When the lights go low and the music starts, there’s nothing like Extravaganza. The annual runway show — featuring 70 student participants and organized by Bryant’s Multicultural Student Union (MSU) — is one of the university’s best-loved traditions and, arguably, its most dynamic show of the year.
“Extravaganza is an opportunity for students, but particularly minority students, to express their culture through fashion and music,” explains Danielle Latty ’24, who directed this year’s performance. “It's an opportunity for people to express why they love their culture so much and to get a better understanding of how these disparate pieces are all intertwined and connected.”
The show opens its doors to everyone who wants to play a role, regardless of their ethnic background or experience with modeling. “For many of the models, this is a chance to express themselves in a new way,” says Latty, who also led one of the show’s four scenes alongside MSU president Aznii Martin ’24 and walked as a model. “It’s also a place for them to make connections.”
But beyond the goal of producing a compelling show, Extravaganza’s directors and scene leaders aim to educate and inspire. This year’s performance explored the strength of Black resistance, took students on a tour de force of the history of Black activism, from the Black Panthers to the protests surrounding George Floyd’s murder, and explored the intersectionality of different culture and civil rights issues around the world.
“I want the audience to understand that ‘marginalized’ doesn't mean sad,” reflects Latty. “There is oppression and there are still battles that need to be fought. But at the end of the day, we still have so much joy and the Black community is so strong and unbreakable.”
Last year, Solange Daluz ’27 sat in the Extravaganza audience as a high school student, part of a visit to the university. Attending Extravaganza, Daluz says, was one of the reasons she came to Bryant. “I knew I could find my people here,” she states. Now, a year later, she and Hazel Tuning ’26 lead a scene in the show.
Taking her place in the audience this year is Cianni Thomas ’23, who directed last year’s Extravaganza. She returned to campus, she says, to show support and solidarity, but also to feel that unique Extravaganza energy again. “No matter when you graduate, your Extravaganza family is forever,” she notes.
Here are some highlights from this year’s Extravaganza:
