CSO’s Fashion Show in Review

By Julio Taku, Public Relations Officer

On Friday, December 2, the Caribbean Student Organization (CSO) hosted the 36th annual Fashion Show in the SAC Auditorium. Our MCs for the night were none other than the current president of Black World/Guyanese Prince, Anthoni Haynes, and former CSO President, Annabelle Abelard. This Stony Brook staple dates back to 1986 and has served as the major campus-wide showcase of Caribbean culture for students. It brings together current students, alumni, faculty, and guests outside the university.

The chosen theme of the evening was “The Fine Isles: The Other Side of Paradise.” Guests were taken on a journey from New York to the Caribbean. Keeping the theme consistent with luggage and travel-related transitions from boarding to TSA to baggage claim ―No strangers to the stage, Annabelle (Haitian) and Anthoni (Guyanese) did an excellent job indulging fellow Caribbeans with inside jokes and cultural references. They managed to accomplish this without making the non-Caribbean students feel left out. Everyone was granted admission into Carnival!

Some performers from the evening were the premier Caribbean dance team on campus, Caribana; Stony Brook’s very own Latinx-Afro-infused dance troupe,

Jubilé Latino; and Barbadian Soca artist DJ Cheem. The music and soundtrack for the evening were curated by Taje Nelson, aka DJ Potential.

The show was well coordinated with little to no hiccups as each scene transitioned from one to the next. Models both new and veterans of the catwalk showcased choreography they practiced for months in preparation for the evening.

The boy/girl scene saw couples and a few love triangles cooing after each other and bringing a new meaning to chemistry at our STEM-focused school. The boys got a chance to flex and posture like roosters for their scene, and the girls strutted and enchanted during theirs. The E-board shone in all white as they got their flowers and rousing applause from the audience before intermission.

The show consisted of the following programming:

• Boy/Girl

• Girls

• Boys

• E-Board

• Intermission

• Swim

• Caribana

• Performer-DJ Cheem

• Carnival

• Lingerie