DanceIn olden days, troupes of itinerant professional...

Dance

In olden days, troupes of itinerant professional entertainers toured the Korean countryside, going from village to village to perform dances, acrobatics and shamanistic rituals that would harmonize relationships among heaven, earth and humankind. In 1978, Kim Duk Soo revived this disappearing tradition by forming the Samulnori percussion ensemble, which will give a sampling of these originally outdoor programs Saturday at the Orange County Performing Arts Center in Costa Mesa. The program is sponsored by the Philharmonic Society and the Performing Arts Center.

* Who: Samulnori dancers and drummers of Korea.

* When: Saturday at 8 p.m.

* Where: Orange County Performing Arts Center, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa.

* Whereabouts: San Diego (405) Freeway to Bristol Street, exit north. Turn right from Bristol onto Town Center Drive.

* Wherewithal: $10-$37.

* Where to call: (714) 553-2422.

Comedy

Comedian-magician Paul Kozak likes to make a grand and themed entrance. As the Talking Heads’ “Burning Down the House” blasts out of the house sound system, Kozak materializes on stage in a burst of fire. After that, he lets his illusions and humorous asides take center stage. The comedy club favorite has also worked his magic on British royalty, with a command performance at the London Palladium after which he was personally thanked by Princess Di.

* Who: Comedian-magician Paul Kozak.

* When: Tonight 8:30, Friday 8:30 and 10:30 p.m., Saturday 8 and 10:30 p.m., Sunday 8:30 p.m. On Sunday afternoon, he will do a kids show at 12:30. $5.

* Where: The Brea Improv, 945 E. Birch St.

* Whereabouts: Take the Lambert Road exit from the Orange (57) Freeway and go west. Turn left onto State College Boulevard and right onto Birch Street. The Improv is on the right in the Brea Marketplace, across from the Brea Mall.

* Wherewithal: $8-$10.

* Where to call: (714) 529-7878.

Jazz

Whether it’s his cha-cha and salsa syncopation, Cubop flair or percussion-rich jazz standards, conga player and singer Poncho Sanchez makes even the most well-known tune a propulsively rhythmic and magical re-creation. Sanchez has more than a dozen albums to his credit and has been described in these pages as “the hardest-working man in show business” and elsewhere as “L.A.’s answer to Mongo Santamaria.”

* Who: Poncho Sanchez.

* When: Friday at 8 p.m. Doors open at 6.

* Where: Galaxy Concert Theatre, 3503 S. Harbor Blvd. (at Lake Center Drive), Santa Ana.

* Whereabouts: Take the San Diego (405) Freeway and exit at Harbor Boulevard. Head north and take the third right, Lake Center Drive. The theater is on the left.

* Wherewithal: $15.

* Where to call: (714) 957-0600.

Theater

After a two-year hiatus, “Full-Contact Theatre” returns to Orange Coast College on Saturday for a single performance. “Full Contact Theatre” is a campus takeoff on “theater sport,” where two teams of actors try to best each other after the audience tosses out improvisational ideas. “If you like ice hockey or professional wrestling,” says theater instructor Alex Golson, who oversees this highly competitive show, “you’ll love this production.” The program, performed by members of the college’s all-student Repertory Theatre Company, is designed to be freewheeling. Golson warns that although “referees try to keep the language suitable for all ages, they occasionally fail.”

* What: “Full-Contact Theatre: The Re-Return of the Son of the Revenge.”

* When: Saturday at 8 p.m.

* Where: Orange Coast College’s Drama Lab Theatre, 2701 Fairview Road, Costa Mesa.

* Whereabouts: Take the San Diego (405) Freeway to Fairview Road and head south.

* Wherewithal: $5.

* Where to call: (714) 432-5932.