WEEKEND FORECAST

‘High School’ on ice

“High School Musical,” Disney’s Emmy-winning, chart-topping teen pop juggernaut, takes to the ice in a song-dance-skating spectacular, “Disney’s High School Musical: The Ice Tour.”

“Disney’s High School Musical: The Ice Tour,” Staples Center, 1111 S. Figueroa St., L.A. 7:30 p.m. today and Friday. $15 to $75. (213) 480-3232, (714) 740-2000; www.ticketmaster.com.

TODAY

FAMILY

* Also at the Long Beach Arena, 300 E. Ocean Blvd., Long Beach, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, noon, 3:30 and 7:30 p.m. Sunday. Los Angeles Sports Arena, 3939 S. Figueroa St., L.A., 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.

DANCE

Beating the drum

Unhinge those backs and get ready to be polyrhythmic: The Debbie Allen Dance Academy is presenting the third annual “AfricaDance and Drum Conference” all week long. Besides the classes and workshops that you can find listed online, there’s a culminating performance on Sunday, with everything open to the public. Learn dance and percussion from Cameroon, Guinea, Nigeria, Senegal, Ghana and Mali, along with African-based dances from Brazil, Haiti, Cuba and the U.S. of A. You wanna do the DuDun or would you prefer to Krump? Either way, this is the place.

AfricaDance and Drum Conference, Debbie Allen Dance Academy, 3623 Hayden Ave., Culver City. Classes today through Sunday: $15 each. Final performance: 6 p.m. Sunday. $15. (310) 280-9145 or www.debbieallendanceacademy.com

JAZZ

Bandstand jamboree

There’s nothing quite like a big jazz band in action. Unless it’s 20 big jazz bands -- all swinging hard -- performing in the L.A. Jazz Institute’s four-day celebration of the glories of large jazz ensemble action. In addition to appearances by college bands and the full range of Southland swingers, there will be a performance of Duke Ellington’s film music by the Los Angeles Jazz Orchestra, featuring veteran drummer Louis Bellson; a full day’s tribute to Bill Holman climaxing with the tribute guy himself, leading his own band; Stan Kenton and Maynard Ferguson revivals; the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra; and a rare appearance by the Terry Gibbs Dream Band.

L.A. Jazz Institute’s Big Band Showcase, Four Points Sheraton LAX, 9750 Airport Blvd., Los Angeles. Starts today. $10 to $40 for individual events; $325 to $400 for all four days. (562) 985-7065; lajazzinstitute.org/index.php?c=7

* Also: Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

FRIDAY

THEATER

Rock like

it’s 1986

“Queen: It’s a Kinda Magic,” a theatrical re-creation of the 1986 world tour of Freddie Mercury and Queen, is touring the U.S., featuring some of the iconic band’s greatest hits, including “We Will Rock You” and “Bohemian Rhapsody.” The musical extravaganza features Craig Pesco as Freddie Mercury, Travis Hair as Brian May, Brett Millican as Roger Taylor and Mitch Cairns as John Deacon. Directed by Peter Ross.

“Queen: It’s a Kinda Magic,” Kodak Theatre, 6801 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood. 8 p.m. Friday. $52 to $69. (213) 480-3232; www.ticketmaster.com.

* Also: Segerstrom Hall, Orange County Performing Artscenter, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. 8 p.m. Saturday. $49 to $69. (714) 556-2787; www.ocpac.org

MOVIES

Precocious ‘artist’

One moment, 4-year-old Marla Olmstead was being hailed as a pint-sized Jackson Pollock and selling hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of paintings, the next she was unmasked as a fraud on “60 Minutes.” In the documentary “My Kid Could Paint That,” writer-director Amir Bar-Lev explores the complicated circumstances that arise as the family tries to clear its name.

“My Kid Could Paint That,” rated PG-13 for language, opens Friday in selected theaters.

EVENTS

Miracle Mile mixer

The fifth annual Tarfest, a free art, film and music event centered around the La Brea Tar Pits and the Miracle Mile community, opens to the public Friday evening with an art exhibit at the Korean Cultural Center and continues Saturday with film screenings at the cultural center and the Architecture and Design (A+D) Museum followed by the Af-Tar Party in the evening. The fest concludes Sunday with a day at the La Brea Tar Pits featuring live music and interactive activities for all ages presented by LACMA, the Natural History Museum, the Craft and Folk Art Museum and other organizations. Sunday’s musical lineup includes Los Abandoned, Stewboss, Young-B, Una and Bardo. And it’s all free.

Tarfest, Korean Cultural Center, 5505 Wilshire Blvd., L.A. 6 to 10 p.m. Friday. Free. (323) 634-4919. www.tarfest.com

* Also, film screenings at the Korean Cultural Center, 1 to 5:30 p.m. Saturday and at the A+D Museum, 5900 Wilshire Blvd., L.A. 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday.

* The Af-Tar Party, 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. Saturday, A+D Museum.

* Sunday in the Park, La Brea Tar Pits, 5801 Wilshire Blvd., L.A. Noon to 5:30 p.m. Sunday.

SATURDAY

EVENTS

Celebrating NoHo

The NoHo Arts District opens its doors to the public Saturday with free music, dance, theater, exhibits and other offerings. NoHo Scene will include 40 theater performances and workshops at 17 of the district’s theaters, film screenings, visual art exhibits and demonstrations, free samples from local eateries, an “Art Battle” competition, a dance contest judged by Shane Sparks of “So You Think You Can Dance?” and live music by Jack Mack and the Heart Attack. A wine and food pavilion and art booths will also be featured, along with a free, double-decker shuttle that will transport attendees between venues.

NoHo Scene, Lankershim Boulevard between Magnolia Boulevard and Weddington Street, North Hollywood. 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday. Free. (818) 980-NOHO; www.nohoartsdistrict.com

ART

Double exposure

Patrick Painter Gallery presents an exhibition of new works by California artist Won Ju Lim in both gallery spaces. “Broken Landscapes” in the East Gallery features a series of landscape paintings that have been cut up and reassembled, revealing gaps and spaces where the pieces don’t quite fit back together again. For an exhibition of works in the West Gallery, “Ruined Traces,” Lim has constructed a multimedia sculptural installation, a densely packed environment composed of natural and synthetic materials, moving and still images playing with the boundaries of the real and hyper-real.

Won Ju Lim: “Broken Landscape” & “Ruined Traces,” Patrick Painter, East & West Galleries, 2525 Michigan Ave., Unit A8 & B2, Santa Monica. Opens Saturday. (310) 264-5988.

* Hours: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Ends Nov. 10.

SUNDAY

POP MUSIC

Footloose and fancy

The Shins have survived their brief moment as a trendy indie-rock breakthrough, and now the Pacific Northwest band is back to the business of crafting meticulous, emotionally ambiguous baroque pop that fills its latest album, “Wincing the Night Away.” Of course, that brief moment means they get to play it at the Greek Theatre instead of little clubs.

The Shins, Greek Theatre, 2700 N. Vermont Ave., L.A. 7:30 p.m. Sunday. $39.50. (323) 665-5857.

MONDAY

BOOKS

Don’t shrug this off

Commemorating the 50th anniversary of the publication of “Atlas Shrugged,” the Ayn Rand Institute presents “The Ideas of Ayn Rand’s ‘Atlas Shrugged,’ ” an exhibit on the “Objectivist” worldview of Rand’s influential novel. On display will be never-before-seen facsimile manuscript pages, handwritten notes, promotional matter from Random House -- including a dollar-sign cigarette -- and cover artwork. A reception will be held on Wednesday, the anniversary of publication.

“The Ideas of Ayn Rand’s ‘Atlas Shrugged,’” Frances Howard Goldwyn - Hollywood Regional Library, 1623 N. Ivar Ave., Hollywood. Opens Monday. (323) 856-8260.

* Hours: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Ends Dec. 11.

TUESDAY

MUSEUMS

Clothing optional

The inaugural exhibition of the Getty’s Center for Photographs program aims to highlight the range and depth of the museum’s collection. “In Focus: The Nude” charts the appearance of the nude in photography from the origin of the medium up to the present day, with works by 25 artists, including 19th century photographers Thomas Eakins and Edgar Degas alongside 20th century heavyweights Alfred Stieglitz, Man Ray, Imogen Cunningham, Diane Arbus and Chuck Close.

“In Focus: The Nude,” J. Paul Getty Museum, 1200 Getty Center Drive, L.A. Opens Tuesday. Free; parking is $8. (310) 440-7300.

* Hours: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and Sunday; 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday; closed Monday.

WEDNESDAY

THEATER

Act of commission

“The Quality of Life,” a new drama written and directed by Jane Anderson -- the first Geffen Playhouse-produced play of its new commission program -- has its world premiere with Laurie Metcalf, Scott Bakula, Dennis Boutsikaris and JoBeth Williams as couples who are forced to take a stance about morality, religion, politics and what determines the value of a life.

“The Quality of Life,” Geffen Playhouse, Audrey Kenis Skirball Theater, 10886 Le Conte Ave., Westwood. Opens 8 p.m. Wednesday. $69 and $74. (310) 208-5454, (213) 365-3500. www.geffenplayhouse.com

* Runs 8 p.m. Tuesdays to Thursdays, 7:30 p.m. Fridays, 3:30 and 8 p.m. Saturdays, 2:30 and 7:30 p.m. Sundays; ends Nov. 18.