Raising awareness of climate change

By Samantha Schatz

Global warming: FAQ

Dr. E. Christa Farmer, of Hofstra University, helps organize events, such as the National Teach-In, to educate students about global warming. In her research, she studies the geological record for potential ideas of how climate systems operated in the past and how they might work in the future.

She was one of the first students to graduate from Stanford University with a degree in Earth Systems, an interdisciplinary environmental program. Farmer then went on to work for The Environmental and Energy Study Institute, a Washington, D.C. think tank that helps educate Congress.

She also monitored the Kyoto Protocol negotiations as part of the U.S. Climate Action Network. She later earned her doctorate at Columbia University before joining the Department of Geology at Hofstra.

Q: What is one of the biggest obstacles that you have had to overcome?

A: I spent a good year of graduate school trying to do some very complicated statistics. One of the things that I did in my dissertation was that I looked into whether or not it would be possible to take multiple species of a particular marine organism, and use all of their geo-chemistry to get a detailed picture of the upper-water column.

I spent about a year trying to do the statistics all by myself, because I wanted to do it on my own. My advisor advised me to talk to a statistician, who was able to write a code for me to do it in about five minutes. I had been banging my head against the wall for a long time, and I finally realized that collaboration is useful in many things, in the sense that people bring various strengths to the table.

Q: Before coming to Hofstra University, you spent some time hiking in the southern Sierra Nevada Mountains. Can you describe your experience there?


A: For a few years I completed my paid undergraduate degree,which was on a study of small weasels. We put radio collars on them, and researched the habitat that they were living in to see which areas they liked best. It was very rewarding living in such a gorgeous area, but it taught me a very valuable lesson.

Anything that you have to do everyday becomes a chore at some point, at first I thought, ‘Oh, wow, this is amazing,’ and then there were days I woke up and said, ‘I don’t really want to do this, but it’s my job.’ So it taught me that you’re going to have good days and bad days, and you’re going to make the most of what you can.

Q: What exactly was the work you performed before Congress?

A: I helped put together educational events for Congressional staff; usually,it encompassed young folks like myself working for the Senators and Congress people. We would do things like bring in scholars who specialized in studying the tax code, and have them give presentations on better tax laws, or scholars who study environmental issues with better ideas for regulations. My job was mostly administrative support for these events.

Q: When did you first develop concerns about global warming?

A: In college, I started out as a geology major, and switched to biology, and was studying ecosystems and ecosystem ecology. I took an incredible class called Biology and Global Change, which really looked at the human impact on all ecosystems.


Q: What is your favorite class to teach here at Hofstra?

A: There are certain things I like about every class I teach, but the newest class that I've developed is a first-year student seminar called Global Warming and the Science of Climate Change. It allows students to go into detail on all of the parts of the climate system. It has been most rewarding to me because it is the topic closest to my heart.

Q: If you were to give one piece of advice to the Hofstra community on helping to combat global warming, what would it be?

A: I think everything you do helps in some way. The more we reduce our manufacturing, the more we reuse items, we are helping. Little things like that, as well as reducing the use of our cars, or trying to convert our homes to water or solar energy.

Q: Any advice for students here at Hofstra?

A: Young people who are very idealistic and see solutions to problems should push for them, because the system gets entrenched in the way it works now, and it’s not always best. Always keep pushing for what you think can be a better world.

Finance major dances at 2009 Oscars

By Saira Bajwa
From Hofstra to Hollywood, Aniejane Malika has had a memorable year. In February, Aniejane appeared on stage at the Oscars, performed on the Oprah Winfrey show, and met some of the biggest stars in Hollywood. Drama students may dream of Hollywood, but Aniejane Malika spends most of her time academically crunching numbers as a finance major.

Anie, as she prefers to be called, began learning classical Indian dancing at a young age. Several years ago, she and a group of her friends started a dance team called “Yuba”. The group's first performance was at a church fundraiser. They went on to perform in Indian exhibitions and fundraisers, and even have traveled as far as Trinidad for a performace. Anie chose to attend Hofstra and major in finance, where she maintains much of her focus.

Yuba caught the eye of choreographer Rujuta Vaidya, who was asked to choreograph the Bollywood number at the Oscars; thus beginning Anie's unlikely journey to Hollywood. The dancer describes the event as being incredible. “Performing in front of the talented people who I look up to and who I watch on screen was amazing, "says Aniejane.

Vaidya fought hard to include Yuba because of their strong background in Indian dancing, which the other dancers lacked. Vaidya wanted the girls to bring their graceful, genuine Indian touch to the performance. “Being the only four Indian girls on that stage, it was an honor to represent the Indian community,” Anie says.

Anie also met some of the biggest stars in Hollywood: Oprah, Danny Boyle, Freida Pinto and Dev Patel as well as others whom she saw in passing. Despite being star-struck initially, Anie says they were “just really pretty people.” "The cast of Slumdog Millionaire was especially nice and spoke to us for quite some time. We actually snuck into Oprah’s green room the next day and met Danny Boyle just kind of holding his Oscar like it was no big deal. It was surreal.”

Dancers who make it to the Oscars are typically professionals who have devoted their lives to dancing. Anie, however, is a content finance major who has no plans of changing her dreams. “Dancing will always be a wonderful hobby of mine. I can’t rule anything out but I really do love finance.”

“I’m so grateful for this experience and I’m humbled by the response I’ve gotten from my friends and my community”. For now however, Anie says “I am looking forward to getting back to my normal, boring life,” catching up with classes, and preparing for graduation like any other stressed-out college student.

Being all you can be, in Hofstra's ROTC

By Sarah Kay

Elizabeth Tully, 18, of Massapequa Park, NY, is making big strides towards a probable career in the military.


Q: What made you decide to join ROTC?

A: I have always wanted to join the military since I was little. My three brothers and my father were in the military, so I guess I kind of dreamed about it from their stories and the way I admired them. At one point I wanted to do active duty because the bonus is immediate and I felt like me and my mom could use the money especially after my dad died. But since I was 17 when I joined, she made me do ROTC instead in order to go through college. The full tuition is also a plus.


Q: Is there a reason you are interested in combat?

A: This is a funny question. My mother had to sign my contract for me because I was 17 at the time. I remember the day I contracted she was late, and she asked what I would do if she didn’t show up. Although my entire family has military backgrounds, my mom still has trouble with my career choice. I know she isn’t happy still for little reasons. I know it takes families a lot of time to come to terms with a military lifestyle.
A: I think I want to get as close to combat as I can because it’s the most difficult and demanding job in the Army. I want to push myself to my limits physically and mentally.


Q: Do you feel pressure to get involved in another field of the army, instead of combat, because you're a girl?

A: There is hardly any pressure to push women into specific fields. In our battalion we are motivated by the cadre to pursue our career choice. The only way to guarantee your position is to excel in school and get good scores on the PT [physical training] test. Women are banned from the infantry and artillery branches, because of the high probability of direct combat. My career choice is to be an MP (military police). This is the closest women can get to combat.


Q: Have you ever done anything embarrassing in front of your superior?

A: Oh, do I have embarrassing stories! The day after Halloween I was out all night, without any sleep I headed to PT to play soccer and in front of the colonel I continued to kick the ball the wrong way for the entirety of the game. During last semesters FTX [Field Training Exercises] at West Point, we conducted a drill on how to respond to an enemy ambush. The master-sergeant followed us in order to grade us and provide feedback. We were traveling down a steep rocky cliff with our weapons, and it was raining and extremely slippery. We were expected to move swiftly, and in complete silence. Of course as I traveled down the rocks I tripped, busted my ass and slid down the incline. I looked up and the master sergeant was shaking his head trying not to laugh at me.


Q: What is your favorite part of being in ROTC?

A: My favorite part about ROTC is definitely the training. I’ve increased my physical abilities because of the program, and I get a good workout three days a week. Also, I’ve learned to be more organized, responsible and motivated.


Q: How do you plan to use your experiences in ROTC after you serve in the military?

A: My experiences in ROTC will definitely help me in future careers. The training we receive now is not only physical; the point is to turn you into a leader. We learn management skills, communication skills and learn to be confident in whatever we do.


Q: Describe a typical day for you, including any physical activity you have to do.

A: I wake up at 5:50 am in order to be at PT by 6:15. During PT we concentrate on specific workouts so it can be upper-body which may involve ridiculous amounts of push-ups, bear crawls, pull-ups, etc. Cardio is by far the worst, running almost three miles and singing cadences gets extremely annoying. We occasionally do pool exercises or ruck marches also. After every PT which ends at 7:30, I have to change out of uniform and run to my 8am class. Thursdays we have lab and we go over land navigation and tactical movements.


Q: What is the most difficult part of being in the program?

A: The commitment. Some cadets are not contracted, meaning they have little responsibility and aren’t held to high standards. Being contracted means you took the oath, and signed your name on an army contract. We have to make every PT, put aside one weekend every semester to train at West Point and commit eight years of service after school. It's not for everyone.


Q: Even though you've only been in ROTC for less than a year, how do you think it has changed you as a person?

A: My short experience in ROTC has changed me in great ways. I am more responsible and independent. I have my college paid for; I have to manage my stipend and my time. I contracted when I was 17 so I feel like I went from being a kid to being an adult over night. The program also allowed me to increase my physical abilities and push myself.


Q: Describe your favorite experience so far in ROTC, and why you enjoyed it so much.

A: My favorite experience in ROTC was the FTX at West Point. For three days we lived in barracks, trained in the mountains and barely slept. A helicopter dumped us in the middle of nowhere, and we hiked 4 miles to the training point in full gear. After that, we went over drills, night land navigation and learned important tactics. I think it was the FTX that made me realize this is what I wanted to do with my life, and what a good choice I made.


Q: Are you scared of the possibility of going to Iraq or Afghanistan after graduation?

A: Absolutely not. I would be honored to serve my country abroad in combat, and I’m willing to accept the dangers of my career choice. Two of my brothers and my father have served combat, and I’ve had discussions on the effects and emotional implications of those situations. When I contracted in the army, part of my oath involved my willingness to bear arms for my country in times of need. As a soldier, one of the army values we must live by is selfless service, and I truly believe in this concept. When it comes down to it, too many people don’t support our country’s efforts, and can’t even comprehend what it means to be dedicated, selfless and willing to give the ultimate sacrifice in order to protect everything else around us. I was raised to believe that these few people have to step up, and commit themselves to our country.


Q: What are your feelings about women not being able to be in combat?

A: Double standards exist in the army in order to make tests and physical boundaries fair. Men are stronger and faster naturally. I believe in order for women to serve combat, these double standards would have to be overlooked, and the few women that could pass the male standards and meet every quality necessary to serve infantry or artillery, should be considered. Also, positions such as military police, transportation, etc. face the same dangers daily in the Middle East. Although many women feel that the right to combat should be granted, many factors make this almost impossible. Family values, sex abuse in secluded units, etc. Our country may not be ready to see young women coming home in body bags because of traditional cultural values.


Q: How does your mom feel about you going into the army?

A: This is a funny question. My mother had to sign my contract for me because I was 17 at the time. I remember the day I contracted she was late, and she asked what I would do if she didn’t show up. Although my entire family has military backgrounds, my mom still has trouble with my career choice. I know she isn’t happy still for little reasons. I know it takes families a lot of time to come to terms with a military lifestyle.

From heart-surgery survivor to softball star

By Adam Malmut

While in high school, Hofstra University softball star Kayleigh Lotti underwent open heart surgery to remedy a heart condition that endangered her life. After three seasons on Hofstra's softball team, Lotti has set a record for strikeouts (958) and an all-time 82-27 record.

A big hit during a softball game between Hofstra and Towson University.

"After the surgery I basically had to start over. It became even more important for me to return to softball. It was a turning point in my life."

Q: How important has softball been to you throughout your life?

KL: It’s been very important, especially after my heart surgery. I was a 12-year-old little girl when my dad got me into softball. Reflecting now, it’s kind of my getaway.

Q: I heard you had open-heart surgery in high school. Why did you need the surgery and how did it affect your life?

KL: I was born with a heart condition and they didn’t pick it up back then. The doctors told me it was something that should have been taken care of when I was born. It went way too long without being fixed.

I first found out about it when we went to Colorado for a softball tournament in high school and I was having arm pains. My dad took me to a walk-in clinic while we were there and they told me I needed heart surgery right away. They told me that nobody had lived passed 21 who had the same condition.

I had a coarctation of the aorta, which means my aorta was narrowed in a spot to the point where it was almost completely closed. The condition blocks the right flow of blood from getting to my lower body. After the surgery, I had better circulation. It saved my life.

Q: Were you scared that you might not be able to play softball anymore?

KL: I wasn’t nervous at all at first. All I was thinking about was getting out of school for two weeks. Right before I went into surgery I was nervous and was thinking about how serious it could be. It was painful afterwards but I still came back to play even after they said I might not be able to. Three months later I was pitching again. I lost 25 pounds but I recovered pretty quickly.

Q: What was your most memorable moment as a pitcher?

KL: I would say it was last year during the CAA tournament. I pitched every game. We lost one, and coach said I’m going to have to pitch three games straight. We had to beat James Madison twice that day. The third game we went into extra innings and I was totally exhausted. I kept thinking that I didn’t want be the first to lose the streak (then 11- championships in a row). The team and I always talk about not losing the streak. My arm and legs felt like they were about to fall off. Winning that day was the most memorable.

Q: What is your “dream job?”

KL: I would really like to be a sideline reporter. I want to talk to people at the games; I think it would be really fun.

Q: Name the most important goal you have in your life, and explain why it means so much to you.

KL: Well, like any baseball player would tell you, and I know it may be a cliché, but I would love to go to the World Series.

Q: What is your favorite activity aside from softball?

KL: In the summer I really like to go jet skiing. I’m kind of a goofball so I like to go bowling and stuff. Most of my friends on campus are on the softball team so they usually come up with some crazy fun stuff to do.

Graduate Student Makes a ‘Green’ Difference

By Samantha Davies


Spend just five minutes with Michael LaFemina, Hofstra graduate student, and you might feel empowered to make a difference. He has helped bring about the ‘plate first’ policy and a ban against Styrofoam at Hofstra University. He is currently working on a ‘ban the bottle’ campaign; while simultaneously studying education.

LaFemina chairs the Student Affairs Committee for the Hofstra University Senate. Along with saving the planet, he has also worked to educate students about politics through the 2008 debate at Hofstra. During his reign in the SAC, he has been trying to create a full-time Officer of Environmental Sustainability position for the University.

Q: What motivates you?

Michael LaFemina: In general we [youth] are impatient, we are not self-motivated, and we have expectations that are too high of others and too low of ourselves. [It makes me angry because] it takes a lot for us to look past our televisions, MySpace pages, iPhones and the many other distractions to things that have influence on our lives and the lives of others.

Q : What has made you the person you are today?

ML: Everything I have done, everywhere I've been and every person I have interacted with, has had an influence on me one way or another. Of course there have been milestones and there have been people who have had more influence than others.

I’m constantly reevaluating myself as an individual, as a learner, as an activist, as an organizer, as a spiritual person in every dimension possible. The more time you spend with people and pay attention to who they are, the more you learn about yourself.

Q : Are you a vegetarian? Why or why not?

ML: [Yes, and] my reasons are ever evolving. My original reasons were animal rights because I was blown away by the lack of humanity that was in the factory farming industry. Then I learned about how to be a conscious consumer and it dawned on me that I shouldn’t buy sweatshop made goods.

This is another level of ethical disagreement I have with the production of an item that I consume. I also found out that the meat and dairy industry are the number one producers of global green house gases. I read a statement that said if you want to do something great for the environment don't drive a hybrid, give up meat, you will have a bigger impact.

Q : What have you done at Hofstra that you’re most proud of?

ML: For the last couple of years I have been sharpening what I believe in and making sure that I understand what I am talking about. I have been educating myself, focusing my energies and then acting on them.

It’s good to have beliefs, but if you don't carry them out, then they are useless. [However,] I wish I could have spent more time learning how to play the cello. It's a beautiful instrument.

Q: Since, you majored in music as an undergraduate are you trying to do anything with that at the moment?

ML: My studies in music were not so much that I could be a musician or a music teacher; I originally had intentions to be a researcher of music. My studies have kind of evolved to be just a deeper appreciation for music as an art form and a community. I value it and its part of my life, but as far as being active in my music that’s not really my focus right now.

Q: What would your friends say about you?

ML: They would tell you that I am pretty sincere, hardworking, concerned for their well-being and our planet. I would hope they would say that I don’t just talk the talk, I walk the walk.

Q: It seems you have made many friends here at Hofstra, but have you made any enemies?

ML: My reputation is not one of confrontation. I am more of a coalition builder, not someone who believes fighting with people who disagree with you is a way to further your agenda. There is no reason to make enemies in this world. It’s just counterproductive.

Q: Is there any story that your friends would tell me but you wouldn’t want them to?

ML: I don’t get embarrassed by the things I do, I revel in them.

Q : If there was one message you could tell everyone what would it be?

ML: Look in a mirror: if you’re happy with what you see, you’re doing something right. If you’re not, fix it. I can’t tell you anything that you can't tell yourself.


Hofstra Holds Climate Change Symposium

From unknown students to rapping sensations

By Stephen Cooney

When Giovanni Greene, Corey Abisdid and Darryl Semple met at their freshman orientation at Hofstra in 2005, they never expected to build a new hip-hop group.

“We were playing one of those stupid games that they make you play at orientation,” Greene says, “I went up and said I rapped. Then Abisdid said he rapped, too, and then Darryl came up and said he also rapped.”

After the meeting ended, Greene and Abisdid got together and started free-styling with each other, Semple joined the group.

“Everyone broke off from the meeting and we had our first rapping session,” Abisdid says. “We kept throwing verses back and forth and then finally we were like ‘Okay, we can spit.’”

As orientation closed, the three new friends returned to their homes in New Jersey, Westchester and Brooklyn to finish their summers and prepare for thier college careers. At Hofstra, they passed the time with hip-hop and impromptu rap sessions.

Several weeks into the semester, the friends were introduced to Adrian Pearce whom they heard could also rap. At first glance they were unsure if he was going to fit into their newly found group.

“This crazy lookin’ white dude with no shoes on came over with my boy and I was like ‘I dunno about this guy,’” Semple says. “Then he started spitting and I was like ‘He is nasty. We gotta start making music.’”

Coincidentally, Giovanni had recording equipment in his room so the four boys decided to give recording a try. They set up an operation in 1116 Estabrook Hall. “We called it HQ freshman year,” said Greene. “It was like being locked in a box and we wouldn’t come out until a song was completed.”

As the four finished their first mix tape, they grew even closer to each other, morphing into a group titled C-4. They now live together in an off-campus house. Their music is the baseline but their friendship is the bond that makes the band different.

“We are friends first more than anything,” says Abisdid. “We bond on a level because we all have a respect for the craft and anything that anyone does but outside of that we boys.” Abisdid said. “We are brothers to the end. College ain’t nothing easy and we are each others’ life lines.”

“It isn’t a fake friendship,” Semple says. “Us together is all day; all day since we met. That was a team right there.”

The rappers began to make themselves known around Hofstra by handing out free copies of their first mixed tape and getting a taste of a stage at a university-sponsored open mike. After a few campus shows, they produced a second mixed tape.

They performed at more university concerts including ones which featured Lupe Fiasco and Estelle. With the stage experience, the band has taken on the underground hip-hop circuit in New York City.

On stage they carry on more like four friends having a good time than a regular group of people on stage. They act as each others’ hype men, reading when one of the members is struggling and seamlessly filling in the gaps.

“There hasn’t been a group in a while that has been successful,” Pearce says. “It has been all industry-put-together shit that seems to crumble because they aren’t a cohesive unit.”

As friends and bandmates they have pushed one another to excel and learn from eachothers mistakes.

“We are four completely different people. Four different styles, four different people from four different places,” Greene says. “We all listened to the same music and were all into the same things but we are all individuals.”

Their four individual styles merge in the music to form a different type of hip-hop that seems to appeal to mass audiences, not just hip-hop fans.

Even as their college careers come to a close – Pearce will graduate in May and the remaining members will graduate in December – the band is confident that they will continue to work together.

“We love it too much not to,” Pearce says, “I am blessed to have met them. They were the brothers I never had.”

Make sure the head goes over the one line

By Jenny Stein

In 2005, AIDS activist Stacy Friedman and 15 others took a trip to Southeast Asia that helped define their lives and provide a better understanding of a recognized global epidemic.
Although Stacy Friedman, 32, has been volunteering for a variety of AIDS related projects since high school, it was only after 9/11 that her commitment to the cause gained definition.Six years ago she started volunteering at an AIDS hospice in Harlem, N.Y. There, she leads a group of volunteers while doing local outreach. “Now that I have been volunteering at the AIDS Hospice for so long, and spent so much time with those infected, I feel like I’ve put a face to the disease,” she says. “And now there’s no turning back.”
She manages to balance her hospice work with her full-time job at the Oxygen Network as a production manager for the on-air promos team. Her commitment inspired close friend and co-worker, Chelsea Tillett, to join the cause as well. “I was blown away at how committed she was to raising awareness about AIDS," Tillet, 29, recalls, "She quickly got me involved by the sheer dedication she gave on a daily basis".
In 2005, Tillett’s brother heard of an event called TrekAsia, which consisted of participating in an adventure challenge in Vietnam while raising money for AIDS research. TrekAsia is a fundraiser for the American Foundation for AIDS Research which requires each volunteer to raise $10,000 to participate. All funds go to support HIV programs in Asia. The adventure challenge consists of kayaking in Halong Bay, trekking through the Mai Chau Valley and sleeping in local tribal villages.
“As soon as he explained it to me, I knew we had to be a part of it,” says Tillett. Given Friedman’s background in TV/Film production at Hofstra and Tillett’s experience and passion for documentaries, she suggested they make a documentary feature on the experience, which would later be known as Leaving Mai Chau. “As soon as we told people what we were doing, their first question was always ‘Why Vietnam?’" says Friedman. “No one seems to know that there is an epidemic brewing over there, as all of the press is always about Africa.” Friedman and Tillett wanted to take this opportunity to shed light on the terrifying problem. The trip consisted of 16 volunteers, all from different walks of life with different reasons for participating, but all having been touched in some way by the epidemic.
Tillett and Friedman began to form their own production company, worldFrame Productions, in March 2005 so they could film the documentary. The 14 other volunteers who signed up for the adventure challenge agreed to be filmed. “They all believed in the story we are trying to tell,” says Friedman. “Just by participating in the trip, we knew that they had the same vision of publicizing the AIDS epidemic as we did.” Some volunteers used the documentary to tell their own stories. One woman who has been HIV positive for years is using the opportunity as a platform to come out and tell her account.
Friedman recalls her last day of trekking through the Mai Chau Valley. “It was over 100 degrees, with 100 percent humidity, and the cicadas were out in full force. If you have never heard the sound of a gazillion cicadas, consider yourself lucky.” The adventure challenge was much more physically strenuous than any of the volunteers had expected. Friedman, who suffers from an ailing knee and asthma, struggled to ascend mountains in extreme heat. “Thank God for Chelsea,” says Friedman, “because she was able to keep shooting while I was struggling just to make it through the day.”
Throughout the trip Friedman and Tillett did not want to lose sight of the goal they had set in mind. Most of the time, two cameras were rolling as the filmmakers tried to capture everything that was going on, from the fighting, tears and injuries to the excitement, camaraderie and sharing homemade wine with the locals. “The [first] trip definitely was more about the actual adventure challenge, and seeing these people wildly out of their element,” Friedman says.
The filming process and the adventure challenge proved to be strenuous for the two women. “It’s a great way to test yourself, and learn what you are capable of,” Friedman says. Tillett considers the entire process of filming the documentary humbling and inspiring. “On a daily basis we are working to create a film that will motivate our audience to promote change and education about the global epidemic of AIDS.”
They are currently working to complete the project and get it onto the film festival circuit. Friedman has freelanced for several festivals including the Tribeca Film Festival and the Lake Placid Film Festival. The ultimate goal is to take the film worldwide in order to reach the largest audience possible. Ideally, someone will buy the documentary and either air it in theaters or on television for maximum exposure.The experience only strengthened their commitment to inform the world of how important international funding of treating HIV/AIDS is. “This funding can literally save lives, we saw it in action,” Tillett says. Their goal with Leaving Mai Chau is to inform and educate those who are unaware of Vietnam’s struggle with AIDS.

Missy Dowse becomes a stage sensation

By Kelli DeWalt

The 22-year-old drama major scores a starring role in "Thoroughly Modern Millie"

As a junior, Missy Dowse's stage career took off after she auditioned for a touring production of Gypsy. She thought, “I’m tall and brunette….” Why not go for it? She never really expected to get the part. But sure enough, she was chosen, and her list of stage productions continues to grow. Now a Hofstra senior, she is starring in a dinner theater production of “Thoroughly Modern Millie” in Hudson, Florida. On returning to Hofstra, she says, “Absolutely, I only have one semester left. It would be foolish of me not to.”

Q: How did you get cast in “Thoroughly Modern Millie”?

A: I actually didn’t audition. It was complete luck. The people from the show saw me on tour in “Gypsy” as well as a video of me playing Millie at Hofstra’s Gray Wig Theater. So, they hired me from that.

Q: When did you first get bit by the “acting bug?”

A: I can’t ever remember a time of wanting to do something else. I always wanted to be a singer and I started dance when I was about two. I remember being seven and thinking to myself, ‘I can do all three of those things!?’
Not necessarily that I’m good at all those things, but how fun would it be to do them all. I had an amazing high school drama teacher that I still keep in touch with, but I never studied acting until I came to Hofstra. Everything sort of clicked. The professors don’t realize how much how a quick comment has affected the way I approach certain things theatrically.

Q: Do you ever get stage fright?

A: All the time. I'm always nervous before a performance but I think that helps keep my energy up and motivates me to improve.

Q: Have you ever had an embarrassing moment on stage?

A: There have been so many. One moment that stands out was when I was playing Sandy in “Grease” and during the last scene when I'm supposed to be "Sexy Sandy" my leather pants ripped in the middle of a dance. Luckily, it was only a final dress but the cast and director definitely had a good laugh.

Q: Why did you choose Hofstra?

A: Well, I’m originally from Long Island. I saw some of the shows at Hofstra and because I’m a homebody, I wanted to be close to home. But I’m really glad I went because when you audition for the BFA, the professors really get to know all the students from being in class with them.

Q: Who would you say has been your most influential professor at Hofstra and why?

A: I would say all of them. The great thing about this department is that everyone’s cohesive. They agree to not teach all the same method. Some of the other schools you only learn one method such as Stella Adler. But the way Hofstra works is like listen, here’s a bunch of beliefs and you put them in a tool box and you take out what you need to get to the place you need to. I really like that about the program. Even breathing methods trigger a certain emotion in a person. I know it’s funny, but those things really work.

Q: What has been your favorite Hofstra performance?

A: I did a staged reading of “Agnes of God” with Hofstra Entertainment. There I got to work with Talia Shire and Susan Sullivan who’s great. Talia was nominated for an academy award and Susan who is I believe is a Hofstra grad was Emmy nominated. They’re both crazy talented. I also did Millie at the Gray Wig. I feel as though Millie was a personal breakthrough for me. I was actually not the first choice for the part. It was a very long process and it was my dream role. And luckily, I got the chance to actually get the part and perform it. It was the first time I was able to show other people and myself things I was capable of doing.

Q: Which character have you played that's most like you and why?

A: As corny as it may sound, I think there is a little bit of each person in every role they play. That's what makes each performer's interpretation special. If I had to pick one that I most related with, it would be "Louise" in Gypsy before she becomes "Gypsy Rose Lee." I am very shy and don't always have the best level of self confidence. She also loved animals and so do I!

Q: Why do you think people don’t go to the theater as much as they used to?

A: A lot of it is convenience. And I don’t think a lot of people know about the theaters out there in their community and on Long Island where you don’t have to spend $100 dollars per show.

There’s something about a live performance. You’ll never see that exact performance again. While I’m not a huge fan of “High School Musical,” I’m grateful for how they’re getting kids interested. There are tons of programs now such as teen theater and acting camps that are thriving because the kids are interested.

Q: What would be the greatest praise you could receive?

A: Oh, dear. That is tough question. I think a lot of actors dream of receiving a prestigious award for their work or being complimented by someone they respect. I dream about those things too, but I am grateful for any positive feedback I receive. If a performer were to receive a compliment from Meryl Streep, they could die happy.

Q: What do you do in your spare time?

A: I like to exercise if I can, eat and watch Sex & the City.

Q: Who do you look up to and why?

A: At the risk of being cliché, I admire my parents and my brother a lot. None of them perform but they’re so great and so supportive of me. They, along with my boyfriend and friends have been selfless with the sacrifices they’ve made to help me to do what I want to do.

Q: Any funny backstage moments?

A: A lot. I can't think of any specific moments but I will say this...a lot of the entertainment happens backstage.

Youth promoter helps kids achieve their dreams

By Mandy Tracy

Dwayne Cumberbatch never planned on working in public relations. His sights were set on law school. Yet, an invite to a release party for shampoo Garnier Fructis changed his path.

Cumberbatch was invited by an actor friend who said that Cumberbatch was his publicist. One of the guests, who worked in PR for Maybelline, asked what Cumberbatch's firm was called. He blurted out the first name that came into his head, Alpha II Omega Public Relations. It was the name of a mock PR firm he once created for a class in college. At the end of the night, his friend told him he should consider doing public relations for a living.

After that party he couldn’t stop thinking about his friend’s advice. He went to the library to learn how to start his own business.

He found out that starting a business means new bills to pay, so he took a substitute teaching job at his old elementary school, Allen Christian School, a private school in Jamaica, Queens.

Aside from subbing in the classroom, Cumberbatch started holding fundraising events for the school. Soon enough, the Allen Christian School in Queens became his first client. By 2004, he had become the school’s program coordinator.

He started an athletic program to create publicity for the school. “I literally opened the yellow pages to find schools that would want to play basketball against them,” he says.

He found two other schools and had a few games with them. The following year he had a few more schools. Before he knew it, he had a league going with 15 schools and 23 teams from all over Queens, Brooklyn and Manhattan. Cumberbatch then created Alpha II Omega Youth Services to help fund the program. “The program allows me to give these kids the opportunity to be active and feel good about themselves,” he says. "If the program did not exist, the kids would not have anything to do. Some of the schools involved don’t even have gyms."

Cumberbatch hires 25 local high school students each year to run the games. The students learn leadership roles and what is involved in organizing an event. By the time they graduate, they have a resume most high school students would envy. “I think there is something to be said for an 18-year-old to be able to say they know bookkeeping and event planning,” he said.

He has now developed his PR firm into a media group where kids can make documentaries about issues such as diabetes and obesity.

Hofstra, he says, taught him to set a standard for yourself that will grab the attention of others. While here, he was given a platform in which he could practice, learn and work with other people in organizations such as the National Association of Black Journalists and the Society of Professional Journalists.

Cumberbatch, who holds his degree in Mass Media Studies, tries to give back to the university by offering internships to students and returning to speak to classes. “When Dwayne studied PR, we had one class with 20 students,” says his mentor and friend, PR professor Ellen Frisina. “Today we have close to 250 students. Even today, Dwayne Cumberbatch would stand out for his communication skills, personality, motivation and enthusiasm.”

Three stories intertwine in novel, Sway

A ghoulish tale of sex, drugs, rock and roll and murder is told by English professor Zachary Lazar in his novel, Sway

By Emily Lovejoy

With his second novel, "Sway", Hofstra’s own Zachary Lazar has received the kind of literary attention most writers can only dream of. Set in the 1960s, "Sway" weaves together the stories of the Rolling Stones, filmmaker Kenneth Anger and the infamous Manson family into a haunting mix of both fact and fiction. The three intersecting stories in "Sway: have a ghoulish quality and the novel reads almost like a sophisticated campfire tale. The book contains elements of Satanism and murder.

“Things like Charles Manson were recent enough that they were still in the common culture and they were sort of like ghost stories,” Lazar says. “It was always stuff I was really interested in when I was a kid growing up.”


Sway is considered a work of fiction, but it’s based on facts. According to Lazar, “None of the events are made up, except for little mundane things, conversations, behind-the-scenes kinds of interactions, but the big events are all true.”

For someone who is not familiar with the Rolling Stones, the Manson family or Kenneth Anger, this may seem hard to believe; the exploits of these people are larger than life. “The challenge of the book was to stick to what was true because it was bizarre and extreme in a lot of ways, murders and crazy drug episodes and this sex, drugs and rock and roll stuff. The trick was to make it seem real,” Lazar says.

Although he wasn’t born during the 1960s, Lazar says he consulted a wide variety of sources before writing the book, “When you read many accounts of the same event they’re always different so you can kind of make an educated guess about which is the best or truest version.”

The ultimate test of the novel’s truth came when it was released in England, “There were a bunch of people who were a part of the Stones’ circle in the ‘60s and several of them read it and said I got it right,” Lazar says.


“Lazar was someone I didn’t know really about until I started this book and his name kept cropping up in books about the Rolling Stones that I read,” Anger says. According to Lazar, Anger, now in his eighties, wasn’t thrilled about his portrayal in Sway.

Lazar isn’t aware if Keith Richards or Mick Jagger have read the novel and he said he wasn't that nervous of writing about them. “Not as nervous as I should have been,” he says. “I just didn’t really think of the possibility of them even really reading it. … I’m glad I didn’t think about it before because maybe I wouldn’t have written it.

The critical response to Sway has been impressive. “It got a lot of good reviews,” Lazar says. The New York Times gave said Sway “reads like your parents’ nightmare idea of what would happen to you if you fell under the spell of rock ’n’ roll.” Lazar’s third book is already completed, but not yet released.

The book will focus on his own father’s tragic murder after testifying against a Bernie Madoff-style real estate billionaire. Again, Lazar will be putting a creative turn on true events, but this time around, the novel will be considered non-fiction.

Like every great writer, Lazar is influenced by others. “My favorite writers are still people like Fitzgerald and Hemingway,” he says, “who I read when I was in college and formed my idea of what I wanted to do.”

Lazar is well aware of the difficulties that come along with trying to become a successful published author, “Just persevere because you face lots of rejection and struggle for many years before any of this happens like Sway. So, you just have to be very patient,” he advises.

Lazar recently received a fellowship to write at Princeton for a year, but hopes to return to Hofstra, where he currently teaches part-time, offering courses in Creative Writing.

Professor makes art out of potatoes

Making art and creating change with one of America's favorite vegetables

By Jacqueline Hlavenka

Adjunct art professor Jeffrey Allen Price uses potatoes as a way to get people together. He doesn't cook them; he sculpts them.

Price who calls himself a potato guru sits outside the C.V. Starr cafe a with an eight-month-old potato that has shriveled up to a size no bigger than a fist.

This might seem like trash to most, Price considers it a work of art. “I don’t have to do very much to this at all,” Price says. "See? The potato is sculpture on its own," he says.

A self-proclaimed potato artist, Price says the potato is a humble, accessible symbol that is abundant and unpretentious. "Everyone has some type of connection to it. I use the potato as a
lens to examine everything,” Price says.

Though Price defines himself as “unclassifiable,” he is a conceptual artist because all his projects have a specific meaning behind it. For Price, “thinking potato” is a humorous symbol for living a healthy, sustainable lifestyle that is constantly changing – just like the potato itself.

"I’ve used [it in] paintings and those are going to last but when I carve the potato, it is always transforming. I’m always learning from this process of transformation,” Price says.

Born in Arizona and raised in Missouri, Price started working with potatoes in 1996 as an undergraduate student at Missouri State University. Since then, he’s organized numerous potato-based festivals, including 2003’s Think Potato festival in St. James that focused on art, environmentalism, sustainable living and community involvement.

For Price, creating potato art is not just personal. It can bring people together.“I think this [potato] is political as well because I use it as a social vehicle,” Price says. “In 1996, I started organizing potato festivals as social events. If I am organizing a social event and say ‘let’s be a community,’ that’s political.”

“There’s an ephemeral quality of the potato,” he says. “ I once carved a self-portrait of me out of a potato and it was hilarious. I left on the skin for my hair and my beard and then it kind of shriveled away. This [the potato] is very fertile and vibrant right now but in a couple months it is going to dry out and it’s going to die."

From open-heart surgery survivor to strikeout leader

By Adam Malmut

While in high school, Hofstra University softball star Kayleigh Lotti underwent open heart surgery to remedy a heart condition that risked her life. After three seasons on Hofstra's softball team, Lotti has set a record for strikeouts (743)and is currently fifth on the all-time wins list with 64 wins.

Q: How do you feel about being the Hofstra record-holder for pitches?

A: It’s definitely a great achievement. I’ve worked hard to get there and I’m glad that I’m lucky enough to do something like that.

Q: How important has softball been to you throughout your life?

A: It’s been very important, especially after my heart surgery. I was a 12-year-old little girl when my dad got me into softball. Reflecting now, it’s kind of my getaway.

Q: How did your heart surgery effect your life?

A: After the surgery I basically had to start over. It became even more important for me to return to softball. It was a turning point in my life. I was born with a heart condition and they didn’t pick it up back then. The doctors told me it was something that should have been taken care of when I was born. It went way too long without being fixed. I first found out about it when we went to Colorado for a softball tournament in high school and I was having arm pains.

My dad took me to a walk-in clinic while we were there and they told me I needed heart surgery right away. They told me that nobody had lived passed 21 who had the same condition. I had a coarctation of the aorta, which means my aorta was narrowed in a spot to the point where it was almost completely closed.

The condition blocks the right flow of blood from getting to my lower body. After the surgery, I had better circulation. It saved my life.

Q: Were you scared that you might not be able to play softball anymore?

A: I wasn’t nervous at all at first. All I was thinking about was getting out of school for two weeks. Right before I went into surgery I was nervous and was thinking about how serious it could be. It was painful afterwards but I still came back to play even after they said I might not be able to. Three months later I was pitching again. I lost 25 pounds but I recovered pretty quickly.

Q: What was your most memorable pitching moment?

A: I would say it was last year during the CAA tournament. I pitched every game. We lost one, and coach said I’m going to have to pitch three games straight. We had to beat James Madison twice that day. The third game we went into extra innings and I was totally exhausted. I kept thinking that I didn’t want be the first to lose the streak (then 11- championships in a row). The team and I always talk about not losing the streak. My arm and legs felt like they were about to fall off.Winning that day was the most memorable.

Q: What is your “dream job?”

A: I would really like to be a sideline reporter. I want to talk to people at the games; I think it would be really fun.

Q: Name the most important goal you have in your life, and explain why it means so much to you.

A: Well, like any baseball player would tell you, and I know it may be cliché, but I would love to go to the World Series.

Q: What is your favorite activity aside from softball?

A: In the summer I really like to go jet skiing. I’m kind of a goofball so I like to go bowling and stuff. Most of my friends on campus are on the softball team so they usually come up with some crazy fun stuff to do.

'Dark Knight' inspiration for new Hofstra Film

By Sabriana Raco

Seniors Louis Aquilar and Chris D’Amato and their professor David Henderson created and produced a detective film, “On the Rocks.” Aquilar and D’Amato embarked on creating their film in their sophomore year. With the help professor Henderson they received the backing that they would need to make this a successful film. The drama majors where able to get a hands-on look at what it was like to write, produce and act in their own film . “On the Rocks” is a mystery film that draws on inspiration from several black and white films as well as more current, popular films such as the “Dark Knight”.

For seniors, Louis Aquliar and Chris D’ Amato, the success of their film series “On the Rocks” could not have come at a better time. They hope one day to bring the film to the big city.

Q: What was your biggest inspiration for the film series “On the Rocks”?

CD’A: It all began when with the premiere of the “Dark Knight” came out. Louis, David, and I Me, Louis and David had met up during the summer to see the film. and While we were waiting on line to purchase tickets, David thought it would be a great idea to create and write our own film. David had been on sabbatical and invested the time and money to help us construct the film.

LA: Another major part of the inspiration for the film came from a show that we do at Hofstra on Wednesdays in the Drama Department called “Cabaret”.Cabaret it is theater, acting and music. Chris and I had always had the desire to write, produce and act in our own film and seeing it happen was a thrilling feeling.

Q: What were the main ideas and themes behind the film?

DH: Much of the film is based around class movies and old black and white films. This was the angle both Chris and Louis wanted. Some of the themes derive from old movies like “Casablanca” and “Third Man.” The movie [has] a detective story line.

LA: Jack Bullet, the main character, is an unstable; The shining star is the main character, Jack Bullet, who is this unstable, depressed character with his own inner problems. His costar is the complete opposite; Sal is this all-around family man who has everything together.The film shows how these two opposites are friends and need each other in their life. It has a positive theme because it shows the importance of friendshipand support in a person’s life. and having supportive people in your life.

Q: Did you always know that you wanted to pursue a career in the film and theater industry?

LA: Ever since I was little, I wanted to act. I love it all, from theater to films to anything where I perform for people. It has been a passion of mine for a long time.

CD’ A: I have always enjoyed acting. When I was younger I would pretend I was an actor and act out different roles in my house. My family always gave me support and encouraged my dreams every day, so I am very lucky.

Q: What are your thoughts about the film and theater industry today?

DH: Being a professor in the Drama Department, I see many students who have the passion and drive to want to pursue their dreams within the entertainment field. In the Drama Department you have to be passionate, especially when starting out. These students know that theater is not something you get into for the money; you do it for the passion and heart.

Q: What were some of your fears during production?

LA: My biggest worry was that people were not going to understand the film; we wanted to be both serious and funny at the same time. In the end it all worked out, so my worries were put to rest.

Q: How did you both handle acting on film? Were you nervous?

LA: If you are going to pursue a career in the theater and film industry, you have to know how to separate your fear from your performance. It’s very natural for me to be on camera. When I would audition for roles, I would say the waiting would get me nervous. Once I would get in there and start acting, my nerves would calm down. I feel it’s like that for many people.

Q: What were some of the funniest moments you can recall from filming?

LA: Going to the three locations where we shot the film. The scene for Jack Bullet’s office was filmed in David Henderson’s dining room. There was a night club scene called the Fat Brass; it was supposed to be this old hip 1930s night club. We filmed it at a spot called “Brasserie Julien”, located in Red Hook, Brooklyn. We went into this alley way and we saw a man laying there. We tried to figure out how we could get him to leave so we could film. We ended up giving him $20.00 and a pack of cigarettes and he left.

Q: What are your plans after college? Will you still pursue film and theater careers?

CD’ A: Absolutely, I want to take this career as far as I possibly can. I plan to move into Manhattan with a few of my friends and Louis. We are hoping to take “On the Rocks” to the next level and hopefully some producer will like it and use it in film or theater.

Q: Are you looking forward to the Hofstra opening this spring?

CD’A: It will be interesting to see how the students react to the film. People who know about the film and understand the theme behind it will appreciate it. For those who do not, hopefully they can have laughs and just enjoy a night of people getting together and having fun.

Watch the pilot episode of On the Rocks

Former Hofstra student now a "Gossip Girl"

By Kelli DeWalt

The hit WPIX series, "Gossip Girl" may dish some pretty scandalous rumors, but Margaret Colin, who plays Blair Waldorf's catty mother, knows where real gossip thrives: Hofstra University's campus. That's where Colin first learned her craft, 30 years ago.

A Long Island native, Colin chose Hofstra because of its great reputation and notable alumni such as director Francis Ford Coppola and actress Madeline Kahn. Hofstra also gave her a generous scholarship and grant aid, which was important because she was one of five children.

“My first semester there, I was enormously comfortable,” Colin says. “I was cast right away.”

The professor who cast her and became her mentor was Dr. Richard Mason. “He didn’t really take anyone under his wing; he focused the laser of his attention on you. So, he hurt you and tortured you at the same time,” she says.

Fellow Hofstra drama student Jean Tafler remembers Colin in college as having “a sophistication that was beyond her years. . . she was always 30 years old.” She’s not surprise by her success because, “with that maturity and sophistication, she was savvier about the business side than the rest of us.”

While most actors struggle for years after college before landing a substantial role, Colin received hers in her junior year at Hofstra. “I was doing a [play named] "Clearing in the Woods" when an actor came to see me and left his agent’s card backstage. I auditioned and got a job.” That job was “The Edge of Night” a half-hour soap opera. Although she went back to take a few classes, she never graduated, yet would like to.

“I think I have to set a better example for my children and actually get my degree. . . I wouldn’t mind going back to school for it but I’m not going to take math. So, if Hofstra felt like giving me an honorary degree I’d be really thrilled,” Colin says.

From “The Edge of Night,” Colin appeared in popular soaps like “As the World Turns” and “Now and Again,” and movies including “Pretty in Pink” and “Independence Day.”
Colin's been with "Gossip Girl" since it began and said she was given the pilot and was impressed by its flashiness. “After you do theater you need a money gig,” she says. “It was a put together, slick and glamorous show that was shot in New York.”

The show was an instant success and then came the perks. “I love the clothes,” she says. “Watching that wardrobe room explode with more and more designer bags -- it’s become very contagious.” She’s impressed at the reaction to the show. Leighton Meester and Blake Lively are both big media stars, and she says: “I’ve never seen anyone with only a year and a half of being on a television series under their belt, be on the cover of W and Vogue.”

Colin also has a large following of her own. “I can’t go to high schools; I can’t go see my cousin and nephew in plays because I’d be swamped,” she says. “It’s very entertaining. I’ve never been on such a television hit such as this and certainly not for this demographic.”

Colin’s favorite episode was the one in which all her models for her fashion week show disappeared. “It was such a wonderful out of control moment and she was so sabotaged by these vicious young women,” she says. She also admits how brutal her own character can be: “I think Eleanor at her best is an absolutely, wonderful reason why Blair is so obnoxious.”

Off-screen, Colin's life is much different. She is the honorary co-chair of “Feminists for Life,” an organization of women who oppose abortion. She heard about the organization from her mother, who was an active member. “The idea that the unborn don’t have a right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, the rights to the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, she didn’t accept and neither did a lot of people 36 years ago,” says Colin.

She believes that the early feminists were very much in support of a child’s right to be born and she doesn’t see this view as conservative. “I think it’s a kind of radical idea that you want everyone to be born,” she says. “You want everyone that’s been created to be born, wanted or unwanted, planned or unplanned.”

Colin takes pleasure in tackling such a controversial subject and enjoys speaking to people about it, especially younger people. She was even invited to the White House along with her friend, actress Patricia Heaton, to speak on the subject when President George W. Bush was in office.

While Colin has been in the business since college, she has no plans of stopping any time soon. “I really want to play more dynamic women on stage, more powerful, life-changing women,” she says. She’d also like to be more involved with her community. Montclair State University, near her home in New Jersey, has asked her and her husband, Justin Deas, to teach master classes.
What would she do if she weren’t acting? “I’d make an excellent president,” she says.

Two dance students make moves in life

By Amanda Domurad

Senior Autumn Dolan and junior Kristen Collins have shared the stage with modern dance greats.

For the past two summers, Autumn Dolan has studied at the American Dance Festival at Duke University, where she has danced under famed choreographers Trisha Brown and David Dorfman. Back at Hofstra, Dolan has collaborated with such guest artists as Martha Clarke and Nathan Trice.

Fellow dance major Kristen Collins has spent her summers dancing in repertory projects at New York University and Bates Dance Festival in Maine, working with companies and aritsts she has long admired, including Keigwin + Company and Nora Chipaumire of Urban Bush Women.

As Dolan prepares to graduate this May, she hopes to land a job with a modern dance company, while Collins enters her final year at Hofstra with dreams of becoming a choreographer. But first, we got them to stop moving just long enough to answer a few questions.

Question: When did you begin your career in dance?

Autumn Dolan: My mom enrolled me when I was 3 at a local dance school taking ballet, tap and jazz. I studied at Miami City Ballet. During the summer before my senior year of high school I went to Boston Conservatory and fell in love with modern. My modern teacher there convinced me that dancing is what I needed to do and when I got back home I changed my major on all of my college applications.

Kristen Collins: I started dancing when I was 3, here on Long Island, and continued seriously through high school. Making it my major was an obvious choice for me.

Q: What is the most embarrassing moment you have had, either on stage or during rehearsal?

KC: On opening night of my first performance freshman year at Hofstra, my foot got caught in my skirt and I fell straight down to the floor. Apparently it only lasted a split second and no one noticed, but I felt like I was down there forever.

Q: What is your favorite style of dance? Least favorite?

KC: I am most interested in the exciting, experimental world of postmodern dance, but I still love and appreciate the classics in ballet and modern. My least favorite style of dance is one that is a product of marketing and advertising, like "lyrical" dance, which for me involves no rich history or practice.

Q: What is going on through your head when you are on stage doing a solo and all eyes are on you?

KC: You can feel when the audience is with you or not, and when they are, it allows you to take hold of the space on a more intimate level.

AD: When I am onstage I know there is an audience in front of me but I can choose to acknowledge their presence or not. I like to play with the level of vulnerability between the audience and myself. It is sometimes hard to not think, ‘Oh, no, don't mess up,’ but if I do, the audience won't really know since they do not know the choreography.

I have actually been working on a solo since September, which I am performing at Dance Theater Workshop in NYC. I've performed it several times at Hofstra and still have the original feelings of a bunch of eyes staring at me but I just have to get that out of my head and live in the moment because with dance it is here and then it is gone. You can never reproduce that moment.

Q: Personally, is music essential to choreographing?

KC: My most recent choreography, "There's Nothing I Hate More Than Stopping for Pedestrians," was a 10-minute piece with no music, that was sent to the Northeast's Gala Performance at the American College Dance Festival. Silence gives you the ability to set your own pace and rhythm, which I think can be very exciting.

AD: I do not think music is essential. I have used it in different ways during the creation process; sometimes I have used a song or piece of music first, which allowed the movement to come later. I have also made movement first, from an emotion or story, and then found music or just left the piece in silence.

One time when making a piece, I created the movement using a random artist or song like Wu -Tang Clan and then would perform it to Bach; there is something about the opposition of the percussive bass of movement to the light strings.

Q: Who or what are your greatest inspirations?

KC: Anything and everything has the ability to inspire me - teachers, art, music, bodies, a nice day, a bizarre dream. Ordinary pedestrians have been inspiring me lately.

AD: Ah, so many! My parents really inspire me, as well as my peers who I dance with. As far as the dance world goes, I am incredibly inspired by Jennifer Nugent, Miguel Gutierrez, Robert Battle, Martha Clarke, Ishmael Houston-Jones, Laura Halzack, Doug Varone, Twyla Tharp just to name a few. I know and/or have worked with all of them, well... except for Twyla and Doug Varone, but one day!

As a young artist and choreographer, I find myself being like a sponge - taking everything in and using it toward how I perform and what I choose to create. It is vital to be open-minded.

Q: Do you see dance as an integral part of your life throughout the next 10 years?

AD: Of course! This is my passion and my life and there isn't a way that I can't see this not being a part of my life in 10 years, whether it is performing with a big company and traveling the world or with a small Brooklyn-based group or even just creating my own work. I know it will transcend in my life somehow. It is like my own form of therapy.