Where were you last Sunday evening?  If these guys look familiar chances are you were at the U.S. Alternative Hair Show.  This year’s performance, Transition, offered looks from 15 teams from around the globe captivating a record number of salon professionals and guests with an incredible performance of imagination, innovation and style.  The 4,500 audience certainly got their money’s worth with a fast, action-packed evening that included classic catwalk presentations, contemporary ballet, bee-bop routines and pure fantasy.

Remember the fun, or check out what you missed, by clicking on the individual images for more detail.

The U.S. Alternative Hair Show teams’ extraordinary passion for hairdressing, fashion and beauty took center stage, while excited salon pros cheered in support of their friends and their idols. Premier artistry was presented by: Carlo Bay, Italy; Fabio Sementilli, Canada; Klaus Peter Ochs, Germany; Kohsuke Visual Network, Japan; Nicholas French, USA; Planet Laboratories, USA; Robert Cromeans, USA; Rocco Altobelli, USA; Salon Blonde, USA; Sanrizz, UK; Scott Cole, USA; Trio Salon, USA; Van Michael, USA; Vidal Sassoon, USA; and Wiel and Ell Essers, the Netherlands.

Every show was special, but a few really stood out. Ex-pat Scot, Robert Cromeans, looking very similar to the Cirque du Soleil’s Saltimbocco advertising, was the centre of his own show, “Send in the Clowns”, with 5 dancers whose outfits, hair and makeup were incredibly detailed.  Another US-adopted Scot, Scott Cole, also appeared in his show, with high-octane bee-bop dancers straight from 1940’s. Dutch duo, Weil and Ell Essers, deep, thought provoking show, “Delta” included a centre-stage pregnant model, whilst Van Michael’s show was a great take on ‘Kill Bill’. The last show of the evening was, as usual, Sanrizz.  Their show entitled “Exotica” had models in cute, dip-dyed silk dresses, with contrasting dip-dyed and coloured hair pieces.

All proceeds from the US Alternative Hair Show benefit the Illinois chapter of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society in the USA and the Leukaemia Research Fund UK.   Each team pays for their own model costs and travel expenses, and the other costs are all paid for by the sponsors. Tickets sales from this year’s show raised $100,000 for the charities. In addition, more than $10,000 was raised from audience donations and collected in just five minutes! 
 
For more information on the US Alternative Hair Show held on February 27th at The Rosemont Theatre, Rosemont, Illinois please log on to: www.isnow.com

Photography Credit:
Malcolm Grant & Jamie Carroll