Get up and dance

Girls just want to have fun at Mom Prom

Singing together, dancing barefoot and doing each other's makeup and hair. They're all "girl things," the activities of sleepovers or, really, any time that girls get together.

When those girls grow up and become mothers, the desire to do those things doesn't change.

NWA Mom Prom:

A Night in the Tropics

What: A glammed-up dance party and night out on the town for women of all ages

When: 7 p.m. to midnight May 30

Where: Metroplex Event Center in Springdale

Cost: $45 per ticket, proceeds benefit Saving Grace

Information: nwamotherlode.com or nwamomprom.com

"When you're a mom, when do you get to dance except when it's Barney music and in the living room with your little ones?" asks Gwen Rockwood, one half of NWA Motherlode and a co-founder of its Mom Prom, a glamorous and fun night out for women in the area. "But still, that's a different kind of dancing. At Mom Prom, you get to really dance and dance to the songs you grew up with."

"Uptown Funk," "Cupid Shuffle," "Thriller": At the Mom Prom, the moms decide which music will play at top volume. After checking in on a red carpet, ladies have plenty of options for photo opportunities at a "Sisters" photo booth sponsored by Mercy, professional photos by MJW Photography and a variety of handsome celebrity cutouts to pose with, such as Matthew McConaughey, Will Smith and Channing Tatum.

Local company My Brothers Salsa will be serving made-to-order Mexican food at a quesadilla station, and Edible Arrangements of Fayetteville will provide a number of fruit arrangements as hearty fuel for the dance floor May 30 at Springdale Metroplex. Participants will want to get in on the raffle, too, which has plans to give away a washer/dryer set from Metro Appliances, a chef's dream basket full of cookware and gadgets, a pampering package with spa services and beauty items, as well as a date night package.

But really, women say, the fun night dancing with friends is why they're there.

"When we talk to other women, they're amazed at the concept itself," says Shannon Magsam of NWA Motherlode, founder of Mom Prom and Rockwood's partner in crime. "Wouldn't it be amazing to have a prom without all the angst and without some bad date messing it up? I just get to hang out with my friends, dance and sing."

One night a year, the men of the family get to watch the children while moms of all ages get gussied up and go out for a night out on the town. The nature of the event, now in its third year, is to be as inclusive and free form as possible, so it's open to women of all ages who are at different stages in their lives, regardless of whether or not they've had a child.

The only rules are that no men and no drama are allowed.

"Our motto is no drama for your mama," Magsam says.

It's a quick way to ensure that the Mom Prom will be special in its own right because it won't be anything like a high school prom. For those who had a bad experience the first time around, taking teenage antics and high emotions out of the equation goes a long way.

"At Mom Prom, everyone does feel included and accepted," says Dawn Stanford, Mom Prom red carpet greeter, whose job it is to set the warm, encouraging tone for a night of feeling confident and appreciated while connecting with other women. "If you had a bad experience, this is a good do-over, but if you had a great experience, this will be even better."

"Whether it's that you had a terrible prom so this is a do-over or you didn't get to go to prom, we just want a fun girls night out that isn't stuffy," Magsam says.

The event will benefit Saving Grace, an organization that aids women who have aged out of foster care and need the support and mentorship of other women during young adulthood. Though Mom Prom is a benefit, it doesn't have the typical "feel" of one. There's no silent auction or long program. There is no strict order of events. The only thing with a time limit is signing up for the raffle, which ends with a drawing at 9 p.m. All else is fair game.

It's much appreciated by the ladies who are at a place in their lives where most dancing is done at a benefit for a nonprofit organization or a wedding, and even then, it's hemmed in by expectations, present company or the event coordinator's choice of music.

"I'm in my 40s and just don't dress up all that much, or if I do, it's for a formal event with my husband," Stanford says. "Even then, it's not cutting loose but then it depends on the DJ."

Taking men out of the mix helps, Magsam and Rockwood say, because girls simply like to dance more and aren't afraid of being silly. While men might be hesitant to dance in front of other people, women just want to break out the moves and enjoy themselves without interruption once in a while.

"There's a special bond between women and especially mothers because no one's going to understand you better and what your day-to-day life is like than another mother," Rockwood says. "That's a really special relationship, and the whole idea is to celebrate the bond that we have."

One of the groups that Stanford greeted was a gaggle of moms who all had very young children at home. They had gotten ready together and arrived in unison, all wearing tiaras.

"You can just tell [we're] thankful to have a night to ourselves," she says. "You can have stretch marks, big boobs and still be nursing, but we don't even care."

Rockwood and Magsam understand that the early years of motherhood, when every bit of clothing you own has baby spit-up on it and all energy is spent chasing little ones around the house, are not particularly glamorous. That's why they invested in the Glam Squad, a team by Brieshi Salon, which provides makeup touch-ups to the ladies throughout the night in between all the dancing and photo-taking.

Beauty, though, is in the eye of the beholder. Whatever makes you feel pretty is what you should wear, Magsam and Rockwood agree. That's why they didn't make any dress code rules and freely encourage women to come dressed in all manner of prom getup, whether it's a dress that throws back to the era of big, teased hair, a classic little black dress or even a light maxi dress for summer -- come one, come all, come as you are.

"One of the best parts of Mom Prom is getting dressed up," says Marie Starr, the first prom queen for the event. The prom queen is selected randomly, not by vote, and will be announced that evening. "It's always fun to see how other moms and women are dressed and what ideas they had."

Starr attends the event each year with the same group of ladies from her neighborhood. One of them doesn't like dresses at all, so she wears pants instead.

"This year I plan to wear a pant jumper," Starr says. "That's one of the great things about the event -- there's a variety of clothing, so everyone fits in."

There are of course, some who come in a formal party dress of tulle or full skirted gown with a train, but the point is that no one will talk about your dress behind your back. If you go all out, like one woman who came in a princess cut yellow dress that looked an awful lot like Belle from "Beauty and the Beast," just be prepared to have many more photo opportunities.

"The thing that's cool about it is that we're all in these prom dresses, and some are tacky, some are super cute and some are awesome, but nobody is judging it," Stanford says. "We're not trying to size each other up. You get to be whoever you want to be.

"Do you want crazy hair and tons of makeup that night? You still get tons of acceptance."

And accepting it is. Last year one mom, who was eight months pregnant at the time, danced to Michael Jackson's "Thriller" for an avid audience, all crowded around her in a circle. But Magsam and Rockwood really knew they had made the event they set out to create when a breast cancer survivor who had just finished a round of chemotherapy treatment spent hours of dancing with her friends and at the end of the night, took off her wig and whipped it 'round and 'round her head, lasso style, on the dance floor knowing she was in the presence of true friends.

"That's the kind of atmosphere we want it to be," Rockwood says. "Completely at ease and supported by your fellow women in the community. It made us want to do it all over again."

NAN Our Town on 05/21/2015

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