1-2-3-4, 1-2-3-4, feet slide, arms curve, heads turn in one fluid motion. The movements fall into place in time with the music.

This group is a little dance mixed with fashion, personal style and culture.

These people are not just dancers.

They are athletes, students, models and performers.

They are the Black Finesse Modeling Troupe.

“[The troupe] is a way to build up self confidence, poise, personality and enrich life,” Tevet May, a senior in English education and president of the troupe, said.

May joined after seeing the troupe’s performance her freshman year and has been actively involved in the group since. Prior to being president, she served as the fashion coordinator and vice president. The first performance she saw hooked her because of the artful show and technique of the performers.

The members of the troupe have great pride in what they do. Brian Riddick, a junior in English, joined when he was a freshman because he wanted to be involved in a group where he could perform. He has been the marketing director and is now the vice president. Riddick decided to have a leadership role because he thought it would be “a good way to meet people in other troupes.”

The troupe doesn’t just look at the physical appearance of potential models, instead it emphasizes “individuality, style, confidence and potential” according to Riddick.

“We want to portray a positive look for African-American performers,” Riddick said.

However, black students are not the only people allowed to join. The group has had members with various backgrounds, including Asian and West Indian.

“We’re open to all shapes, sizes, cultures and backgrounds. Everyone gets a chance,” May said.

May emphasizes a person’s size does not matter, but his or her personality is what they focus on during auditions.

According to May and Riddick, Black Finesse Modeling Troupe is open minded and welcomes all types of people. Because the group is open to other cultures, it has become relatively diverse. However, the troupe does market itself toward black students.

Riddick and the members of the troupe are close-knit. He said when he performs, he is “at home.”

The performances are not typical runway modeling shows. The group members do not just walk up and down a narrow landing strip, twirl a few times, then strut their stuff back down the platform.

The setup of the show is like a play, according to May. Each performance, which has six to seven scenes, is centered around a major theme. the troupe tries to stay away from stereotypical modeling by focusing on walking technique, coordination and dance.

“We shock people because they don’t know what to expect,” May said.

Riddick and May would like to see the turn out increase this year, as it has in past years.

“We want to sell out Stewart,” Riddick said.

The troupe prepares all semester for a show, planning every move of every person, and then performs for only an hour and a half.

“It doesn’t seem like the time does it justice,” Riddick said.

Some of the members are students in the College of Textiles. Others just have an interest in clothing design. When this is the case, the group models other members’ designs. They also do their turns in styles that students at other universities design, as they did with N.C. Central University last year.

The troupe puts on two shows every school year — one in the fall and one in the spring. The next show will probably be in November, according to May.

“We also do guest appearances and competitions,” Riddick said.

The troupe placed second out of six at North Carolina A&T last year, and occasionally, it models for College of Textiles fashion shows.

“We’re not a strict organization, but we take what we do seriously,” Riddick said.