Skip to main content

The Electric Lady, Born from the Heartland

Janelle Monae may be globetrotting superstar, but she has her roots in Kansas City


              Janelle Monae is an award-winning R&B artist, owner of the record label Wondaland Arts Society, and actress in award winning films such as Hidden Figures and Moonlight. Monae is well known for her presence in the Afrofuturism movement, which reimagines the African tradition in the framework of science fiction. However, despite becoming an immense success, Monae has humble routes. She was born in Kansas City, Kansas, Dorothy Gale from the Wizard of Oz becoming a childhood source of inspiration. Monae attended F.L. Schlagle High School before being awarded a scholarship to the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York City. Her mother was a janitor and her father a truck driver for Deffenbaugh. Although Janelle moved on from Kansas City to escape poverty, she has roots here – family members, friends, and even an old band, The Weirdos.
          Although the Midwest is often considered ‘flyover country’ – a black hole of culture and art, Monae stands out as a unique and exquisitely strange artist. Her style was cultivated by the thrift shops of Westport and the music and acting scene at the time had a profound affect on her. She even attended the play writing seminars by the Coterie, a well-known children’s theatre in Crown Center. Monae shows Midwesterner that we too have interesting perspectives that the world wants to see. Avila students can take inspiration from her, both as someone from this area and from someone who came from absolutely nothing. There is worth in the perspectives of people from Kansas City, and from people who come from poor neighborhoods.


Monae Headlined her first Kansas City show at Uptown theatre in 2013, a sold out affair with an audience that included family members, friends, and former teachers. 


F. L. Schlagle High School is the school Janelle Monae once attended, and some teachers still have happy memories of her time there. 



Janelle Monae may be a world-famous recording artist and actress, but she came from one of the most impoverished neighborhoods in Kansas City, Kansas. 


Please Click here for the video
https://youtu.be/Sze2M01gkDg  



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

First Fridays

  A Celebration of Local Art For art enthusiasts in Kansas City, the first Friday of each month is a day to look forward to. The aptly named First Fridays is an event where art galleries in the Crossroads district open their doors to the general public, joined by a variety of performers, vendors, and other creative individuals. First Fridays spans all of the Crossroads district, which is centered at 19 th Street and Baltimore Avenue, with the entire event spanning some twenty blocks around the neighborhood. First Fridays is an event that occurs in many cities, with tens of thousands of people flocking to cities like Redmond, Virginia and Spokane, Washington. One of the oldest First Fridays is held in Boston’s SoWa Arts District, which has ranked as one of the best art districts in the country. Kansas City, in its own right, is quite a center of art, opening 70 shops and galleries at its First Fridays. It ranks as one of the largest free art crawls in the nation. Truly, Kans...
Post a Comment
Read more

Theatre in Kansas City

Kansas City Embraces the Performing Arts               When many people hear the word “theatre,” they may think of the glitz and glam of a Broadway show, or of New York City or Chicago in particular. However, there are many cities around the country with thriving theatre scenes, including Kansas City. From the cutting edge shows of The Unicorn, to the major commercial shows of Starlight Theatre, and even a dinner theatre in the New Theatre, Kansas City has a great deal of variety to offer to those interested in the performing arts. In addition to this, there are several well-regarded theatre programs in the area, such as Avila’s own theatre program, University of Missouri – Kansas City, Johnson County Community College, and Rockhurst University.               Kansas City has had a thriving theatre scene for quite some time, with the oldest theatre be...
Post a Comment
Read more

Tabletop Gaming

The Golden Age of Board Gaming – A Niche Hobby Becomes Mainstream Since its development in the 1970s, pen and paper tabletop games like Dungeons and Dragons have inspired people to create their own stories. Pens, paper, dice, and a little creative energy are all that is needed to play through hours of adventures. However, for many years, the hobby was since as niche, the territory of nerds and social outcasts. In the 1980s in particular, Dungeons and Dragons amassed a great deal of negative press that spawned from “Satanic Panic” – the notion that the game was promoting Satanism and witchcraft. For decades, being a tabletop gamer was almost seen as a source of shame, something to hide or risk being ridiculed over. Although the stigma did reduce over the years, the hobby itself maintained a limited audience. However, in recent years, the hobby has seen a massive amount of growth, entering the mainstream. Perhaps as a result of nostalgia, or a desire for a more social gaming exp...
Post a Comment
Read more