“LIFE IS ART. ART IS LIFE. I NEVER SEPARATE IT. ” - Ai Weiwei
"We had the good fortune of connecting with B. Soleil and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi B., why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
I believe that for some of us creativity pursues us and not the other way around. Music has always been my way of expressing the world around me as I see it, feel it, and experience it. I’ve long admired artists that use their art to deliver a message to the world and inspire people with their creativity. Art, in all forms, has the power to teleport us away from reality when it gets too tough—or in the same sense speak truth to reality when it needs to be felt on a deeper level and not just observed. I chose to be an artist because throughout history art has been at the forefront of the revolutions that change the world for the better. In the age of influencers many long for attention, but few understand what it means to..." [keep reading]
"Soleil noted that their Alice character “isn’t a traditional Alice.”
“One, I’m African-American, so that’s the first take when you get to the play – you see that,” Soleil said. “This Alice, like the other Alice, goes on this adventure to find herself, to discover who she is, and she learns all these lessons through the other characters in the play. But she … is also learning how to conquer things via the musical instruments, via song.”
That’s a story thread that connects to Soleil’s own journey, one that has left them skilled as a musician on an unusually large number of instruments – roughly 30.
“My great-grandmother was a church pianist growing up, and so my first instrument was piano in church,” said Soleil, who plays everything from piano and electric guitar to djembe on stage during each “Wonderland” show this month. “And then I went from piano [to] congas, and I started playing vibraphone, and I always just wanted...” [keep reading]
"...But when Sankofa B. Soleil scooted across the stage as Alice, followed by her onstage sister Alicia Reve Like, there was an audible gasp. The entire group leaned forward in their seats to get a closer look at the women. The simple, instinctive gestures were an illustration of the power of representation. These women looked like them. Seeing a reflection of themselves made the students all the more eager to engage with the story unfolding on stage.
With “Wonderland,” – which is geared towards young audiences – McKittrick, Harris, the band and ensemble of players present an exciting production that is musical theater anarchy in the best way imaginable. It’s billed as a rock show, but in its defiance of the traditional roles and norms of musicals, punk rock would be more of a proper description of this production.
The artistic defiance becomes apparent when Soleil emerges as Alice. Instead of a shiny, synthetic wig..." [keep reading]