The Art of Competing

Ah, the infamous modeling competition, where groups from all around vie for winning titles and regional recognition. With so many groups around these days, many are bound to lose and face upsets, yet how does one go against trophy winning titans and conquer these foes? Though the last winning show I competed in was in 2008, I have seen my fair share and can tell you what worked for us, our foes, and what made those involved win or lose. Now I won’t give away secrets (so don’t worry EMT), but the series of posts should help your troupe understand how to approach these events and if not win, at least place and have a memorable show!

Get Inspired: Phillip Treacy

So here’s a little something for all the fashion directors/coordinators. Every now and then it would be cute to see a sickening hat on a model or two, or three, or seven, eight, nine. Now, let me reiterate not the same hat, but let’s say for a show that hats will be a common theme for a scene. As a club kid, Grace Jones and her Generation Y-Z counterpart Lady Gaga wow me and most of you all with their nasty fashions, including head wear. Peep these pics of milliner (hat maker)Phillip Treacy’s designs and get inspired from his art!

You Gotta Love an Ol'e School Walk-Off! LMAO!

Some of these people brought it, some raised my eyebrows...in a bad way. This reminds me of the runway battles from 05-08 back in the 336, back when a battle didn't get physical.

Get Inspired: Ovation TV’s Nutcracker Dance-Off!

It’s very important to read up on other performance art forms and learn from their techniques (if you want to have an enriching show)!


For those that don’t know, Ovation TV, the channel dedicated to Fine Art (*squeals*), is having a dance off between six major ballet companies. They’re being judged on who has the best rendition of the Nutcracker Ballet, viewers can see this on TV or via the internet.

Regional Aesthetics (Part 2)

In the previous post I talked about the DMV area troupes and the style they bring to performance modeling. Now it's time to talk about the troupes of North Carolina, a state that, though southern and conservative, boast a large collection of collegiate modeling organizations. This is due to the large number of colleges that are concentrated in the state, around two hundred! Many of these modeling organizations were started at HBCU's, later spreading to PWI's, high schools, and community colleges.

The Troupes of WSSU: The Vice Versa Productions Story (Part 1)

Vice Versa Productions - Wal-Mart Fashion Show - September 30th, 2008

In a previous post, I talked about Vice Versa, an entertainment group that dissolved in the spring of 2009, based at Winston-Salem State University. Though this may be a controversial topic to some of the older WSSU readers, I felt it would be a failure not to share the fate of this organization so that others may learn from the mistakes that cause V.V. to fall. I will be respectful.

Virginia State University's Kerojo Modeling Troupe - Competition Piece - East Carolina University - 2010

Feast your eyes on this lovely show from Kerojo, one of VSU's modeling troupes. I loved it! The rouines were different and precise, the clothing followed a black and silver color theme but each model had on unique and varied attire which was great. Whoever thought of placing the disk skirt with the train on one of the female models should get a shoe thrown at them for evoking my favorite disco diva, Grace Jones!

Xquisite: Showcase for Chat With Lonnie

Here is a more recent video of Xquisite Models. The intricate and challenging choreography is always on point. Their runway is very simple. The look for the show is redundant. Over all, here you have a classic DMV troupe style. What do you guys think, did Xquisite eat the runway, or what?

Regional Aesthetics (Part 1)

Clearly, performance modeling has been revolutionized by the modeling troupes of the east coast. However, not every troupe is from the same region, and each region has fundamentally different styles. For this post I will talk about the three most dominant regions: DMV (DC, Maryland, and Virginia), North Carolina, and Florida. I've chosen these regions because of the amount of material they have created and that's viewable on the internet; and because of the sheer presence they have had on the modeling scene.

The Most Creative Region...

In the past 30 years modeling troupes have sprouted all along the east coast. Each region has its own main modeling style, with the DMV area being the vanguard  I don't see why if you will, for the middle southern troupes, and Florida still clinging to the traditions of a more classic era. What region has the most creative troupes in your opinion?

You can fill out the poll on the right column on the blog page. Please be honest!

Modeling Troupe Critiques From A Vlogger

The next video is from Emore'J Couture, a DC fashionista who has a channel on YouTube. Some of his videos are critiques of DC, Virginia, and Maryland area fashion shows. These are a mix of professional runway events and performance modeling productions. His vitriolic delivery will cause you to either be turned on or off, however for the most part he is correct in his critique of some of the less tactful things that happen in the urban fashion world. 

My Runway was blocked!

Sorry for the delay you guys, I had a relative pass away last week and spent the past 6 days with family. I'll begin posting again ASAP! ;-P

Vike Nu Modeling Troupe Homecoming 2009

I decided to review this show because, well, because I wanted to. Lol.

Top 10: Don'ts In Runway

Ok, so some of these I can agree with, minus the Jessica White, Chanel Iman, and Beyonce disses. However, if you're new to performance modeling or teaching newbies, this could be a good watch.

Top 10: Best Catwalkers/ Models With The Best Walk

This is of models from the past decade mind you, but I think seeing some of these walks is a little interesting. Some of these chicks aren't my total favs, but they work it none the less.