Bright colours, high energy, and talent. These are just some of the words I would use to describe “Around the World,” an annual charity fashion and dance show hosted by Style and Profyle. The organization is a non-profit club at UTM that raises money for different charities through the performing arts. This year, Style and Profyle raised funds for ErinOak Kids, an Ontario treatment centre that provides a range of rehabilitation and support services to children with disabilities.
The night commenced with a humorous introduction by the two MCs, Ryan Persaud and Madhav Gaur, who provided entertainment between performances throughout the night. The first performance was UTM’s Dance Team, who performed a modern hip hop routine. Following this performance was the APS fashion show, in which the models displayed intricately designed outfits from Palestine. The stage in the Blind Duck Pub was extended like a catwalk, allowing models to walk out into the audience. As the first fashion show of the night, APS’ performance set the tone for the variety of talented fashion designs throughout the night. Some fashion pieces included designs from Express & Escape, Joyti Lamba Designs, and IME by Rhenice Bowman.
Of the fashion shown, one of my favourites was from Express & Escape, a Mississauga-based organization dedicated to eradicating the stigma associated with mental illness, as well as aiding the mental health community. IME by Rhenice Bowman was also one of my favourites because of its modern, Caribbean appearance.
The evening also featured singing performances. Carrie McEown and Asheesh Sridhar covered James Arthur’s “Say You Won’t Let Go.” The next song was by Aseel Aoun, who gave a beautiful performance of “Hello” by Adele. However, my absolute favourite performance was by Arlind Kadiri and Daniel Goodman, who performed a mixture of pop songs, including “7 years” by Lucas Graham.
The second half of the show offered dance productions by Caribbean Connections and the Erindale Punjabi Association. The dancers of Caribbean Connections, Kenya Sloane-Seale, Latisha Lobban, Denia Hurst, and Aliyah Theobald, performed an extensive Afro-Caribbean routine, which even included some acrobatics, with dancers doing handstands and bridges on stage.
The dancers of Erindale Punjabi Association, Jasmine Cheema, Mandeep Kainth, Manjot Purewal, Ranvir Atwal, Kirat Sandhu, and Jaskarn Mankoo, provided a synchronized, cultural dance full of bright colours, energy, and instruments.
Style and Profyle’s “Around the World” provided an excellent display of dance, fashion, and music from all corners of the world. Flags from different countries hung from the walls surrounding the stage and audience, reinforcing the diversity within the show. The show was certainly a night to remember, as it was well organized, entertaining, and supported a good cause.
