“I’m very excited,” said Western Beauty Institute student Wendy Gonzalez about competing in the 2007 Sensationnel Hair Idol Show at the Long Beach Convention Center on Sunday, August 5th. “It’s a lot of work to prepare.”

Wendy and her fellow contestants are each required to recruit nine models, cut and style their hair, and produce a five-minute “runway show” with music, glitz and glamour worthy of “American Idol.” Competition categories include Best Makeup, Best Short Weave, Fantasy/Avant-Garde, Evening, Vocational Style and Best Barber. Winners will be awarded up to $3,000 in cash and prizes, and will advance to the Grand Finals competition to be held in Washington, D.C. in November.

Wendy’s models must include three men and six women, two of whom she has chosen from fellow WBI students. Erica Greenwood will be one of those modeling for Wendy. “Hopefully,” Erica jokes, “I can win the modeling deal.”

Wendy hasn’t decided on the hairstyles she wants to perform yet, but has chosen a Gospel musical theme for her segment as a tribute to her faith and involvement in her community. Wendy will have the support of her Lancaster church, the Greater New Life Christian Center, which will be presenting a “praise dance” to open the Hair Idol beauty and fashion show. Twelve dancers, including Wendy, will perform a musical number to include “Gospel, Modern, Hip-Hop, Jazz and Ballet.” The church hopes to increase awareness of its programs for homeless and battered women, which have provided shelter, food and support for a number of Lancaster women and their families. Wendy and her two children went through the program at a time of personal crisis. “They helped me through the whole ordeal,” she said. Wendy credits Lancaster Mayor Henry Hearns, Bishop and Pastor of the First Missionary Baptist Church of Littlerock, with uniting a number of local churches, including hers, to support programs for homeless and abused women in the Antelope Valley.

Wendy will also be supporting, but competing against, fellow Western Beauty Institute students including Wendy Harris Taylor and Chantia Reynolds. Reynolds plans on weaving, coloring and braiding the hair of her models, fellow students Shannon Ingram and Christine Chavez. “I like competition,” says Reynolds. “It gives me a rush.”

This Hair Idol show is part of a nationwide series of competitions sponsored by Hair Zone, whose Sensationnel line of products include designer wigs, hairpieces, braids, weaves, extensions and other hair accessories. The show starts at 7:00 p.m. in the Long Beach Terrace Theater, part of the Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center. Tickets may be available at the door, or can be reserved by calling 310-288-3696.