Millennium, Nubiance and etc.)that almost mirrored the Ebony Fashion Fair and professional modeling in terms of style, casting, and fashion.
What I like most about NC performance modeling is the fact that most of the troupes (the good ones) put on elaborate spectacles that encompass everything from high entertainment value to original urban art.I don't see this in many of the DMV and Florida troupes, probably because for those two areas, modeling is more practical (with the plethora of local designers around). In NC, modeling has become almost a fantasy-role playing art form due to the lack of urban designers willing to corroborate with these NC troupes. NC modeling's impracticality and utter uselessness makes it more delicate and daring. It exists in the present day solely as an art form, not unlike college dance or step teams unaffiliated with Greek organizations or major dance companies.
Below:
- Couture Productions' 2009 Homecoming Fashion Show
- Infinity Modeling Troupe performing as an intermission act for UNCC's Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity
- Evalesco Modeling Troupe at W.O.W. (whatever that means) competition on NCCU's campus.
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