Emilio Estefan Celebrate Immigrants in Musical
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LIFESTYLE36 TUESDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2015 Features Gloria and Emilio Estefan celebrate immigrants in musical ith some US presidential candidates on the campaign trail demonizing immi- Wgrants, a powerhouse husband-and- wife team, who both happen to be immigrants themselves, hope they can offer some balance - and some pop songs. Gloria Estefan and her hus- band, Emilio, are shepherding their musical biography “On Your Feet!” to Broadway this fall. It’s a show that celebrates two Cuban-Americans who embraced the American Dream and now own enough Grammy Awards to fill a swimming pool. “We’ve been around long enough already to South African artist Lehlohonolo Mkhasibe points at a collective artwork have gone through several election cycles. Every done for the Soweto Theatre. —AFP photos single time, fear gets brought into the equation,” said Gloria Estefan. “This is a great balance because we need to remind people, ‘Hey, we’re just people.’” The musical uses the Estefan hits “1- 2-3,” “Turn the Beat Around” and “Conga” to tell Cow dung and old tyres the story of how the budding singer and pro- ducer met, battled for crossover success, han- dled interfamily squabbles and overcame a bus crash that nearly claimed Gloria’s life. It’s the spe- inspire South African cific story of two people who fled the country of their birth, made a new life in Miami and rose to the top of the music world. But the Estefans say township artists it’s a celebration of immigration for a nation of immigrants. File photo shows Gloria Estefan, left, and Emilio Estefan pose for photos at the 68th annual Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall in New York. —AP Mexican and Muslim immigrants “It doesn’t matter where you come from. life. Do what you think is best for you,” he said, moments. She walked in and there was just Unless you’re a Native American Indian, you’re laughing. something. Then she sang. She didn’t particular- not from here. Somewhere down the road, you The team they’ve assembled is impressive, ly sound like me but it didn’t matter because we came from somewhere else,” said Gloria Estefan, including “Kinky Boots” director Jerry Mitchell, were drawn in.” who has sold over 100 million albums. “It’s “Memphis” choreographer Sergio Trujillo and It was only after Villafane got the job that always the last person in that gets bashed.” “On book writer Alexander Dinelaris, who wrote the Gloria learned the young woman was half- Your Feet!” comes as some Republican candi- “Birdman” screenplay. (“I’m glad we got him Cuban, raised in Miami and even attended her dates for the White House have slammed before he won the Oscar or else we wouldn’t high school, Our Lady of Lourdes Academy. “She Mexican and Muslim immigrants. “One thing have been able to afford him,” jokes Gloria knew culturally where I come from,” Estefan said, those people don’t realize is that we don’t take Estefan.) Finding the actor to play Emilio was The musical, which will have seven members of this country for granted. We want to make a con- easy. Josh Segarra, on Broadway in “Lysistrata Miami Sound Machine in the orchestra, will also tribution,” said Emilio Estefan, who has guided Jones,” won the role at the initial readings. (“He’s feature an original song with lyrics by Gloria and the careers of such luminaries as Shakira, Ricky so good-looking that Emilio didn’t want to look music by their daughter, Emily. Emily Estefan, Martin and Jennifer Lopez. anywhere else,” Gloria Estefan said.) who will be 21 in December, is a dead-ringer for While they acknowledge their life story hasn’t her mom and attends the Berklee College of included typical dramatic fodder for a musical - a ‘Magic City Memoirs’ Music. She recently surprised her parents with descent into drugs, say, or infidelity or murder - Landing the right actress to play Gloria was news that she had quietly written and recorded the Estefans think it will connect with audiences. harder and it came down to the wire. The winner an album in her Boston apartment. “I’m in awe of “We haven’t led controversial lives, but it’s was Ana Villafane, who appeared in the film her,” said her proud mother. If she sings and human. Everybody’s going to identify with “Magic City Memoirs” and who initially audi- looks like mom, why not ask Emily to play her somebody on that stage,” said Gloria Estefan. tioned via video. “Ultimately, what it came down mom in the show? Gloria asked her daughter Emilio Estefan hopes some of it can be inspiring. to was not somebody who was going to be my exactly that and got this response: “Are you kid- In high school, he asked a teacher if he could clone at all. I wanted somebody who could inter- ding me? I’d have to kiss my dad. It’s too weird.” learn music but was told he was too old. “I won pret my life,” said Gloria Estefan, who is a seven- That made sense to Gloria: “I thought about it 19 Grammys. So don’t let anybody change your time Grammy winner. “It was one of those and said, ‘You’re right.’” —AP South African artist Lehlohonolo Mkhasibe stands by one of his sculptures at FUNDA art foundation. That New York twang: Nashville calls on Big Apple schools s the Bronx middle scholars based out of the Country Music Hall Paisley, Paul Simon and Carrie Full backpacks harmonized in their auditori- of Fame and Museum in Nashville, Underwood. “It’s not different for whoever Aum and plucked out basic which provides a curriculum for For many of the New York kids, you’re writing with. It’s about get- chords on ukuleles and guitars, in both music and language arts country music was unfamiliar territo- ting them to talk,” she said. “And walked their music instructor, Liz teachers to develop language skills ry. Corey Stuckey, 12, said he has then I would ask them questions Rose - a Grammy-award winning through the art of songwriting. been inspired to write songs in the and put a line together.” country songwriter from Nashville. past by hip-hop and R&B artists such Ultimately they wrote: Rose has penned tracks for some of Education programs as R Kelly and Ludacris. But now he is “Everybody’s Perfect,” an homage the biggest names in the business, The Country Music Association opening up to country, too. “I like to the difficulties of life at a new including Taylor Swift. But on this Foundation wanted to bring the two country music because of the tone school. Moesha Masters, 11, recent fall day, she helped 19 stu- together, and the program was born. of it,” the seventh-grader said. “It’s helped come up with the inspira- dents write an original tune called tion for the title. “I moved a lot “Everybody’s Perfect.” and it was hard making friends,” “Y’all are awesome,” Rose said as she said. “And I realized I’m not she approached the stage. “Y’all perfect. But after I looked at that I made me cry.”Country music and realized everyone’s perfect in oth- New York City don’t go hand in er ways.” “Ice cream, money and South African artist Mzi Gojo stands in his studio among his artworks at the glove; the city has only one country MetroCards and full backpacks FUNDA art foundation. radio station, which came on the air and school is hard!” the students two years ago after a 17-year sang. With lots of oohs and aahs n land that is both a marshy field no art shop in Soweto. We don’t have the drought. Nonetheless, Music City and an upbeat, catchy melody, the and a rubbish dump in the town- money. So we had to come up with an musicians are partnering with a students’ song emulated more the Oship of Soweto, artist Mzi Gojo is alternative way,” said Lehlohonolo nonprofit that is providing music contemporary pop-country of looking for a special material to use in his Mkhasibe, one of the group’s founding education in New York City schools Taylor Swift than the old-country latest work-cow dung. “The good thing members. “We wanted to create a new to help boost it as a core subject. twang. about summer is that the cow dung is language, away from the conventional The students at Pelham Gardens Peter Pauliks, director of pro- very green and it stays very green on my techniques created by the old masters,” Middle School in the Bronx are grams for Education through canvas,” he explains. Gojo is a member of he said, dressed in a black beret and among 500 students in 15 schools Music, urged the students at the Ubuhle Bobuntu (“beauty of humanity” wearing circular John Lennon-style glass- around the city to participate; they rehearsal to enunciate every word in Zulu), a group of artists who use recy- es. “I was so stressed (after I left school). It receive 10 lessons on how to write so that a diverse audience would cled materials and experimental tech- is so hard to find linocard. I could not buy lyrics, and one class in each school understand the song’s message. has a videoconference session with In this photo, Liz Rose, center, a Grammy-award winning coun- “In Nashville, I don’t think they niques to express their own lives in mod- any. I had to think outside of the box.” a musician in Nashville.