The night was full of elegance, style and of course, class as Black Finesse Modeling Troupe hosted their Fall show appropriately titled “Classyville” in Stewart Theatre Monday. The show was organized into five scenes depicting the story of a couple’s journey to the wedding aisle. The couple, portrayed by junior, Paul-Semaj Abrahams and Paris Crenshaw a sophomore in biological sciences, enter “Classyville,” meet its people, get engaged, Paul goes to his bachelor party and last but not least, they reach their wedding day.
The mistress and master of ceremonies for the night were NC State’s own Candace Lee a senior in business management and Kadeem Myrick a junior in business administration, who were first introduced to the audience as Barack and Michele Obama. They kept the audience laughing and engaged with tales of their for-the-show relationship (as a means to introduce each new scene), old school music for the parents and NC State staff members. and encouragement to get out and vote on Nov. 4th – preferably for Barack Obama.
In the first two scenes, the audience is introduced to Paris and Paul’s characters and their backstory. They have been together for four years, and she is waiting for him to propose. In the second scene, the troupe does a focused runway that exhibits their runway talent, each model having adding their own unique style to an otherwise uniform walk.
Between the scenes, the troupe invited an impressive list of campus organizations as guest performers at their show. Dance team Commercial Break moved to Jazmine Sullivan’s and Trey Songz rendition of “Bust Your Windows” as well as Neyo’s “Closer,” and T-Pain’s “Freeze” donning classy white shirts and black vests.
DanceVisions also performed, presenting “DanceVisions Radio” a multi-segment radio “show” to introduce each new piece of choreography. Songs they performed to include John Legend’s “Green Light,” Usher’s “Bad Girl” and R-Kelly’s “Step in the Name of Love” to name a few.
As part of Intermission, student rapper Carizma Thomas a freshman in psychology, also known as “Rizzy” performed an original piece. Jessica Fulks, a senior in textile and apparel management, debuted her new line “Lache”, “a collection of dresses and other apparel in shades of bright blue, orange, silver, and gray. ” The Kappa Lambda Chapter of Omega Psi Phi, as well as the Eta Omicron Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha also performed.
When the troupe returned for their third scene, they brought along the Kappa Xi chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity to perform “Diamonds are forever.” This scene included models dressed in stockings and rhinestone studded black leotards. The models walked and performed a routine with Kappa Alpha Psi to the song “Trading Places” by Usher.
Black Finesse held a runway show in which members from the modeling troupe Black Millennium took home the prize and a best dressed competition in which NC State’s own Anthony Kulukulualani, a senior in biological sciences won. Toward the end of the show, in honor of Jennifer Hudson, Heather Gavin performed “I Am Changing” a song Hudson sang in the film “Dreamgirls.”
Next, the models reemerged with a lingerie scene dubbed “The Bachelor Party.” A model performed a routine, acting as an exotic dancer for the “bachelors” but don’t get worried. Many of the models wore lace up corsets in varying colors and black stockings or leggings and those who had different lingerie on, wore it tastefully and performed on-point choreography.
In the last scene when Paul and Paris reach their “wedding day” a model who portrayed an exotic dancer in the preceding lingerie scene objects to the marriage and the model routine to Beyonce’s “Single Ladies” propels the show into it’s grand finale, a series of exceptional model techniques and moves the troupe performs collectively as a group.
I believe it’s safe to say that Black Finesse had another successful, entertaining and classy event to showcase their modeling talent.
