FELA!: HOW A REVOLUTIONARY STORY AND MUSIC CHANGED ONE DANCER'S LIFE
- Vivian Phillips
- Jun 25
- 5 min read
The extraordinary and unconventional life of Fela Kuti, the undisputed pioneer of Afrobeat, became the celebrated subject of an award-winning musical that premiered on Broadway in 2009. Before its debut on the Great White Way, Fela! underwent a rigorous development process—including workshops and a successful Off-Broadway run in 2008. Conceived and directed by acclaimed American choreographer Bill T. Jones, the musical is set around 1977, at the height of Fela’s creative influence and political activism.
At the heart of Fela’s story is his unflinching opposition to Nigeria’s military dictatorship—a theme woven powerfully through his music, which was as much a cultural movement as it was a sound. The Broadway production earned 11 Tony Award nominations, then the fourth-highest number in Tony history, and took home three: Best Choreography, Best Costume Design, and Best Sound Design.
But beyond its accolades, Fela! left an indelible mark on one young performer: Danny Soto, who would go from cast member to dance captain and eventually carry the legacy of the production into his personal and professional life. By the time Danny Soto joined Fela!, he was already considered a seasoned stage performer. In fact, he had to choose between a role in Lin-Manuel Miranda’s In the Heights and participating in the early workshops for Fela!. He chose the latter—a decision that not only expanded his dance vocabulary but profoundly deepened his connection to the African diaspora.
“Fela Kuti’s music is a blueprint that carries me through various levels of understanding of self,” Soto reflects. More than a performance, Fela! became a lens through which he would examine his own creativity, identity, and grief—themes mirrored in the life of the Afrobeat legend himself.
The Weight of Identity and the Echo of Grief
Danny Soto's journey is layered with personal complexities. As a man of Dominican heritage, raised within a cultural context where extended family and polygamy shaped his sense of belonging, Soto found in Fela a kindred spirit—someone wrestling with his place in a fractured world. Fela’s life, too, was torn between reverence for his mother, a schoolteacher and Nigerian civil rights activist, and a hedonistic, often self-destructive path fueled by fame and revolutionary fervor.
One of the most tragic turning points in Fela’s life was the death of his mother, who was thrown from a balcony during a government raid on his Kalakuta Republic compound. She later died of her injuries. This event, a brutal consequence of his political resistance, deeply affected Fela—and later, Soto, who saw reflections of his own losses and longings in the music and story he helped bring to life. “Loss and grief have taken up occasional residence in my life,” Soto says. “And I look to Fela’s music to help move through and arrive at a place of solace and understanding.”
The Fela! world tour eventually brought the cast to Lagos, Nigeria—Fela’s hometown and the very soil from which his music and mission had grown. For Soto, it was a transformative experience. What had once been a performer’s job—delivering eight flawless shows a week—suddenly became something much deeper: an embodied act of resistance.
In Lagos, the borders between Soto and the man who was the central character of his 8 weekly performances on Broadway, seemed to vanish. The feel and scent of the land, the thunderous rhythms, the sweat of the Shrine nightclub where much of the musical is set, and the ever-present shadow of military oppression—all of it breathed new life into the narrative he had been living on stage.“Like Fela, I’ve felt the challenge of being a member of the African diaspora,” Soto shares. “There are so few places for Black men to express grief, especially when they are also resisting something larger than themselves. In many ways, Fela’s music is a Black man’s cry.”
“There are so few places for Black men to express grief, especially when they are also resisting something larger than themselves. In many ways, Fela’s music is a Black man’s cry.”
The Legacy of "Zombie"
One song in particular continues to resonate: “Zombie,” Fela’s scathing critique of the Nigerian military, recorded in 1976. The song, which satirizes the mindless obedience of soldiers, became a signature piece in the musical—and a touchstone for Soto. “Thinking about the nature of the production and its criticisms of African leadership, I remember that it was during Fela! that Barack Obama was running for president,” Soto recalls. “There’s so much happening now that brings me back to that specific part of the show—again and again.”
In 2012, Soto brought that message full circle when he choreographed “Zombie” for Seattle Theatre Group’s Dance This, passing on Fela’s spirit of protest and artistic excellence to a new generation of dancers.
Today, Soto continues to channel his creative energy not just through dance, but also through painting, where he explores what he calls “the colors of music.” He likens the experience to synesthesia, a blending of senses once attributed to artists like Jimi Hendrix. In these expressions—physical and visual—he continues the work Fela began: giving form to the unseen, voice to the unheard, and healing to the broken.
From Broadway to Lagos, from dance to paint, from resistance to release, Danny Soto's journey with Fela! is more than a chapter in his career—it’s a living meditation on what it means to be human, to create, to mourn, and to belong.
Today, Soto, a father of two young boys, still draws inspiration from the invaluable lessons he learned during his time embodying Fela's story. "I didn't have the knowledge about Fela's true background until I experienced Lagos, after which I went home to the Dominican Republic. At that point, I became overwhelmingly aware of how all of us from the African diaspora are one. I can now nourish my own story for my children, and their children," said Soto.
ABOUT DANIEL SOTO:
Daniel Soto is the Music In Me Foundation's esteemed Artistic Director and President of the Board of Directors. He garnered significant acclaim as a performer and dance captain in the original cast of "FELA! on Broadway." With a distinguished dancing career spanning over 15 years on Broadway, Daniel has been involved in numerous acclaimed productions.
His dedication extends beyond the stage; he is passionately committed to education, artistic integrity, and producing works that enrich both culture and community. Daniel is a fervent advocate for exposing scholar dancers to artistic opportunities and affirming their talents. Through his efforts, he has created numerous platforms for young talent to be seen and heard.
Daniel's influence reaches several prominent organizations, including the Seattle Theatre Group (Dance This), the Brooklyn Academy of Music (Dance Africa), and Hola (Teatro Sea). These institutions are integral to his mission of youth enrichment through the arts.
As the lead Dance Teacher for Kipp DC, Daniel has developed and produced programs catering to a diverse range of students, from those in Southeast DC to attendees of specialized art schools and intensive artistic programs throughout the DMV area. His work continues to inspire and uplift the next generation of dancers and artists in many schools throughout the DMV.
Danny Soto's Fela! Musical Playlist:
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