Do you believe in Magic? The members of the Minden Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated certainly did as they presented their Annual Cotillion Ball at the Minden Civic Center on April 13th at 6:30 pm. This year’s theme was, “Glowing in Melanin Magic: 23 Shades of Beauty and Excellence.”
All evening, the nearly 400 audience guests were amazed and astonished. In succession, one by one, the twenty-three debutantes dressed in full, vibrant white, antebellum-style dresses and long, white gloves, seemed to appear out of thin air at center stage to be presented for their societal debuts. Abracadabra! Some shimmered, some sparkled, some bedazzled, some glittered, some twinkled, but all of them were exuberant and beautiful!
The Cotillion process began in September 2023 with selection and a formal invitation to participate. In December 2023, the prospective debutantes introduced themselves and displayed their individual talents through speech, dance, poetry, and song at an Introductory Tea at Minden High School. In the months after the tea, they also participated in activities which included etiquette workshops, community service projects and a college bus tour that included Grambling State University, Jackson State University, Southern University (in Baton Rouge), Dillard University, and Xavier University.
The Cotillion participants included high school seniors, young ladies from Bienville, Bossier, Caddo, Claiborne and Webster Parishes, and also Houston, Texas. For 58 years, the Cotillion process and subsequent Spring Presentation Gala have been a part of the Minden Alumnae Chapter. This come-of-age and culmination activity has been a long-awaited rite of passage for hundreds of young ladies who have proudly been a part of this traditional, Southern event in Minden and surrounding communities.
With live music, festive and theme-related decorations, food and dancing, the debutantes, escorts and audience enjoyed a great time! Mrs. Yolanda Deorosan Smith, President of the Minden Alumnae Chapter, the Cotillion Committee, and members of the chapter want to thank the debutantes, parents, escorts, and all of the guests who made “the magic” during this process and contributed to a huge, Izzy wizzy, magical success!
