Tuesday, August 16, 2011

The Blake Martin Experience: iCandy Show 2011

By: Mariah Craddick


Before even stepping into the auditorium at the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago for designer Blake Martin's iCandy fashion show/dance concert, I had been warned—numerous times.

"Come with an open mind," they told me. "You're in for a 'treat,'" they'd say—with me not really knowing what they meant by it. But by the end of the night, it all made sense.
 
A Blake Martin show is something so unique and so daring that you might sometimes find yourself wanting to cover your children's eyes--or even your own. Yet still, with everything that takes place on stage you might find it hard to pry your eyes away.
 
For his show this year, Blake went for a "candy store" theme--though the show, which lasted about three hours, eventually veered off into other directions. Songs like Aaron Carter's "I Want Candy" and New Edition's "Candy Girl" filled the air as models of all shapes and colors sauntered down the runway.
 
For nearly every segment, or "scene," the models would come out in fashions designed by some of the up-and-coming young designers in Chicago. And if the nearly naked models didn't keep your attention long enough, there were dancers in the background holding it down, making it all come together.

This was probably the first time I'd ever seen someone couple a runway fashion show with a dance concert--and do it seamlessly. That's the genius of Blake Martin. Blake has already garnered quite a following in the Chicago area and will be surely making a name for himself worldwide in the near future. This was also the first show of his that he danced in himself. He came out for the "Vogue" section, hitting the moves harder than most of the other dancers on the stage--truly showing why he's the boss.

Hosted by local celebrity and Chicago radio personality, Demi Lobo, the show did a great job of incorporating audience participation by having dance competitions and runway walk-offs in between scenes. The show ended with everybody on their feet, screaming and shouting their praise. The tireless hours and effort put behind the production definitely paid off and by curtain call, Blake had found himself a seat on the end of the stage, waving goodbye to everyone as they left.


Surely, being the producer/choreographer/dancer/complete visionary that he is--the stage probably feels the most like home to him.

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