The Harlem Shake takes place on campus

By Brianne Colon

The Harlem Shake has been a trending video within the past few months. Seen on social networks such as Facebook, Twitter and Youtube teenagers have created a video to the song Harlem Shake by dj Baauer. This video is only about 30 seconds long. The video typically consists of one person dancing with a helmet on for a few the intro of the song while everyone in their surroundings seem to go on with their typical day. When the chorus of the song comes on everyone starts to dance. Teenagers around the world have created their own versions of the Harlem Shake and the idea spread quickly. Suffolk County Community College student Miles Graves decided to gather fellow students and create a “SCCC Harlem Shake”. He used Twitter and Facebook to spread the word of the event that would be recorded in from of the Riverhead Building on campus. Students were told to meet at the clock tower at 11am. “Students showed up with all different costumes and accessories that added a lot of uniqueness to the video” said Michelle Rueb, liberal arts major. The riverhead building is where all of the media and video classes are held. The students who had recorded and edited the video take classes in the basement of the riverhead building. The students would have done the video in one of the classrooms but they were unsure of how many students would actually attend. With a possibility of a big outcome the students decided right outside the Riverhead building would be the best place to have the video take place. The riverhead building has the biggest variety of classes being taught in comparison to the other buildings. In the Riverhead you may have classes for technology, business, languages, mathematics or more. The building is never empty; it is always filled with people. “Riverhead was a perfect spot for the video because there are so many students around it that if they didn’t hear of the event they were still able to participate, just by being in the right place at the right time” said biology major Nicole Calvagna.Despite the cold weather as soon as the time became 11 o’clock am the veteran’s plaza began to fill with students, many of them actually leaving in the middle of class to join the video. The video did not begin until a little after eleven giving students time to get to the event. As more students began to show up, Miles Graves began to explain to everyone how the video was going to work. Located in front of the Riverhead building he had a camera set up on a Tripod. Instead of having to hold the camera himself he chose to do this so he could be a part of the video himself. Not only was he responsible for the recording of the video but he set up the music and was also the main dancer in the beginning of this video. “Although I took care of everything technical and all the planning this video could have not been possible without my fellow students at SCCC” said media arts major Miles Graves. The video was done within the hour and the students continued with their classes. All of the editing and finishes of the video were done in the media class rooms in the Riverhead Building. Not much editing had to be done to the video, just some sound changes, cutting and credits. The video was uploaded on to Youtube.com later that day. As soon as it was posted students began to share the video via Facebook and Twitter. The video now has over 17,000 views. You can find the video yourself by visiting Youtube.com and searching Harlem Shake (SCCC edition). The Riverhead Building was an ideal location for this event giving it the pleasing turn out that it had.

Do It Yourself Tutu for a Unique Costume this Halloween

By Alyson Feis

A variety of Halloween costumes are available this year, but how can you make sure you won’t match your classmates? One student suggests creating a DIY tutu! A tutu can serve as the base to almost any Halloween costume when you pair it with the right accessories!

Christin Kmetz, a photography major, at the college says there are a few things to consider before purchasing the materials. She suggests visiting stores like Hot Topic, Icing, and Party City before choosing a costume.

“You find all the cool stuff you want to wear with your tutu and then you decide what the tutu will look like,” she said.

Once you’ve gotten an idea of what you want your costume to look like you can decide what colors your tutu will be and begin gathering materials. All materials can be found at a local fabric store like JoAnn’s, in West Babylon.

Materials:

Scissors

Measuring tool

4-6 yards of Tulle

Ribbon

After gathering the materials you can begin crafting your Halloween Tutu by measuring and cutting the materials.

The ribbon will serve as the waist of your tutu, and it will be tied in the back in order to secure the tutu in place. Before cutting make sure the ribbon is long enough to be wrapped around your waist and then tied in a bow.

The length of your tutu (from waist to end) will be determined by the size of the pieces of tulle you cut. Note: Each piece should be twice the length of your desired tutu. For example, if you desire a tutu that will hang eight inches from your waist you should cut your tulle into pieces about 2-4 inches wide by 16 inches long.

Once you have cut all of your materials you are ready to create your tutu.

1. Take a piece of tulle and fold it in half, making a “U” shape.

2. Holding the tulle above the ribbon, grab the ends of the tulle and pull them around the ribbon and through the “U” shape.

3. Pull the ends tight until you notice the tulle is knotted around the ribbon.

4. Continue knotting tulle around the ribbon in the pattern of your choice, always working from the center, outward.

The amount of tulle you use will determine how thick or thin your tutu is. To achieve a fuller, more fluffy look, push the tulle closer together and add as many knots of tulle as possible. If you desire a thinner, lower hanging tutu, leave some space between each knot.

So become a bumble bee by pairing your yellow tutu with a black leotard and adding insect wings. Or borrow your cousins ballerina slipper’s and become a ballerina! Whatever you decide to do with your DIY tutu, you can be confident that this Halloween, your costume will be as unique as you!

Ammerman Theater Arts Department Presents ‘Extremities’

By Anthony Lucero

What do you do if you come under attack but then are able to turn the tables on that very attacker and have them tied up and under your control? Revenge maybe, turn them in; it’s quite a dilemma and the twisted plot to the riveting play “Extremities” by William Mastrisimone.

The College’s theater production presenting this play looks to grip its audience in a dilemma like no other. In this psychological drama  opinions clash when the woman, who is able to flip the switch on her attacker, has her roommates come home to her and a tied up criminal in their homes.

Students, faculty and all can come watch this thriller in theatre room 119 on the Ammerman Campus starting on Oct 10 – 20th with showings at 8 p.m. and special showings on Oct. 14 and 21 at 2 p.m. General admission begins at $12 with current SCCC students receiving one FREE ticket when a school I.D is presented. For all others i.e SCCC faculty, staff, Alumni Association members, non-Suffolk students, and seniors, admission begin at $11.

For more info show times and how to get your tickets call 631-451-4163

Grant Campus Presents “Bixby’s Rainforest Rescue”

By Ashley Maisano

Bixby’s Rainforest Rescue brings the rainforest to the Brentwood Grant campus’ Van Nostrand Theatre on Saturday, April 21, 2012.

Through the use of comedy, puppetry, audience participation, and a variety of animals, “Bixby and Friends Rainforest Rescue” is a stage show that brings the excitement of conservation, preservation and going green to venues around the nation.

Bixby, the founder of the show, invites audiences to join him on his adventure as he tries to save the rainforest. While watching his show, children and families will learn the value of and basic ways to save the rainforest and the environment in which we live.

“It was vital that, as a team, we brought to life the rainforest in a way that would touch the hearts of young and old alike,” said Barry DeVoll, executive producer and director of Blue Trunk Educational Series, creator of Bixby’s Rainforest Rescue. “It was also important that we inspire the audiences to take action, regardless the magnitude or scope. I truly believe ‘Bixby’s Rainforest Rescue’ will change the lives of all who see the show.”

Bixby has loved going to museums ever since he was a child. He envisioned that one day he would build a museum where children could explore the exhibits with hands-on, interactive involvement and that he himself would bring these exhibits to life so that he could take children on a magical journey directly into the exhibit. His goal is to now save the rainforest from its continued destruction, almost 46 million acres a year.

“Many people aren’t aware of what is happening in the rainforest and the environment which surrounds them,” said DeVoll. “It was our primary focus to bring to life the story of the ongoing destruction and de-forestation of the rainforest.”

There will be special appearances by Bixby’s many rainforest animal friends: Treetop the singing toucan, Allie the 18-foot Albino Burmese python, Juan the Green-winged Macar, and Tikatu the Kinkajou.

The show begins at 2:00 p.m., but audiences should arrive by 1:00 p.m. to see Bixby’s live animal exhibit.

General admission is $11 and SCCC students with a current ID will receive one free ticket.

You can order your tickets online at the following links:

General admission: https://www.vendini.com/ticket-software.html?e=da897b8cdc2e2ba2a3be33da05177f94&t=tix

Students: https://www.vendini.com/ticket-software.html?e=1df728a2ec99c6c508dd3c616801a768&t=tix

For more information, call (631) 851-6589.

Grant Campus Hosts Beatles Tribute Band

By Julianne Mosher

The Grant Campus recently welcomed the Beatles tribute band Strawberry Fields  to the Van Nostrand Theatre. Students from all three campuses joined together with friends and family to sing along with the four musicians who vividly recreate the Beatles — from authentic costumes to the sound of instruments. Every show is a carbon-copy reproduction of the real deal.

Playing shows all over the United States andthe world,  is amongst the most commonly-known Beatles tribute band. They also won the first place ribbon at Beatlefest ‘97 – the battle of the Beatles bands.The group has been performing for more than a decade portraying one of the most recognized bands in music history. Originally part of Beatlemania on Broadway, Tony Garofalo (John Lennon), Billy J. Ray (Paul McCartney), Preston Elliott (George Harrison), and Gerard Barberine Jr. (Ringo Starr) studied the mannerisms, costumes, playing styles, and vocal techniques of the original members. They also speak in Liverpoolian accents for even more emphasis and similarity.

Strawberry Fields took its audience on a musical journey starting in 1964 when the Beatles first arrived in the U.S. It performed songs from the first four albums that included classics such as; She Loves You, Hard Days Night, I’ve Just Seen a Face, and Twist and Shout. The audience got up off their seats when the band said, “Everybody get up, it’s a rock and roll concert!” Gerard Barberine Jr. (Ringo Starr) even sang a solo while he and his bandmates were dressed in dark suits with thin ties and shaggy hair.

The group then moved onto the next two stages of Beatles music. For the 1967 era of psychedelic music, they were dressed in Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band costumes. The songs that were included in this set were favorites like Strawberry Fields Forever, All You Need Is Love, Penny Lane, and I am the Walrus. The audience swayed along to the music that reminded them of the times of peace and love.

The four then changed costumes yet again and said to the audience, “Let’s take it to the roof!” – which was in reference to the final performance of the Beatles that occurred in the Let It Be documentary in 1970 when the group unexpectedly held a concert on a rooftop in London. The more politically-involved albums were part of the last set including songs from  Abbey Road, The White Album, and Let It Be. Also, Preston Elliott (George Harrison) played a beautiful acoustic “bootleg version” of While My Guitar Gently Weeps that really wowed the audience.

Strawberry Fields performed an encore with Back in the U.S.S.R and Revolution. This got the entire audience up and out of their seats singing along and dancing to these classic songs.6

The audience consisted of people ranging from toddlers to grandparents, students and faculty, and families joining together to celebrate the music of John Lennon and Sir Paul McCartney. Strawberry Fields members cracked jokes in-between songs just like the Beatles would have done because they were known to be quite the kidders.

The members of Strawberry Fields are devoted Beatles fans who have chosen an interesting career that requires intense training to become the look-alikes to the real thing. Tony Garofalo (John Lennon) has been playing guitar since he was 5 years old. His mother was constantly listening to the Beatles and was always surrounded by their music. He eventually started to learn the guitar and singing styles of John Lennon and became quite good at it, “I enjoyed playing that character,”  he said.

Garofalo joined the Broadway cast of Beatlemania in the late 1970s playing John Lennon. When the Broadway rendition ended, the company toured as a traveling cast and when it was over he decided to create his own Beatles tribute band. He asked his fellow actors from Beatlemania to join him and in 1991, Strawberry Fields was formed.

With the initial break-up of the Beatles in 1970 and the deaths of John in 1980 and George in 2001, “[Strawberry Fields] gives everyone a chance to see the Beatles,” said Garofalo. “Especially the kids.” ”The music of the Beatles,” he said, “is never going to die so it gives them a chance to see the experience.”

And although the men have an uncanny resemblance to the original four, it takes much more than to just look and sound like them solely. “It’s not only for one guy to sound like the part but as a group you have to sound like the Beatles as a whole,”  said Garofalo. In order to fully grasp the impression of the original Beatles, Strawberry Fields must study everything from the way the original members played their guitars, to the detail of their costumes. “Putting everything together is really difficult. We have to watch many hours of videos and learn as much as we can,” he said. And they are constantly learning new things that they never noticed before in different footage and they study it to really give off an authentic Beatles impression.

All four men are New Yorkers and are currently Suffolk County residents. They have also been performing as the Beatles at B.B. Kings Blues Club in Manhattan for 13 years.

In case any Beatles fan missed out on this amazing performance, Strawberry Fields plays every Saturday at B.B Kings Blues Club on 237 W. 42nd St. People of all ages are welcomed to watch Strawberry Fields perform as one of the most historic bands in history and partake in an allincluded buffet. Tickets are available at the door or online.For more information on Strawberry Fields, visit their website athttp://www.strawberryfieldsthetribute.com/

Grant Campus Presents “MacHomer”

By Ashley Maisano

The SCCC Lively Arts Series presents “MacHomer,” a play starring actor Rick Miller on Saturday, March 24, 2012 at 8 p.m.

“MacHomer” is a mash-up between “The Simpsons” and Shakespeare’s “Macbeth.” Miller embodies 50 characters from the television series in this energetic, comical performance. It includes many quotations from other popular shows and celebrities, such as Braveheart, Cheers, West Side Story, South Park and O.J. Simpson.

Miller has performed “MacHomer” to capacity crowds across the United States and Canada. The show has also toured the world in places like Scotland, England, Australia, and New Zealand.

This show will be shown in the Van Nostrand Theater of the Grant campus in Brentwood.

General admission is $17 and Suffolk students with current ID will get one free ticket.

For more information, you can call (631) 851-6589.

You can order your tickets online at the following links:

General admission:
https://www.vendini.com/ticket-software.html?e=a69e60b501d4c3b77d11c7bfa416be1a&t=tix

Students:
https://www.vendini.com/ticket-software.html?e=8086b6df142fc48d8f480f3bdd59ee01&t=tix

To learn more about “MacHomer,” visit: http://www.machomer.com

The Muppet Movie – SCCC Grant Campus

By Maria P.

On Friday, March 16th 2012, the Grant  Campus at Suffolk County Community College in Brentwood will be showing The Muppet Movie in the Sagtikos Van Nostrand Theatre.  Fresh out of the theatres and starring popular actor and comedian Jason Segel, all friends and family are welcome to join.

The movie will be shown at 7:30 pm and the event is free, movie and snacks included!  Rated PG and entertaining for all ages, everyone is encouraged to attend.  Friday nights for college students usually include late nights, fancy clothes, and fast-paced excitement.  Give yourself a well deserved mental-health night, and relax with some snacks and friends while watching our favorite childhood puppets on the big screen.  There will be no food or drink allowed in the theatre, and all children bust be accompanied by an adult.

Although the event is free, a non-perishable food item would be greatly appreciated for the SCCC food pantry in place of money.

For more information or any additional questions, contact Campus Activities at 631-851-6702.

Ammerman Campus Presents “After Anne Frank”

By Ashley Maisano

The Suffolk Performing Arts Series will be showing “After Anne Frank” on Friday, March 23  at 2 and 8 p.m. in theater 119 in the Islip Arts building at the Ammerman campus.

“After Anne Frank,” is a touching and comical personal memoir about life, identity, theater, family and forgiveness that intertwines writer and actor Carol Lempert’s experiences with the oral history of her uncle, a Holocaust survivor.

Over the course of Lempert’s career, she has performed in all three versions of “The Diary of Anne Frank.” During college, she played Anne in the 1955 Goodrich and Hackett version, in her 20′s she played Anne’s sister in the “forbidden” 1952 Meyer Levin version, and years later she played Anne’s mother in the 1997 Wendy Kesselman adaptation of the play.

Admission is free but tickets are required; there is a limit of two tickets per person.

You can order your tickets online at:
https://www.vendini.com/ticket-software.html?e=1ffde2a74164bd9e833448d776844887&t=tix

For more information, call 631-451-4163.

College Art Department Advances Student’s Future Career

By Julianne Mosher

The Brentwood campus’s art department is the stepping stone one student is using to become a professional fashion photographer. Jessmae Johnson, a sophomore studying photography, is becoming a well-known artist through her social networking sites and the courses she is currently taking at the Brentwood campus.

Johnson describes her style as “portraiture/fashion with a surrealistic edge.” Inspired by other artists’ work, “I’m heavily inspired by the paintings, movies, books, and music that other artists  can produce and that’s where I get my strive from,” she said. She is also heavily inspired by the fashions and cultures of the 1950s, 60s, and 70s. Her admiration for the style of the 1950s can be seen in one shoot she conducted titled “50s” found on her website.

This aspiring photographer indicated her passion for film started when she was a child and her mother allowed her to take photos with disposable cameras. She was fascinated by the camera and being able to capture time. “[The saying,] ‘memories fade but pictures last forever’ really gets to me,” she said. What started out as a mere hobby eventually turned into a passion. She decided in middle school that becoming a professional photographer is what she wanted to do for the rest of her life. “I loved the whole creativity of it; being able to make up a story in my head and then being able to capture that through a photograph. I also really wanted to be able to photograph clothing and make it look beautiful, as well as the model.”

Jessmae believes that Suffolk’s program has helped her grow as an artist. She says that enrolling at this school first really enlightened her view on photography and the professors are encouraging. “We have so much equipment and amazing professors who are really striving for you to be successful as photographers,” she said. When Johnson graduates within the next year, she plans on transferring to either the Academy of Arts in California or to the Fashion Institute of Technology in Manhattan. She says that she has a lot of goals set for her future career.

“I’m really hoping that as soon as I graduate I can be an assistant for a professional photographer for a little while and possibly travel the world to make my knowledge grow even further… Then when I have enough skills and preparation, my dream job would be to work for magazines like Vogue or W.”

Her passion is acknowledged by many of her peers due to her social networking sites. Recently she took a web design class that helped her create her own website presenting her art. On her Facebook profile, Jessmae regularly posts links to her tumblr blog and her website where people can browse through her pieces. Using both film and digital cameras, Johnson has created several different works ranging from recreations of the 50s housewife, fairytales like “Little Red Riding Hood” and “Alice in Wonderland,” and portraits of people covered in “blood.” She presents portraits of newborn babies, clear portraits of her fellow peers, recreations of Quentin Tarantino’s movies “Pulp Fiction” and “Reservoir Dogs,” and band promotion pictures.

Heather Rosenbaum, a sophomore studying visual arts, is a regular model for Jessmae. The two have been friends for 8 years and Rosenbaum has seen Johnson progress as a photographer. “She’s developed her own style with photos and it’s something I admire about her,” she said. Heather has been featured in several different shoots for Jessmae including the “Alice in Wonderland” remake. “She made [the shoot] have a magical sort of feel to it.”

Despite that becoming famous within the art field can be difficult, Heather thinks that Jessmae has the potential to become very successful. “She really takes what she does seriously and really has a passion for it,” she said. “I think if she keeps it up and keeps putting herself out there like she has with Facebook, tumblr, Flickr, ect., she will definitely become well-known around the world.”

“I try to tell a story through my work and want to make whoever stumbles across my photos feel something. It’s so important to me because I feel like this is the way I can express myself and my
visions unlike any other way. I love being able to capture the beauty of people and the world. It’s all I ever want to do,” said Jessmae.

If any students are interested in Jessmae Johnson’s photos or would like to contact her for a photo shoot, visit her website, http://www.jessmaephoto.com or her tumblr account at http://www.jessmaee.tumblr.com

Photo credit: Jessmae Johnson

Ammerman Campus Presents “Fred Garbo Inflatable Theater Company”

By Ashley Maisano

The Suffolk Lively Arts Series will present the “Fred Garbo Inflatable Theater Company” on Saturday, March 10  at 2 p.m. It will be held in the Van Nostrand Theater at the Grant campus in Brentwood.

The “Fred Garbo Inflatable Theatre Company” has performed all over the world. Their performance includes physical comedy, dance, juggling, and most prominently, their creative inventions that inflate.

Their performances have made appearances on international television and on shows such as David Letterman. Previous shows include: the Kennedy Center and two sold out runs at the New Victory Theatre on Broadway.

Fred Garbo, the founder of this program, has been a professional performer ever since 1974. He played Barkley the Dog on Sesame Street and was the chief juggler in the musical “Barnum” on Broadway. He toured Europe, Hong Kong and Australia with many award-winning performers. For more than 20 years, Fred has been inventing these inflatables with artist and builder, George York, and is now bringing them to life in his performance in his Inflatable Theatre Company which is suitable for all ages.

General admission is $11 and Suffolk students with current ID will receive one free ticket.

You can also buy your tickets online at:
https://www.vendini.com/ticket-software.html?e=aa621eb204fd896064a82e4deff7aae9&t=tix

For more information call 631-851-6589.