The cameras were rolling a couple of weeks ago at Open Runway Part 2 an event held by theLos Angeles Fashion Council. The producers of Fashion Police (and crew) were there to document five emerging designers as they competed for a spot in LAFC's October runway shows "The Collections" which will now be held at The Grove in Los Angeles. Here are some highlights from the night. (Note: I forgot my memory card for my camera, so I had to use my phone for pictures.)
Couture, Hollywood (location)
If you would like to vote for one of the five designers, you still have till August 12th. Simply clickhere and vote for either, Kimberly Luu,
Rose La Gru,
ISM Mode, QLee Studi or Émeute. One last shot of the night, these lovely ladies and myself.
Wendy and Audrey
Once again, it was great to be out there surrounding myself in fashion. I have more updates to come from my world later this week, so I hope your return Lovelies!
Take a little trip with me back to the late 1970's. Although this wasn't a themed event, I felt like I was taken back into a disco a bit with all the sequins and silky fashion all around me.
As much as I wanted to make myself something lovely to wear for the party, I simply didn't have time. So what did Cinderella do? Why, visit her local "Fairy Thrift Store". Yes, scored this vintage sequins mini dress for $5! I just couldn't wait to wear it. I matched this lovely dress up with some velvet ruffle stilettos, our black velvet Slender Bow Belt and our limited editionPlatinum At The Opera Earrings.
The lovely Melissa from The Key To Chic. How cute is her hair?! Loved it. And yes, that's a Slender Velvet Bow Belt you see. Twins!
The evening was great. Loved hanging out with friends and my date. The appetizers and desserts were delicious. I didn't care for the sponsored beer to much but my martini was pretty fancy. The gifting suite had a lot of fun stuff that I will be sharing with you on my next post, including the cute dress I got from LuLus.com earlier that day at the Styling Suite. Which I wish I had taken more pictures at that event but I was kinda all over the place at the time. Truly looking forward to next years festivities with Two Point Oh LA. Thank you, Kelsi!
My date for the night...my husband. Can you tell my lashes were a bit to heavy for me?! HA!
If you missed my last fashion show for SS12 with Project Ethos, then you missed a talented young lady's performance! Noooo, I'm not the talented young lady (lol). Her name is Joanna Baca and she opened my runway show in what now has become a staple of my runway shows. Her performance has already received awesome reviews.
" One particularly inspiring moment of the night was watching a young sixteen year old model work the crowd as she opened the Melissa Velia presentation with an amazing hip hop dance routine she choreographed herself." - The LA Fashion Magazine
Here's my interview with Joanna.
When did you start dancing? I've been dancing ever since I was a little girl at the age of 3.
Joanna Baca
Have you always wanted to be a dancer/ choreographer?
Yes I've always loved to dance and create dances just for fun. As I got older, I found a real interest in choreographing dances for group performances and solos for myself.
Joanna in the center
Have you had any training?
I took dancing lessons for tap, ballet, and jazz when I was younger but stopped when I was 9. I'm currently a member of my schools dance team and the experience of working with other dancers and learning new material everyday has definitely helped me with my dancing technique.
Who are your favorite dancers/ Choreographers?
My favorite choreographer would have to be LaurieAnn Gibson. I love her style in movement and she has a lot of flavor. There are also many talented dancers that inspire me that it's hard to name.
Who inspires you?
Famous choreographers such as Jaquel knight, Mikey Minden, and LaurieAnn inspire me as a choreographer and influence the way I intend to dance.
When you were asked to pro-form for the fashion show, what did you think?
When I was asked to perform I was so stoked and excited. I couldn't wait to experience the opportunity to open for Melissa Velia with my own dance choreo.
Pic via Snapstarlive.com
Where you nerves going on stage?
That entire day of the fashion show and rehearsal, my nerves continued to build. I ran my dance in my head about 500 times. When the lights dimmed, and when I took my place on stage, all my nerves went away an I just gave it my all. I left everything on the dance floor and truly had fun with it.
Joanna backstage before her performance
How often do you perform?
I perform dance numbers quite often for dance competitions, dance recitals, benefit shows, and many school events which are every year.
Who's your biggest supporter?
My biggest supporter would have to be my mom. She encourages me to excel in dancing and try new dance technique. She is always at every performance and shows tons of support.
Is dancing/ choreography something you want to do for a living?
Yes dancing is something I see myself working towards in my future. And making a profession out of. One of my goals is to work with well known dancers and choreographers and grow as my own unique dancer.
Is this something you want to do for the rest of your life?
I want to experience new opportunities in dance throughout my life but mostly I want to inspire other people to dance and impact there view on it as well.
What's the hardest thing about being a choreographer?
The hardest thing about being a choreographer is probably taking time and energy out to put together an amazing dance number. Dance honestly takes a lot of dedication and is more difficult than people thing. But I love doing it and wouldn't spend my time doing anything else.
In your wildest dreams where would you like to see your career go?
My dream is to be a performer in concerts and huge events and work with amazing artists and choreographers. I'd love to travel the world and share my talent with people.
Who would you absolutely love to work with? (performer, celeb, singer, etc.)
I would absolutely love to work with LaurieAnn Gibson and Beyonce. That would be my dream.
Check out her performance at my SS12 Fashion Show
For bookings, press or other questions for Joanna Baca, email Jessica at dancebookings@yahoo.com
