Wednesday, April 9, 2008

Mitzvah

My girl did something really wonderful, she helped someone achieve their dream.  This all started last week while surfing a model networking site.  She came across an ad requesting a model for a show.  Upon further review she saw that it was for a makeup artist entering a contest to win a scholarship to the local Aveda Institute.  His portfolio wasn't as extensive as other makeup artists, but his talent was undeniable especially since he is also a female impersonator.  The transformation in his pictures was nothing short of stunning.  She corresponded with him via email, moved to a phone conversation and then agreed to help.

Over the weekend Ron swung by our place to chat with her and fit her for a dress he was making.  Even though Aveda is a hair and makeup school, he was going all out and styling her from head to toe.  Just seeing the initial scribbling's of the pattern were enough to excite her about the show.  They discussed music for the walk, shoes and all the other little details needed to complete the experience.  Once done he raced off to start his work.

Yesterday (Tues) was the day.  He picked her up early and then whisked her away to be his Barbie girl.  I was at a Microsoft event for most of the day preventing me from enjoying any behind the scenes fun, but made it to the show early so I could snag a good seat.  I gave her a quick ring to let her know I was there and she let me know that his mom was also in the audience.  I found her quickly, introduced myself and we chatted while waiting for it to start. 

There were 8 finalists each with their own model (some were family, some were friends).  They started by putting a "before" pic of the model up on a LCD screen with the name of the contestant, the music kicked on and the fully styled model popped on stage from behind a curtain.  Some of them had choreographed routines, others just made one lap of the runway.  They were all very creative with wildly divergent styles.  One did a 50's number, another went for punk/alt, there was a wedding themed one, a couple of bland ones and a Hindu goddess/belly dancer motif entry. 

My girl's was straight up haute couture fashion.  She was the only professional model there and it showed.  I freely admit to being biased, but she rocked the hell out of that runway, music thumping ("Let Me Think About It" Ida Corr vs Fedde Le Grand), fishnets, sweet shoes and a phenomenal dress.  When the judges were doing their Q&A with Ron they all gushed about how beautiful the dress was and how great the model looked.  One judge asked if she could have him make her a dress. Even though there wasn't any scoring, it was all 10's from what I could see.

The models and contestants made one last pass and then the judges went to deliberate.  It didn't take them long to decide.  Even the MC who had been putting these shows together for the past 4 years was surprised as to how quickly they came back.  They kept the suspense building with their obligatory "this was a hard decision, everyone's a winner" speech, but in the end they chose our guy =)

The moment his name was announced I shot up applauding and hollering like a mad man.  Ra jumped up and down like she had been the winner, hugging Ron who was dumbfounded.  Working on something so diligently you always want to succeed, but having it actually happen can still be shocking.  The poor boy was almost rendered mute, making his acceptance speech rather short.  The MC said her final words, thanking all that participated then the crowd slowly dispersed.  Ron's parents (dad made it a little later, but still before Ron's part) congratulated him along with a stream of Aveda people who had been watching the show. 

Now he will look forward to starting school in May.  The value of the scholarship is pegged at seventeen thousand dollars making this truly an opportunity of a lifetime for him.  Some of the Aveda folks asked Ra about her involvement and she admitted to only having met him the week before thru the model site.  The dropped jaws littered the floor.  They couldn't believe that happenstance led Ron to the model that would help him win.  One of the girl's told her "You were put in his path for a reason".

Thinking back to that comment it is incredible the way life works sometimes.  Ra was able to help someone achieve a lifelong dream just by being her good hearted self and lending her talents for a couple of hours.  It was truly an amazing experience helping bring that kind of joy to one person's life.

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