Fantasy hairstyles to take runway

While most people might not consider hairstyling an art form, Jocelyn Robertson, performance and events director for the Bloomington Area Arts Council, disagrees.\nRobertson and the Arts Council will team up with local hair salons to present Bloomington's first "Curl Up and Dye for the Arts!" fantasy hair competition at 8 p.m. Nov. 10 at the John Waldron Arts Center Auditorium to prove that hairstylists can be artists, too.\nWhile the actual performance is weeks away, the arts council is currently accepting entries in both the professional and amateur categories. Registration applications can be picked up at the arts council or downloaded at www.artlives.org/curl.html. Applications are due to the arts council by 5 p.m. Oct. 30. The entry fee for amateur competitors is $40, while the entry fee for salons and professionals licensed by the Indiana State Board of Cosmetology is $75.\nThe competition will be a runway show in which models will have one minute to present to a panel of judges and the audience a hairstyle created for them by one of the contestants. \n"This is the first time an event like this is happening in our community," Robertson said. She added that she thinks this event will benefit Bloomington because it has such an active arts community and the show will be a way to reach out to that community. \nRobertson said she and her committee saw a picture in a newspaper of a similar hair competition, which gave them the idea to start "Curl Up and Dye for the Arts!"\n"We were inspired by how artistic the hairdos were," Robertson said.\nShe said she hopes local artists as well as hairstylists can see hair as a new creative medium.\n"The sponsors (and contestants) will get to really apply what they know, be creative and take hairstyling to the next level," she said.\nThe winner of the contest will receive a cash prize, a crown and a bouquet of flowers, Robertson said. There will also be prizes awarded to the audience such as cash and tickets to the musical "Hairspray," which will be at the IU Auditorium in February 2007. Audience prizes will be awarded through a raffle and to the person with the best hair in the audience.\nEntries will be judged on creativity, presentation, execution and overall look, which will include costume, makeup and the model's runway presence, according to the press release. \nRobertson said she is expecting about 20 entries to the competition, although the arts council is still accepting entries.\nTickets can be purchased online at www.bloomingtonarts.info or at the door the night of the show. Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 the day of the show.