The explosive musical duo Dario G will pay a visit to Sofia on November 25 for the Visages Models 2001 contest.

Group members Paul Spencer, an English producer, and Ingfrid Straumsteul, a Norwegian guitar player, will be the special guests for the beauty contest to be held in Hall 1 of the National Palace of Culture.

Dario G is a British group, which, despite numerous transformations, has managed to be among the world's leading dance artists. The group boasts millions of sales, while their hit "Carnival In Paris" turned into the hymn of the football World Cup championships in France in 1998.

The band will perform the song "Dream To Me" live at the fashion event. The video from their popular song "Sunchyme" (1997) will be played on a screen in the background, Sofia Music Enterprises revealed. "It will best fit the show - animals united around the search for a better living place," said Martina Pavlova, a public relations representative with the Visages Model Group Fashion Agency, describing the video. This video is also presently being used in South Africa in a campaign for tolerance between races, Pavlova added.

The top 17 foreign fashion agencies will be represented at the contest to single out Bulgaria's top model. Owners or general managers from the fashion industry will compose the jury. Ricardo Guy and Michele Levantone (Metropolitan Agency), and Storm agency from London will be a part of this jury, as will a representative from Vogue magazine.

New to the contest this year will be a journalists' choice award, where the media present will vote for their favourite model.

Over 70 girls will be competing for the top prize, which amounts to $100,000 in the form of a contract signed between the winner and the agency of her choosing.

Evgenia Kalkandjieva, executive director of Visages fashion agency and a former Miss Universe beauty pageant contender (sixth in the world 1994), was mobbed by over 300 girls wishing to become famous during a casting call last month.

The model chosen by the media will be given a cosmetics package valued at 1,000 leva and technical supplies worth 1,500 leva. "The young ladies are so attractive, it will be hard for the colleagues from the media field not to hesitate," Kalkandjieva said.

The foreign agencies will likely also pick up girls who have been involved in modelling prior to this event. "Just like Stanimira Koleva, a model from the Visages agency and the face of world famous Pantene hair products, was selected in last year's edition of the contest, now these 70 contestants have a great opportunity," said Pavlova.

The model who won last year's contest now works for the Italian fashion agency Major. "Her image has been totally transformed," said Pavlova.

A brand new Ford Focus will also be given away to one lucky ticket holder in a draw.

The entire show has been organized by Visages Model Group Fashion agency and Sofia Music Enterprises. The contest begins at 7pm.