B2wins Bring Their Unstoppable Positivity Back To Alaska
Contributed by Lainie Dreas
Get ready to sing, dance, laugh and take your soul on a feelgood ride through chart topping hits and original songs performed in a way only the B2wins can. Alaska Junior Theater is excited to present three unique performances with the Alaska State Fair Fan Favorites: the B2wins.
Pronounced B-Twins, this high energy entertainment group continues to captivate audiences worldwide with its unique renditions of crowd favorites and engaging, uplifting live show that targets the masses. Led by charismatic twin brothers, from Niteroi, Rio de Janeiro, Walter & Wagner Caldas (B2wins) combine a plethora of genres into a feelgood performance that is equal parts rock concert, dance party, jam session and vacation for the soul.
B2wins Origins: The longest bridge in the Southern Hemisphere connects Rio de Janeiro to Niteroi, a city of half a million people in southeastern Brazil. Niteroi is a financial and commercial center, with modern buildings and shopping malls, but the Caldas family lives in its poorest area—the favela, a Portuguese word that more or less translates to “slum.”
Favelas throughout Brazil are distinguished by their primitive infrastructure and public services, high crime, and extreme poverty. Most residents have no diploma. Most boys become men who work a life of hard labor for low wages. They start families and build atop their parents’ homes, often using whatever materials they can find or afford, creating an urban landscape of dirt and brick dotted with pastels and bright colors.
“We had nothing, but at the same time we had everything,” Walter says inside the small apartment near Ingersoll Avenue he shares with his wife, Molly, and new dog, Branca, a gentle pit bull who likes to sleep. He talks over the loud buzz of an air conditioner attached to the wall over the couch, and hums “No Diggity” by Blackstreet as he searches his laptop for photos of home. He shows them off with great pride.
“Everything we are today—the personality, the craziness—is from here,” he says. “Our childhood was everything you could ever imagine. Pure happiness. Freedom.”
Growing up in the violent, impoverished slums of Rio De Janeiro in Brazil, Walter and Wagner Caldas began playing classical music on violins their father made by hand. The identical twins used music as an escape from their reality and began teaching others in their neighborhood to do the same. In the last 10 years, they have expanded their neighborhood a bit, performing over 1,000 shows all over the world.
Their inspirational life story can be felt in every song they perform, and they are on a mission to make the world smile with their music.
Check out their amazing YouTube music Videos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8VZAsTUt60.
These unforgettable, engaging shows are for all ages and features one-of-a-kind renditions of everything from Elvis to Ed Sheeran, Bon Jovi to Dua Lipa and countless other timeless hits, all crafted in a non-stop thrill experience of music called “Exciting, hilarious, uplifting and pure JOY!” by American Entertainment Magazine.
Here in Alaska! B2wins will be performing a public show (Music Reimagined), field trip shows (Strings Over Streets) and a special performance for this year’s Carnival themed Alaska Junior Theater Benefit Show. “You are going to want to see ALL three shows to lighten up the still dark days of winter in March. Join us!” invites Lainie Dreas, Executive Director of Alaska Junior Theater.
All performances will be in the Atwood Concert Hall of the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts.
“Strings Over Streets” School Performances: March 19-21, 2024 (Teachers register at 907-272-7546)
“Music Reimagined” Public Performance: Friday, March 22, 2024 at 7:00PM
“Brazilian Carnival” Annual Benefit Performance: Saturday, March 23 at 5:00PM
Tickets are available at www.akjt.org or by calling 907.263.ARTS (2787).