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Unstuffiest fashion show is tonight

Dancing models and belly dancers will appear at a coffeehouse benefit.

By ERIKA VIDAL
Published October 27, 2006

Belly dancers, musicians and fashion designers will unite tonight for an event that organizer Orianna Kurrus promises will be "outrageously fun."

Kurrus, a Belgium-born clothing designer and artist, and her co-conspirator, musician Ken Spivey, have put together a one-of-a-kind fashion show they're calling "Dancing Dolls."

Live music, dancing models and the absence of a runway will set this show apart from traditional fashion shows.

"Models will be on the same level as the audience," she said, making the show at Sacred Ground Coffee Shop "up close and personal."

Eleven models and belly dancers will dance, not strut, to music played by local musician Jun, bringing to life the fashions created by five designers, including Kurrus, Coty Splichal and Kelly. Yup, just Kelly. Designs range from gothic to playful. Some of Kurrus' designs feature hand-painted bodices and her signature floor-length sleeved shirts.

There will be also be performances by the Ken Spivey Band, singer-songwriter Lexi Pierson and comic Jennifer Hensleigh.

Exclusive designs and rock music aren't the only things "Dancing Dolls" will promote. Raising awareness of domestic abuse is at the heart of this production, and while admission is free, they'll be collecting donations for CASA, now known as Community Action Stops Abuse.

One of the designers, Yasmin Fouad, a graduate of the International Academy of Design, hopes to send a message of environmental consciousness through her nature-inspired clothing line, "Nature's Warriors."

Models will show off the collection of outfits Fouad made using bamboo curtains she bought from the Home Depot and a pair of wire cutters. Fouad describes each outfit as a "character representation" of nature.

Erika Vidal can be reached at evidal@sptimes.com or (813) 226-3339.

[Last modified October 26, 2006, 20:26:15]