TODAYA life of song, danceVeteran hoofer Chita...

TODAY

A life of song, dance

Veteran hoofer Chita Rivera, the Tony-winning musical stage star whose long career on Broadway includes such landmark shows as “West Side Story” and “Kiss of the Spider Woman,” joins an 11-member company in the premiere of “Chita Rivera: The Dancer’s Life,” Terrence McNally’s song-and-dance tour through American musical theater history. Directed and choreographed by Graciela Daniele.

“Chita Rivera: The Dancer’s Life,” Old Globe Theatre, 1363 Old Globe Way, Balboa Park, San Diego. Opens 8 p.m. today. $47 to $75. (619) 234-5623. www.theoldglobe.org* Runs 8 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays, 7 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Sundays, 2 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. 2 p.m. only on Oct. 1; ends Oct. 23.

Images of devotion

The popularity of retablos art -- small oil paintings depicting patron saints and Catholic imagery -- peaked during the late 19th century in Mexico, but the paintings can still be found in religious households today. The exhibition “Behind the Altar” (and also the translation of “retablos”) at the Craft and Folk Art Museum features examples of the devotional images and looks at artistic traditions that were derived from Spanish colonial and Mexican folk art.

“Behind the Altar,” Craft and Folk Art Museum, 5814 Wilshire Blvd., L.A. Opens today with reception from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. $3 to $5; 12 and younger, free. (323) 937-4230.

* Regular hours: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays. Ends Dec. 31

FRIDAY

They crawl for their art

More than 20 Eastside galleries will host Art Crawl 8, the annual self-guided gallery tour. Visitors will have a chance to view the fall art shows around Silver Lake, Echo Park and Los Feliz, including Shag’s latest show, “L.A. by Night,” on view at La Luz de Jesus. Maker Gallery will host live entertainment beginning at 8 p.m. Saturday and will end the festivities with free mimosas on Sunday.

Art Crawl 8, Los Feliz, Silver Lake and Echo Park galleries at various locations. 6 to 10 p.m. Friday. Free. (323) 666-7667 or visit www.laluzdejesus.com/artcrawl.htm for a map of participating galleries.

* Also noon to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Obsession, attraction

“Hotel and VV” doesn’t have quite the ring of “Sonny and Cher,” but to a growing segment of the underground rock audience, the London-based couple, a.k.a. the Kills, offers this era’s most compelling and entertaining expression of the battle of the sexes. Guitarist Hotel and singer VV, who headline their own show after opening for Bloc Party earlier in the week, take their starkly beautiful and beautifully harsh accounts of obsession and attraction into a rarely explored realm of rock theater.

The Kills, El Rey Theatre, 5515 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, 9 p.m. Friday. $15. (323) 936-6400.

Moonwalks revived

Just as James Cameron carried his passion for the deep sea to an Imax-sized three dimensions, Tom Hanks expands his fascination with space exploration in “Magnificent Desolation: Walking on the Moon 3D.” As producer, narrator and co-writer (with director Mark Cowen), Hanks continues the work he began with projects such as “Apollo 13” and “From the Earth to the Moon.” The large-format movie combines exhaustively re-created moonwalks and historical information aimed at reviving curiosity about space, especially in kids.

“Magnificent Desolation: Walking on the Moon 3D,” unrated. Opens Friday at Imax theaters.

A vibrant showcase

Praised in these pages for “vibrancy and detail,” Dayton Contemporary Dance Company returns to the Southland in a program boasting an array of major black choreographers. Besides “Sets and Chasers” by company artistic director Kevin Ward, the program includes “Awassa Astrige/Ostrich” by modern dance pioneer Asadata Dafora, “Things I’ve Not Forgotten” by postmodern firebrand Bebe Miller and the five-part Donald McKayle-Ronald K. Brown collaboration “Children of the Passage.” The company, founded in 1968, is known for its reconstructions of black dance classics as well as commissioned repertory showcasing the major African American innovators of today.

Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, Cerritos Center, 12700 Center Court Drive, Cerritos. 8 p.m. Friday. $20 to $35. (800) 300-4345.

SATURDAY

Some jazz, some rock

Guitarist Pat Metheny has been exploring the musical hinterlands between jazz and rock for more than 30 years, performing with such diverse artists as Ornette Coleman, Herbie Hancock, Joni Mitchell and David Bowie. Metheny, who has won 16 Grammys since 1982, will perform with his trio featuring drummer Antonio Sanchez and bassist Christian McBride, with special guest artist tenor saxophonist David Sanchez.

Pat Metheny Trio Plus One, Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 S. Grand Ave., L.A. 8 p.m. Saturday. $40 to $100. (323) 850-2000.

Landmark will come with a beat

The Watts Towers were built by Italian immigrant Simon Rodia in his backyard from 1921 to 1955. This weekend, the world-famous landmark will serve as a backdrop for some world-class music. The 24th annual Watts Towers Day of the Drum Festival on Saturday will be an international celebration of drumming with artists performing styles from around the world -- Africa, Asia, North and South America, the Caribbean and Europe. On Sunday, the 28th annual Simon Rodia Watts Towers Jazz Festival will feature such jazz favorites as Nedra Wheeler, Jose Rizo’s Jazz on the Latin Side All-Stars, Hiroshima, Spanky Wilson and others.

Watts Towers Day of the Drum Festival, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday; Simon Rodia Watts Towers Jazz Festival, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. Watts Towers of Simon Rodia/Watts Towers Art Center, 1727 E. 107th St., L.A. Both days are free. (213) 847-4646.