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Volume 53, Issue 49 • Thursday, April 29, 2010
Stony Brook Belly Dancing, A Team Diversified By Frank Posillico News Editor
EZRA MARGONO / THE STATESMAN
The Belly Dancing team wows the audience in Febraury at the Winter Galla.
FOCUS Magazine, Back at Stony Brook By Kerrin Darcy Contributing Writer
ISSUE
IN THIS
At first glance, the flyer might be slightly intimidating to passersby: a bold-colored pink fist surrounded by a pink female gender symbol. There is something about those colors, that boldness, that stands out and makes a statement. Students and faculty walking past the
bulletin board in Melville Library’s first-floor lobby are drawn in by the flyer’s intensity and clear message that alerts everyone to get ready for the new, upcoming edition. FOCUS: On Women & On Diversity, Stony Brook University’s student-run literary magazine, has reemerged from a rough journey with an ambitious new business plan and a bossy new attitude. First directive: Men, it’s time to ante up.
The magazine’s upcoming issue is due to print around the end of April, and will be the third issue since its comeback last spring. While the magazine goes as far back as 1994, it is no longer just about feminism and women’s issues, but is reaching out to men to contribute writing, art, poetry and photography, said FOCUS magazine’s President Alexandria Lanza FOCUS originated
with the Women’s Studies department, unsurprisingly as a feminist literary magazine. It published between once and twice a year (depending on funds) until about 2001, when it disappeared. “We did pretty well for a number of years and then everybody graduated,” said Constance Koppleman, a history professor in the See FOCUS on 3
The black stage was hot under the blazing sun. Everyone was barefoot and this was the first performance for a few of the members. The thought of messing up was not the only thing going through their minds. “Do I look fat?” “Will I remember the dance?” “Do I look pasty?” But those thoughts quickly disappeared. The adrenaline rush took over and now they shimmy their hips from side to side. They move in a blur and drift across the stage to the music without fault. Some of the girls look back on that first performance and cringe. But it was the beginning of a long ride that has made them one of the most recognized clubs on campus. They are the Stony Brook belly dancers, and what they do cannot be described easily. They move in ways that most people can’t imagine possible. They have learned to use muscles not normally used and separate their body parts when they dance. They are a group of 11 girls known for jingling throughout campus, because of the clinging coins on their elaborate costumes. Each member joined for a different reason. They are closer than family, a sorority. Some had no dance background and some have been doing it for their entire lives. But they all said the friends they made are what kept them there.
Locking Away Hope and Money
Staller Center Screening: "Nine"
The American prison system is a giant machine; it holds up to 2.2 million people and costs the nation about $60 billion a year. The United States has the largest incarceration
"Nine" retells the story of Federico Fellini’s 1963 film 8 ½. It is also the film version of the Broadway musical of the same name. Although these two facts alone might make a movie-
rate in the world at about 715 per 100,000.Being the most advanced nation in the world this is a sad fact. Stony Brook University See HOPE on 5
goer skeptical, "Nine" offers beauty and magic via a world-class cast. Guido Contini, played by the ultra-talented Daniel See SCREENING on 9
But unlike so many other groups on campus they pride themselves on their diversity. They are as different as the costumes they wear. They’re all different nationalities, sizes and shapes. They differ in faith and major, color and age. The president of the club, Sahita PierreAntonie, is from Haiti and they have even had girls from Japan. “We are one of the only clubs that not only have girls from all over the country but literally all over the world,” said Amanda Cervone, a junior and business major as she watched the other girls practice for that night’s performance. “We have such a beautiful mixture and it’s good because we have all different body types,” described the 20year old spunky brunette in a Supergirl top as her friends practiced a dance she needed to learn. Amanda has been on the team since she saw them perform at club day during her first semester. She fell in love with belly dancing instantly and has been doing it ever since. It boosts her self-esteem. Going on stage is hard enough, but doing it in a bra and flashy blue skirt that makes her stand out even more is even harder. “I rarely ever get nervous,” Amanda said, “Its second nature now, really. The first year was rough; there was a lot of anxiety. Being pale sucks too – doesn’t matter what I do I’m always going to be pale.” She said she’s still tied with Alanna See TEAM on 6
INDEX News....................3 Opinion...............5 Arts.....................9 Sports...............11