Weekend Forecast

TODAY

‘Big Sur’ returns

Commissioned by the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Philharmonic Society of Orange County, John Adams’ “The Dharma at Big Sur” is a tribute to California -- Adams’ adopted state -- and California composers Lou Harrison and Terry Riley. It’s also a concerto for electric violin and orchestra. The work was premiered at the second of three opening galas for the Walt Disney Concert Hall in 2003. Tracy Silverman, the soloist then, returns to play the work with the Philharmonic, again led by Esa-Pekka Salonen. The concert also includes Ives’ “The Unanswered Question” and Ravel’s “Daphnis and Chloe.” The Ravel score will be played by itself at a “Casual Fridays” concert, in which the musicians exchange formal dress for everyday clothes -- and invite the audience to follow their lead.

Los Angeles Philharmonic, Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 S. Grand Ave., L.A. 8 p.m. today. $15 to $125. (323) 850-2000. www.laphil.org.

* Also 8 p.m. Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday. “Daphnis and Chloe” only, 8 p.m. Friday.

Salsa till you drop

For one nonstop salsa weekend, Angelenos will be transported to a swinging tropical island where dancers from around the world twirl until dawn to the hottest bands in the business. The seventh annual West Coast Salsa Congress at Hollywood Park features musician workshops, dance competitions and late-night concerts by a dozen top-name acts. To see it all requires a salsaholic’s stamina. If you can go only one night, don’t miss Saturday’s show by the Spanish Harlem Orchestra, featuring the Battle of the Soneros (Singers). Warning: The best salsa starts cooking after midnight.

West Coast Salsa Congress, Hollywood Park, 3883 W. Century Blvd, Inglewood. $30 to $45. (310) 445-9705.

* Performances: Manny Oquendo y Libre with Andy Gonzalez and Willie Rosario Orchestra with Tony Vega, 10:45 p.m. today; Diego Gale y King Bongo and Bobby Valentin Orchestra, 10 p.m. Friday; Jose Alberto “El Canario” and the Spanish Harlem Orchestra, 10 p.m. Saturday; Jimmy Bosch and Oscar D’Leon orchestras, 10 p.m. Sunday.

Neophonic memories

The legendary Stan Kenton led his Los Angeles Neophonic Orchestra in its debut at the Music Center back in 1965. In commemoration of the 40th anniversary, the Los Angeles Jazz Institute presents the four-day Neophonic Impressions Festival this weekend near the airport. The event features 15 big bands led by artists who were associated with Kenton and the original ensemble -- Gerald Wilson, Bob Florence, Kim Richmond, Clare Fischer, Bud Shank, Buddy Collette, Tommy Vig and others. There will also be film screenings and panel discussions.

Neophonic Impressions Festival, Four Points Sheraton LAX, 9750 Airport Blvd., L.A. 8 a.m.-11 p.m. today. $10-$325. (562) 985-7065. www.lajazzinstitute.org.

* Also: 8 a.m.-11 p.m. Saturday-Sunday.

A fair batch of artworks

“Japan Goes to the World’s Fairs: Japanese Art at the Great Expositions in Europe and the United States” looks at Meiji period artisan pieces that cultivated Western interest in collecting Japanese art. The exhibition features approximately 145 pieces on loan from the Tokyo National Museum, the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and the Philadelphia Museum of Art, including a re-creation of the “Jakuchu Room” from 1904.

“Japan Goes to the World’s Fairs: Japanese Art at the Great Expositions in Europe and the United States,” Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 5905 Wilshire Blvd., L.A. Opens today. $5 to $7; 17 and younger, free. (323) 857-6000.

* Hours: Noon-8 p.m. Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, noon-9 p.m. Fridays, 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Ends Oct. 10.

FRIDAY

Accessible audacity

“Mysterious Skin” might be provocative indie director Gregg Araki’s most accessible film but don’t think it’s any less audacious than the films that made his reputation: “The Living End” and “The Doom Generation” among them. Brady Corbet and Joseph Gordon-Levitt play young men bound by childhood secrets in a disturbing drama that covers pedophilia, alien abduction and hustling. Michelle Trachtenberg and Elisabeth Shue also star.

“Mysterious Skin,” unrated, opens Friday in selected theaters.

Brooklyn heights

In “A View From the Bridge,” Arthur Miller’s classic drama of sexual obsession and betrayal, Italian longshoreman Eddie Carbone, who’s harboring two illegal immigrants in 1950s Brooklyn, descends to twisted depths in a life-shattering preoccupation with his young niece.

“A View From the Bridge,” South Coast Repertory, Segerstrom Stage, 655 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. Opens 8 p.m. Friday. $27 to $56. (714) 708-5555.

* Runs 8 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays, 7:30 p.m. Sundays, 2:30 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Ends June 26.

SATURDAY

Making a move

Incorporating the results of artist residencies at L.A. Valley College, the sixth annual Dance Moving Forward Festival showcases new work by some of the Southland’s most notable specialists in interdisciplinary dance-making. Choreographers include festival producer Arianne MacBean, Hassan Christopher, Banafsheh Sayyad, Rande Dorn, Stefan Fabry and Holly Johnston. The theme is “Ways of Thinking About Moving,” a topic to be discussed in breaks between dances by choreographer Donald McKayle, locally based dancer Marissa Labog, lecturer/choreographer Victoria Marks and others. “What does dance bring to your life that is different from anything else?” That’s just one of the questions you can expect to be answered -- in words and movement.

Dance Moving Forward showcase, El Portal Theatre, 5269 N. Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood. 8 p.m. Saturday. $15 (seniors, students) to $20. (818) 773-3380.

Pork barrel project

Do a search of the word “Pigs” on the Web and the obvious four-legged barnyard animal will pop up in the query results. Artist Robert Russell did just that and painted the images he found, along with pictures of John F. Kennedy and Fidel Castro, whose names also came up in the search. His series of pink paintings is on display at Anna Helwing Gallery for the first time.

“Robert Russell: Pink,” Anna Helwing Gallery, 2766 S. La Cienega Blvd., L.A. Opens Saturday. (310) 202-2213.

* Hours: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays. Ends July 2.