Hofstra Magazine

Year in Review: 2009

January | February | March | April | May | June | July | August | September | October | November | December

Hofstra University Museum opened Out of Africa: Works from the Hofstra University Museum Collection.

January

January 9 to 25: Hofstra Entertainment presented the world premiere of Political Notes at Monroe Lecture Center Theater. This musical review featured selections from many popular shows, including Fiorello!, The Will Rogers Follies, Mr. President, Annie, Merrily We Roll Along, All American, First Lady Suite, Tintypes, Call Me Madam, Big River, I’d Rather Be Right, Pins and Needles, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Assassins, and Li’l Abner.

January 12: The Hofstra University Museum opened Out of Africa: Works From the Hofstra University Museum Collection, a unique exhibition at the David Filderman Gallery that highlighted the relationship between function and form, while revealing important insights into African artistic expression. Later in the month, the museum opened Ancient Echoes in Contemporary Printmaking, a compelling and innovative exhibition at Emily Lowe Gallery that employed a combination of traditional and contemporary printmaking techniques from fi ve New York City-based artists.

January 16: Long Island high school students learned about commodities markets and trading by competing at Hofstra’s Martin B. Greenberg Trading Room in the second annual Hofstra-Chicago Mercantile Exchange Group Commodities Challenge for High Schools. Participating students learned about the purpose and functioning of commodities futures markets and newer electronic trading systems and traditional “open outcry” trading, which requires market participants to shout out orders that are then reinforced with hand signals.

January 22: Hofstra announced that its Small Co-Ed Cheerleading Team took top honors at the 2009 Universal Dance Association (UDA)/Universal Cheer Association (UCA) National Competition at Disney World, Orlando, Florida, with a team of 11 new members. For more than a decade, the Pride Cheerleaders have been ranked among the nation’s top 10 teams and previously won the Small Co-Ed Championship title in 2003, 2006 and 2007. Hofstra’s Dance Team also competed, placing in the top 10 in the UDA Division 1 Hip Hop category.

January 28: Hofstra launched a new Bachelor of Science in Dance Education, the fi rst program of its kind in Nassau, Suffolk and Queens, New York. Upon successful completion of the degree requirements, students are eligible for New York state initial certifi cation as teachers of dance in all grades. They are certifi ed to teach dance in public schools, private schools, dance studios and community centers. As the fi rst dance education program on Long Island, Hofstra is becoming a regional center for dance education. Twice a year, the Dance Program sponsors Dance Educators Day, an opportunity for dance teachers to share information, take a dance class, and see a performance. Several times a year, Hofstra welcomes students from high school dance programs to spend the day with the Hofstra dance majors.

January 30: Hofstra Opera Theater’s performance of L’Incoronazione di Poppea marked the start of the Music Department’s spring 2009 season. Concerts that followed included the Hofstra Collegium Musicum directed by William E. Hettrick as part of the Shakespeare Festival (March 7 and 14), Hofstra String Quartet (March 15), The American Chamber Ensemble co-directed by Naomi Drucker and Blanche Abram (April 4), Hofstra Jazz Ensemble directed by David Lalama (April 19), Hofstra Chorale and Chamber Singers directed by David Fryling (April 24), Hofstra Wind Ensemble and Symphonic Band directed by Peter Loel Boonshaft (May 2), Hofstra Chorus and String Orchestra directed by Cindy Bell and David Ramael (May 5), and the Hofstra Symphony Orchestra directed by David Ramael (May 9).