In Memory

"There is something in staying close to men and women, and looking on them, and in the contact and odor of them, that pleases the soul well," writes Walt Whitman in "I Sing The Body Electric." Composer William J. Lackey's appreciation for Whitman's sentiments increased exponentially in the past three years, as he watched his mother's ultimately fatal struggle with cancer. Collaborating with choreo­grapher Jennifer Owen and visual artist Nate Fors, he has organized Ritual of the Body Electric, a multi­media (dance, video and music) performance in his mother's memory, based in part on this section of Whitman's poem. "The work is about human connection," Lackey says. An 18-piece chamber ensemble (featuring soprano soloist Rebecca Sherburn) will perform Lackey's electroacoustic composition at La Esquina (1000 West 25th Street) at 8 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Friday. Tickets cost $10, with half of the proceeds going to Children's Mercy Hospitals and Clinics' cancer program. For information, call 816-221-5115.
Fri., Sept. 5, 8 & 9:30 p.m., 2008