OSWEGO, NY- After SUNY Oswego’s spike in COVID-19 cases sparked uncertainty, SUNY Chancellor Jim Malatras says he is confident in SUNY Oswego’s testing and mitigation strategies.
“It’s under control here,” says Malatras. “[Oswego] has the testing and isolation in place. If it does get to the point where they have to use more mitigation efforts, they stand ready to do that.”
SUNY Oswego saw it’s biggest spike in COVID-19 cases this semester over the weekend. Cases continue to rise. As of Wednesday, there are 64 total cases according to the COVID-19 dashboard.
The campus opened Funnelle hall as new quarantine housing, in addition to Lonis and Moreland halls. The building can house 208 students.
In a statement Monday morning, SUNY Oswego President Deborah Stanley says the college will re-start testing across campus, identifying exposures in classrooms and testing students and faculty in exposed classes. The college will also work with the City of Oswego to test wastewater in the residence halls.
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Ailey II: Community Outreach Through Dance
by Lindsey Martin, WTOP10-TV reporter
Over half a century ago Alvin Ailey founded the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in New York City, an organization committed to spreading messages of diversity through dance. His revolutionary choreography is perhaps most famously realized in dance masterpiece ‘Revelations’, a work born from Ailey’s own ‘blood memories’ of growing up in 1940’s rural Texas.
During the almost 60 year existence of The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, its members have traveled the world, performed for presidents and maintained their status as one of the most prestigious dance organizations in the United States of America.
Today, the messages behind Ailey’s choreography continue to be relevant and inspirational across a myriad of social contexts. In a modern word full of technologically induced hyper-stimulation and empty politicking, dance, primal and clear, cuts through the noise to profound effect.
Dedicated to spreading messages of cultural acceptance through extensive touring and public outreach, The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and Ailey II echo the legacy of their namesake.
Eleven years after The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater was established, The Ailey School opened in 1969, and the Alvin Ailey Repertory Ensemble, now known as Ailey II, was founded in 1974. The Alvin Ailey Repertory Ensemble was established with the intention to provide the most promising students from the Ailey school the opportunity to tour and perform around the world.
Picked by Alvin Ailey himself, Sylvia Waters oversaw the creative direction of Ailey II for 38 years. Waters had come from studying dance at the prestigious Juliard School, before joining the Alvin Ailey American Dance Company as a dancer in 1968.
“I’d known Alvin for some time before I joined the company, and I’d seen the company grow during the first ten years of its existence. I was in school, but I saw those early performances at the WMHA as a student, and it was mesmerizing,” Waters reflects.
“Alvin was very, very supportive. I mean he was my mentor. I learned so much from him.”
Now Ailey II’s Creative Director Emeritus, Waters leads The Ailey Legacy Residency, educating college-level students on the technique and history behind Alvin Ailey’s creative heritage.
Khalia Campbell is a dancer in her first term with Ailey II. Formally a student at Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts and the Dance Theater of Harlem, Campbell became an apprentice for Ailey II prior to becoming a full-fledged member of the ensemble.
“Ailey is like a family. They want it to be in-house, so they like you to be in the school first and then you know, move your way up the ranks,” she explains.
At the time these interviews are taking place, Ailey II’s dancers and management are in their fourth and final week of a very physically demanding tour. They had performed in the Bahamas and 11 different states across the USA.
Troy Powell has been affiliated with the name Ailey since age 9. He trained at the Ailey school as a child, danced with Ailey II, and then The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Powell now holds the position of artistic director for Ailey II. Powell worked alongside Sylvia Waters for 15 years before becoming artistic director. “It takes time,” he says calmly. “Even as professional dancers we’re always working on our technique, we’re always working on our ability, and most of all we’re always working on ourselves,” said Powell.
One needn’t look much further than ‘Revelations’ to gain an understanding of Alvin Ailey’s original intentions for The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and its various subsidiaries. The piece is laden with themes of poverty and racism, but also of strength, community and celebration.
“He grew up in the depression, so everything was at an all-time low,” tells Powell.
“He considered himself as living on the other side of the tracks where everything was just down and out, and his outlet was Revelations. His outlet was dance.”Perhaps this is the reason the choreography to ‘Revelations’ is passed on to each new generation of Ailey dancers, and is embraced by audiences around the world.
“We hope to really touch audiences,” says Powell.
“We hope to really change their perspective.”Ailey II performed to a sold-out Waterman Theater at SUNY Oswego on Wednesday, Nov. 2.
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Improvised comedy club Shawn Cassidy Fan Club Looks Forward To An Exciting Year
SUNY Oswego’s improvised comedy club, the Shawn Cassidy Fan Club, hosts weekly shows every Saturday night at the Marano Campus Center Auditorium at 8 PM.
Kayla Bonasera is the club president.
“Every Saturday night we do live improve comedy performances where we have sketch-based comedy that revolves around the suggestions that we take from our audience,” said Kayla.
In the darkness of this room not only the bracelets glow, but some of the worst humor also comes to surface, which is why they must censor some parts of the show.
“It does get crazy. During the parents weekend show we censor it. We actually allow one swear word,” said Carl Neff, who is treasurer of the club.
But not only the local students and their parents come to the shows. One example is Spanish exchange student Andrea Rodriguez.
“I think the most exciting thing about this performance is that they all act natural,” said Andrea.
If you are looking for something fun to do on the weekends here on campus, the troop practices every Sunday night and performs the skits on Saturdays.
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Student Association Cuts Vocal Effect Budget In Half
Since the beginning of the semester, multiple clubs have had trouble with funding as they were not budgeted capital to support themselves. Vocal Effect, a show choir on campus, is one of those clubs.
“Vocal Effect is a SUNY Oswego’s one and only show choir. We do performances all over campus and in the town of Oswego. We meet every couple of days and just have fun, sing, and dance. It’s a lot of fun,” said President, Thomas Waizenegger.
Vocal Effect meets weekly and are about 30 members strong. This year Vocal Effect has had their funding cut right in half dropping from a $3,000 budget to a $1,500 budget.
“At the start of the year we started with about $1,500, we had about $3,000last year, and now our budget and now our budget was slashed in half over the course of a year,” said Waizenegger.
This is problematic for the club. Much of their funding is used for acquiring new material to perform and the rights to do so, as well as costuming and transportation to the multiple venues that the group performs at.
“It’s not fun, having your funding cut in half in less than a year. I understand that the Student Association had to make these cuts in order to start getting themselves out of the red, but for smaller clubs like Vocal Effect, it’s not fun and it’s not sustainable for us,” said Waizenegger.
As for the group currently, you can catch them on October 26th at 3 PM in The Space, Marano Campus Center free admission for all.
