By Kate Vandermeulen – Contributor

Since October, some of BU’s most talented dancers have been working hard in preparation for the 2024 Charity Fashion Show, Embrace. 

In the spirit of this year’s theme, every single dancer that auditioned was given a spot in at least one dance number. This meant that for the opening number, a whopping 27 dancers danced their hearts out together to a mix of “Let’s Have a Kiki”, “Telephone” and “Don’t Stop the Party”.

The sheer number of dancers was not the only ambitious part of this year’s production. This year’s show included a total of nine dances, providing significant production value to the fashion show stage. Many of the dances in the show were new interpretations of crowd favourites, like the Barbie dance heels number, featuring Call It Spring high heels, and the partner dance, featuring some of the models dancing to a Pitbull mashup. 

Some dancers participated in one or two numbers, while others danced in six or seven, rehearsing for over six hours every Saturday. Among these dancers was Kilah MacCoul, who danced, choreographed and was an assistant coordinator for the show. “Fashion Show dance rehearsal is a great time!” said MacCoul. “We really put blood, sweat and tears into these dances to ensure that we put on the best performance possible”.

Another dancer, Sonoma Brawley, spoke to the positive environment created in those long rehearsal days: “Rehearsing every week since October builds community between the dancers and by the time we perform we’re dancing with our closest friends.”

For dance director Maggie Morrison, this was her final Fashion Show. She looked back on her time as a dancer in the charity fashion shows: “Being a part of fashion show dance has stood out as one of my favourite experiences as a BU student. Each year a talented group of dancers are able to showcase our best work, all for a meaningful cause. Being a part of Fashion Show dance creates unforgettable memories for long after the show ends, and I would recommend to everyone who has the opportunity to get involved to do so!”. 

Interested in dancing or modeling next year? Follow @bufashionshow to stay up to date about when auditions take place. 

Kate Vandermeulen is the communications director for The Campus and was a choreographer for the BU charity fashion show.