Party with Parsons Dance to benefit cancer charity

Prostics commission ‘Remember Me’ in Elizabeth’s honor

On Nov. 13, the Folly Theatre will host the local premiere of an acclaimed new work by the Parsons Dance company that was inspired by the life and death of a local Jewish woman and commissioned by her parents.

And Kansas Citians who support the MetaCancer Foundation that Dr. Edward and Merry Prostic also established in memory of their late daughter, Elizabeth, can party with the cast on stage after the show. (See below for details)

“Remember Me” has been described as a “rock dance opera” and is the result of a collaboration between Parsons Dance and the cutting-edge East Village Opera Company. Critics have called “Remember Me” the most ambitious production created by Parsons Dance in its 22-year history.

‘A nice tribute’
David Parsons is a native of Kansas City whom the Prostics have known and admired for many years. They approached him some time after Elizabeth died of metastatic breast cancer in 2005.

“We had him come to the house, and had a small film that we put together about Elizabeth,” Merry Prostic said. “We showed it to him, and after we all cried, he said, ‘I’m going to do something.’

“I said ‘Could we ever commission you to do a piece?’ and he said OK.”

The Prostics have been involved with the creation of the show from the beginning. Merry Prostic said Parsons came to them and said, “I’m enthralled with this East Village Opera Company.”

“He had me listen to some of the music on his computer. He said ‘I want to think of a way to create dance with this fabulous music,’ ” she said. “That’s how he put it together. It’s absolutely innovative and unbelievable.”

“Remember Me” made its world premiere in January to sold-out audiences at The Joyce Theater in New York. Because of its enormous success, “Remember Me” is set to become a national PBS television special airing at 4 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 1.

“I just want to make people aware of the rare opportunity to see the Kansas City premiere of a native son,” Prostic said. “It’s traveling all over the country; they do European tours and they just came back from Mexico.

“And they will mention Elizabeth every time it’s performed; they will always do a tribute to her in their program books. It’s good for us and it’s a nice tribute to her.”

Prostic said she likes the title.

“ ‘Remember Me’ works well, because we will,” she said.

A place to turn
Before they commissioned the dance in Elizabeth’s honor, the Prostics established a charitable foundation to help women who find themselves in similar straits. Their MetaCancer Foundation was formed in 2006.

The notion arose after Elizabeth was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer in 2004. She and her husband, Michael Lundblad, could find virtually nothing on the Internet or from physicians about the psychosocial effects on patients with metastatic cancer, which left them no place to turn for support.

Elizabeth died in 2005 at the age of 31. Her parents, husband and friends founded MetaCancer the next year to offer psychological and emotional support to other cancer patients and their caregivers. The Web site is www.metacancer.org.

It is the MetaCancer Foundation that will benefit from the sale of special tickets to the “Remember Me” premiere.

‘Pearls, Pumps & Parsons’
The Kansas City premiere of “Remember Me” is part of this season’s Harriman-Jewell Series, and is set for 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 13, at the Folly Theater, 12th and Central Streets.
Harriman-Jewell has donated about 300 seats for the Prostics to sell as a benefit for MetaCancer. Fundraiser tickets are $250, and there are various patron levels from $500 to $5,000. Call (913) 677-1983 to reserve a ticket to the benefit gala.

If any regular tickets remain, they will go on sale after Nov. 5 at the Harriman-Jewell Series Web site, hjseries.org, or by calling (816) 415-5025.

Those purchasing the special seats will get to stay for a post-performance event called “Pearls, Pumps and Parsons!”

“(This is) an on-stage celebration with the dancers and David Parsons; a light supper, desserts, etc.,” Prostic said. “The funds raised support our foundation, and then we will turn it around and give it to (the University of Kansas Cancer Center) for the establishment of a grant.”

Specifically, funds will go to help establish the Elizabeth Prostic Post-Doctoral Fellowship at the Breast Cancer Survivorship Center at the KU Cancer Center. MetaCancer has made previous grants to the Turning Point social-service agency and Truman Medical Center.

Merry Prostic said she hopes to raise $100,000 with the premiere party.

“We have named this event ‘Pearls, Pumps & Parsons!’ to celebrate Elizabeth’s passion for dance, red shoes and pearls,” she said.

In memory of Elizabeth, members of the cast will wear red shoes for the local performance, and attendees, too, are invited to wear red shoes and pearls.

“I promised to wear red shoes because that was her favorite. She wore a lot of pearls and red shoes,” Prostic said.

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