Fashion for Change, a local student-run nonprofit fashion, dance and theatre showcase celebrated its 15th year of operation on March 22 by putting on Arcana at the University of Waterloo’s Hagey Hall of the Humanities. The organization puts on annual stage presentations to raise money for charity and has raised over $125, 000 in this manner to date.
Inspiration for this year’s event, which was designed by Artistic Director Kimberly Gao, was drawn in large part from a Japanese science-fiction television series called Alice in Borderland, tempered with influence from the iconography and themes of the European tarot deck. The name of the show was drawn from the Major Arcana, the collective term for the 22 named trump cards in the tarot deck. The contrast and interplay made for an interesting blend of aesthetics throughout the night.
The choreography, split between dance and modelling, was compelling, charming and earnest. One of the stand-out set pieces of the show was a pseudo-human pyramid in a dance presentation choreographed by Suzanne Su that closed out the showcase’s second act “The Emperor and Empress.”
Another standout moment was a scene choreographed in hip hop that provided the ending to the show’s third act Strength and Chariot, a moment that cut through some of the more composed and demure high fantasy scenes while providing a moment of energetic and dynamic contrast.
The Proceeds from this year’s showcase will be going to Oneroof Youth Services, a charity in Kitchener that addresses youth homelessness in the region by offering places for struggling youth to stay when the need arises. In past years, other charity partners chosen by the organization include the Kitchener-Waterloo Humane Society and Extend-a-Family Waterloo Region. The organization isn’t mandated to work with local charities. According to its president Angela Ljepava, they have thrown around the possibility of working with larger charities like the Make-a-Wish foundation.
“Everyone gives their own suggestion and then we dwell on it and see what we really think would be good to represent. We usually focus on local charities because they don’t get as much attention and traction as the bigger ones, but then we decided on oneROOFbecause they’re very local and they’re very focused in Kitchener,” she said.
“It’s nice that it’s being seen by other people because of course, internally we’ve known what scenes are in the show, we’ve seen a lot of the dances before, but just hearing other people’s opinions on it has been nice,” said vice president and Laurier student Kemi Akinyode in the moment of calm that comes in the week after the official presentation of the show.
Officially a UW club, Fashion for Change needs to navigate interuniversity promotion limitations and the trouble of convincing people to all congregate together. And as a fully student-run organization, the group runs the risk of inexperienced volunteers in positions of responsibility shirking their duties. But these risks are mitigated, said the president, by the passion of the team.
“I’m just generally really proud of the whole club and our entire team. I’m happy everyone had fun,” Ljepava said, reflecting on the experience.
Fashion for Change’s 15th year of operation has yielded a number of changes for the organization. One of these was a bottle drive, intended both to further the philanthropic aims of the organization as a whole and to integrate sustainability into the broader. Another one of these changes was the publication of the first issue of a Fashion for Change Magazine intended to give an opportunity to other students who aren’t present during the winter term.
“I’m really grateful for the experience to work with so many people and I’m looking forward to where the club goes in the future,” said Akinyode.
Nate Dawes/Arts & Life Editor
