WEEKEND FORECAST

TODAY

DANCE

International movements

One of the leading folkloric ensembles from what used to be the Soviet bloc, the Georgian State Dance Company, appears at the Orange County Performing Arts Center in a program showcasing the distinctive performing arts from a republic where influences from Eastern Europe merge with those of Central Asia. There are dances in which the women seem to weightlessly skim the floor and others in which the men dance on the tips of their toes, performed by an 80-member troupe directed and choreographed by Iilya Sukhishvili Jr. “As beautiful as an illuminated medieval manuscript,” a Times reviewer wrote during a previous tour, “as heroic as people preparing for a defensive war.”

Georgian State Dance Company, Orange County Performing Arts Center, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. 8 tonight. $25 to $65. (949) 553-2422, (714) 556-2787; www.philharmonicsociety.org.

POP MUSIC

Fire at the Bowl

It seems as if the Arcade Fire has been with us all year, releasing its second album, “Neon Bible,” in March, bringing the Coachella festival to one of its peaks in April, then coming back for two nights at the Greek a month later, its carnival spirit and urgent rock defying the apocalyptic scenarios of the songs. The Montreal collective will pass through one more time, a perfect fit for the big-sky vistas of the Hollywood Bowl.

Arcade Fire, with LCD Soundsystem, Hollywood Bowl, 2301 N. Highland Ave., L.A. 7 tonight. $31 to $50.50. (323) 850-2000; www.hollywoodbowl.com.

WORLD MUSIC

Siren of the Ivory Coast

When Dobet Gnahoré, an incendiary young singer from the Ivory Coast, came on stage during last year’s Acoustic Africa tour, it was immediately apparent that a new African star was in the ascendancy. Singing with an airy sound recalling the penetrating timbres of Salif Keita, dancing with astonishingly mobile flexibility, she was an irresistibly charismatic presence. This will be her first appearance in the Southland as a headliner, and it’s a fair bet that if you like Angelique Kidjo, Marie Daulne or even Miriam Makeba, you’ll love Gnahoré. Opening is a similarly rising, African-oriented local singer-dancer, Ashley Maher.

Dobet Gnahoré, Temple Bar, 1026 Wilshire Blvd. 9:30 tonight. $10. (310) 393-6611; www.templebarlive.com.

ART

Bronze dogs loose

Presented by the Istituto Italiano di Cultura in collaboration with West of Rome, Milan-based artist Liliana Moro’s exhibition consists of three installations, including “Eau,” a collection of water sounds, (rivers, streams, seas and fountains) in addition to “Underdog,” a pack of lifelike bronze dogs running amok in the gallery space. The opening reception follows a 6 p.m. lecture by famed art collector Giuliano Gori of the Fattoria di Celle open-air museum in the Tuscan Hills.

“Liliana Moro,” Italian Cultural Institute of Los Angeles, 1023 Hilgard Ave., L.A. Opens today. (310) 443-3250.

* Hours: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays. Ends Nov. 2.

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FRIDAY

MOVIES

Tundra of terror

Filmmaker Larry Fessenden is expert at thumbing his nose at horror conventions and infusing his films with a social conscience, so it’s no surprise that he goes green with the eco-thriller “The Last Winter.” Ron Perlman, James LeGros and Connie Britton head the cast for this tale of an Alaska oil expedition that goes awry when nature unleashes its wrath upon those who would exploit it.

“The Last Winter,” unrated, opens Friday at Landmark’s Nuart, 11272 Santa Monica Blvd., West L.A. (310) 281-8223.

MUSIC

Impressive Liszt

Founded in 1963 by former students of the Franz Liszt Music Academy in Budapest, Hungary, the Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra plays music by its namesake composer, of course, but also works by lots of others. At the Cerritos Center this weekend, violinist János Rolla will lead the ensemble in Liszt’s Rhapsody No. 2, Mendelssohn’s String Symphony No. 10, Elgar’s Introduction and Allegro, Dvorák’s bucolic Serenade in E Major and Hungarian Dances by Brahms.

Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra, Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts, 12700 Center Court Drive, Cerritos. 8 p.m. Friday[. $20 to $37. (562) 467-8818. www.cerritoscenter.com.

POP MUSIC

She’s got it covered

One highlight of Cat Power’s New Year’s Eve set at Galen Center, where she opened for the Flaming Lips and Gnarls Barkley, was a rocked-up version of the Miracles’ Motown ballad “Tracks of My Tears,” and fans can expect more excavation of pop’s past from the increasingly soulful singer, because she’s in the process of preparing a second collection of outside material for January release.

Cat Power, Avalon, 1735 N. Vine St., L.A. 8 p.m. Friday. $27.50. (323) 462-8900; www.livenation.com.

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SATURDAY

MUSIC

Slowing it down

If you like your art large, and with a sophisticated soundtrack, David Michalek’s outdoor installation “Slow Dancing” might just be the ticket. “Slow Dancing” gets its West Coast debut Saturday at the Music Center Plaza, where projections of slow-motion video portraits of famous dance artists from various countries will hit massive screens under the downtown sky. And what’s dancing without a little music? KCRW-FM DJ Jason Bentley will be providing the live electro-global-fusion soundtrack to round out the sensorial free-for-all of the event called Uptown Underground.

KCRW Presents: Uptown Underground, Music Center Plaza, 135 N. Grand Ave., Los Angeles. 10 p.m. to midnight. Free. (213) 972-7211.

WORDS

The state in verse

The Poetry Society of America, in partnership with PEN Center USA and UCLA, presents the Festival of California Poets, two back-to-back events celebrating the literary contributions of the Golden State. They will feature contemporary California poets reading and discussing the work of three landmark poets whose work has come to define a decidedly Californian landscape and sensibility. Readers for both days include Stephen Yenser on Robinson Jeffers, Harryette Mullen on Bob Kaufman and Carol Muske-Dukes on Ann Stanford.

Festival of California Poets, DRW Auditorium at Pasadena Central Library, 285 E. Walnut St., Pasadena. 2 p.m. Saturday. (310) 862-1555.

* Also 7 p.m. Sunday at Gallery Six at Hammer Museum, 10899 Wilshire Blvd., L.A.

SUNDAY

FAMILY

Juggling gizmos and comedy

Comic jugglers Allan Jacobs and Barrett Felker, a.k.a. The Gizmo Guys, combine rapid-fire comedy and high-octane juggling skills in a show launching this year’s “Programs for Young Audience” series presented by La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts for ages 5 and up and their families. Series also includes Peter Himmelman (Oct. 28), “Beethoven’s Wig (Feb. 24), “Winnie the Pooh” (March 30) and “Fred Garbo Inflatables” (April 6).

The Gizmo Guys, La Mirada Theatre, 14900 La Mirada Blvd., La Mirada. 1:30 and 3:30 p.m. Sunday, $8; all five shows, $30. (562) 944-9801, www.lamiradatheatre.com.