On Friday, the house lights in the Helen Foley Theater will go down, and the spotlights go up. Before that happens however, students who will be modeling extravagant prom gowns at the annual Sisterz4sisters annual prom fashion show are going through their motions at dress rehearsal to make sure that when the theater is full in 24 hours, they don’t miss a beat.
Sophomore Niya Perry comes out on stage. She, nor any of the girls are wearing any of the dresses they’ll be showing off on Friday. This is just to get the motions down: Walk to centerstage from stage right, walk toward the crowd, walk to stage right, pose, walk to stage left, pose, walk to center, pose, walk to the back, pose, then exit.
It’s quite a bit to take in, but Perry is not new to modeling at the fashion show. She participated in the show last year. Still, as a performer, having all eyes on you can be daunting.
”It’s nerve-wracking,” she explained. “You have hundreds of eyes watching you. You need to make sure you don’t trip or fall. You need to make sure you look good, and of course nothing happens to the dress… hopefully.”
It’s all worth it though. The fashion show isn’t just a fashion show – it helps the community. After the fashion show concludes Friday night, those who are in attendance can look through the nearly 200 dresses that were donated from the community.
Students picking out the dresses they want to wear during the fashion show
Before dress rehearsal, the dressing room was buzzing with excitement as dresses were removed from their bags, ready to be chosen and worn by students in an empowering environment where everyone was encouraged to be their true selves – a common theme of Sisterz4sisters.
Perry wasn’t a part of the club when she participated in the fashion show the first time, but she notes seeing how close-knit and bonded those in S4S are made her want to join. That comradery is central to the group, and the excitement among the friends is at an all-time high.
Sisterz4sisters Vice President Briahna Raymond gives direction at fashion show rehearsal.
“I can tell everyone is enjoying it a lot. Everyone’s happy,” says Briahna Raymond, a junior and vice president of S4S. ”I have a teammate in flag football, Promise Myers. She’s in 12th grade. Every time we’re at flag football she’s like ‘You ready for the fashion show? I’m so excited!’”
Through all the fun, a central theme remains: Giving back.
“Growing up in high school I’ve always wondered and worried how much a prom dress would cost,” Perry explained. “This high school is like the only high school I’ve known that does this and it gives back to the community in a way that they can.”
If you would like to attend, the Sisterz4sisters Prom Fashion show is on Friday, March 31 at the Binghamton High School Helen Foley Theatre, and begins at 7 p.m. Admission costs two dollars. In addition to the donated dresses, some students will be wearing dresses from The Dress, located in Montrose. Those dresses will not be available for people to take home, but staff from The Dress will be at the show to speak with attendees.
