IMPO. EL tape is best bonded with sliver conductive epoxy unless you have pre made ends. a 34 USD tube will last a longggg time!
( also good for cold solder! and to bond to solar panels !)
BUT you can solder it If you have the right kinda EL tape. If you can get some GOOD flux and use Leaded low temp solder you are less likely to toast the substrate plastic.... Lead free uses much higher temps then lead based . just wash your hands afterwards..
most pros that do large scale installs like in a car or limo ect use a " system "that is made for a single brand. the ends are toothed and bite the tape.
http://www.ellumiglow.com/how-to-connect-parallel-el-tape
If you use solder or glue you are gonna have to peel open the EL tape to get to the 2 paths used as a bus conductor.
Pardon me I had a major durp moment.
When you said cut I assumed you mean like cut and splice.
are you asking me how do you type out EL tape and strips to make shapes?
Generally speaking it's a bit more difficult as you have the bond the top and bottom layers of the tape conductive paths to the power supply. You can power EL panels but one of the problems is that EL stuff is somewhat susceptible to oxidation and moisture. So cutting EL panel material without sealing the edges the EL shape may not last very long.
One of things you can do is seal the edges with epoxy or if you are bold enough you can always just laminate the finished product if the shapes are small enough clear packing tape should suffice. When you do cut be aware that if your blade's dull it may short the top and bottom layers out and therefore you will have no power across the panel