The newly-formed Syrai Carnival Creations will be “Submerged under the Sea” this Labor Day.
“I was motivated by Halle Bailey, who is casting as Ariel in ‘The Little Mermaid,’” said band leader, Andrina Alexander, who founded Syrai Carnival Creations just this summer, in an exclusive Caribbean Life interview.
“It was abundantly clear that Halle possesses that rare combination of spirit, heart, youth and innocence,” the youthful Alexander added. “So, I was inspired by her confidence to pick this presentation.”
According to Variety, Chloe x Halle member Halle Bailey “is ready to become part of Disney’s world.”
Variety said, on July 3, that the R&B singer has been tapped to play Ariel in Disney’s next live-action adaptation of “The Little Mermaid.”
“The Little Mermaid” will incorporate original songs from the 1989 animated hit, as well as new tunes from original composer Alan Menken, with lyrics by “Hamilton” creator Lin-Manuel Miranda, Variety said.
It said the original 1989 animated hit followed the mermaid princess Ariel, as she sought to fall in love with a human prince on land.
Menken wrote the film’s original music, including the songs “Under the Sea,” “Part of Your World” and “Kiss the Girl,” Variety said.
It said the role marks Bailey’s feature film debut, following the formation of her music group Chloe x Halle with her sister Chloe in 2015.
Variety said the pair first rose to fame by posting YouTube covers of Beyoncé before they were eventually discovered by the R&B superstar and her record label.
Since their discovery, the duo has signed a record deal with Parkwood Entertainment and has opened for Beyoncé on her “Lemonade” tour, Variety said.
Alexander – who has been playing mas with her Trinidadian-born mother, Debbie Parris, a mas producer herself, since she was 10 years old – said “Submerged under the Sea” comprises five sections, with all but one exclusively for females.
She said about 35 to 40 masqueraders, of all nationalities, will be in each section.
Alexander said she is getting the support of her mother and her friends in putting the production together, and that masqueraders can expect “the most fun day of their lives” on Labor Day.
“We may now start our production, but we’re experts in this business,” she declared, stating that Syrai Carnival Creations will give other mas bands “a run for their money.”
“Don’t underestimate or judge a book by its cover,” Alexander said.
The mas camp is located at 789 Rogers Ave. in Brooklyn.
Alexander can be reached at (347) 744-8122, or on Instagram at syraicarnivalcreations.
