"It takes two to tango" is a cliche in both meaning and use, as it can represent anything for a call to partner up in a game of bridge to a smirking reference for you-know-what. But to many, the sensuous and sultry dance is an art form, and a perfect match for the rhythm of New Orleans. Consider the popularity of Planet Tango, a local group led by Alberto Paz, a native of Argentina, and Valorie Hart, a U.S. native, that regularly brings social dances and classes to Uptown within their format of developing education on, and appreciation of, Argentine tango. Together, Paz and Hart also publish El Firulete, a magazine dedicated to Argentine tango. The duo, who relocated here two years ago, now announces their biggest event yet, the NEW ORLEANS TANGOFEST, cutting a rug Friday through Sunday. The three days of workshops, social events with live music, food and drinks, and the culminating Tango Show all happen at the Doubletree Hotel (300 Canal St.). While the workshops are a major component of TangoFest, the highlight comes Saturday night in the Doubletree's International Ballroom. Dinner begins at 8:30 p.m., and showtime arrives at 10:30 p.m., featuring world-class tango dancers Miriam Larici, star of Broadway's Forever Tango and cast member of the movie The Mambo Kings, and her partner, Hugo Patyn, a cast member of Forever Tango who also appeared in Carlos Saura's Oscar-nominated film, Tango. "If I had to choose among the tango dancers in the world, Miriam would be my option," Paz says. Bringing the beat for Larici and Patyn will be Miguel Arrabal, whose trio will play Argentine dance music. Admission to the dinner and dance is $75 per person, with the show only $25 per person. Reservations are required. To make reservations, or for more information on TangoFest, call 894-1718 or visit www.planet-tango.com. -- Frank Etheridge

10th Annual Cutting Edge Music Business Conference Wednesday-Sunday, Aug. 21-25 Hotel Inter-Continental, 444 St. Charles Ave., 945-1800 For the past decade, the Cutting Edge Music Business Conference has convened during the summer to provide a days-long forum for music industry professionals -- from agents to attorneys to artists -- to gather to address various issues within the industry. This year, the conference is broken down into segments of General Business Sessions, an Entertainment Law Seminar, the Roots Music Gathering, NewWorks Showcase and a Trade Show/Product Expo. The General Business Session kicks off with a panel on making money in the current music market presented by representatives of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (the Grammys). This year, the Roots Music Gathering pays homage to local great Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown, and includes discussions with local jazzmen Ellis Marsalis and Dr. Michael White. Each night presents the NewWorks Showcase with aspiring musicians performing in local clubs. For more information or to register, call 945-1800 or visit ww.jass.com/cuttingedge. -- Etheridge

Glen Campbell 9 p.m. Friday, Aug. 23 Boomers at Boomtown Casino,4132 Peters Road, Harvey, 366-7711 On his hit TV show The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour (1969-72), Campbell made a musical statement in shows that mixed country legends like Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard and Waylon Jennings with jazz, R&B and soul stars like Ella Fitzgerald, Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder. Is it any wonder Cassandra Wilson cites Campbell as an early influence? Goodtime is just one of many oft-forgotten moments in the storied career of Campbell, a consummate studio musician who was a building block in Phil Spector's "wall of sound" before becoming a touring member of the Beach Boys and backer of everyone from Frank Sinatra to Elvis. On his own frequent forays into the country and pop charts, Campbell scored with tunes such as "Gentle on My Mind," "Wichita Lineman," "Rhinestone Cowboy" and the Allen Toussaint-penned "Southern Nights." Tickets are $25 general admission, $20 with a Boomtown Player's Card. -- Michael Tisserand

John Sinclair CD-release party 9 p.m. Friday, Aug. 23 House of Blues, 225 Decatur St., 529-BLUE Longtime music scholar, beatnik, writer, poet, and broadcaster John Sinclair channels all those disciplines into his spoken-word performances. Sinclair's recitals of his poems aren't just performances; they're calls to arms, usually recognizing the achievements and influences of 20th century blues and jazz legends. (The title of his new CD is Volume One -- The Delta Sound, and an accompanying book, Fattening Frog for Snakes, takes its title from the classic Sonny Boy Williamson song.) The Delta Sound features Sinclair's thunderous cadence in front of an instrumental backdrop featuring guitar work from the MC5's Wayne Kramer. It's also Sinclair's first CD for the Okra-Tone label, a subsidiary of respected blues indie Rooster Records. It marks the first time Sinclair will have the benefit of widespread record-store distribution, and to top it off, his upcoming tour through the Mississippi Delta is sponsored by Amtrak. Brother Tyrone and the Mindbenders open. Tickets $8. -- Scott Jordan

ReBirth Brass Band plus Schfvilkus 9 p.m. Friday, Aug. 23 Tipitina's, 501 Napoleon Ave., 895-TIPS Back-to-schoolers and permanent residents alike will lose themselves in a double bill of standard local brass-funk and out-of-town freak-jazz. Schfvilkus (Yiddish feeling "pins and needles") is a jazz-based, cross-cultural smorgasbord with klezmer, salsa, rock noise, and club beats weaving around brass lines. The Nashville, Tenn.-based ensemble's latest album, Generealization, incorporates a full horn section with wacky samples, turntables, Nico-style vocals, and unconventional percussion instruments, including bubbles, hooves, and a "ghetto kit." The outcome is an unencumbered visitation on the history of 20th century music, most of it danceable, much of it experimental. Says guitarist Chris Grainger, "We like to dive into the unknown." After that ear trip, attendees can whoop it up like they're used to when ReBirth throws down a couple of sets of trusty street-beat brass party music. ReBirth will play everything from the Meters to Nelly, much to the delight of sweaty revelers. Admission $7. -- Cristina Diettinger

14th Annual Louisiana Video Shorts Festival 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 24 University of New Orleans Downtown Theater, 621 Carondelet St., 486-9192 If summer is the time of the short attention span, then the 14th annual Louisiana Video Shorts Festival seems to be perfectly timed in celebrating those ADD-addled filmmakers who cram so much into so little time. The festival, sponsored by the scrappy New Orleans Video Access Center (NOVAC), does an amazing job of taking an annual pulse of the state of the art of filmmaking, and despite its traditionally mixed bag of winners still provides a wildly diverse evening of eye candy. Real World-Chicago cast member, native New Orleanian and incredible overbite-owner Keri will serve as this year's host, with food, drink, a silent auction, raffle, door prizes, and music from the Troublemakers. Tickets are $30 general public, $25 NOVAC members, $20 college students, and $10 seniors and kids under 18. NOVAC's 30-Year Retrospective looks more like a history of the city than it does a celebration of the center's great work. That's especially true when looking at films such as Burwell Ware's A House Divided With James Earl Jones, a documentary about desegregation in New Orleans (8 p.m. Tuesday). Single-day tickets are $6 general public, $5 students and seniors, $4 NOVAC or Zeitgeist members. -- Simmons

Krewe of O.A.K. 16th Annual Midsummer Mardi Gras Parade and Ball 8:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 24 Maple Leaf Bar, 8316 Oak St., 866-9359 "Shoes required, all other clothing optional." That caveat offered by the Krewe of O.A.K., given as half-warning, half-promise, says a lot about the group's annual Midsummer Mardi Gras throw-down, which rolls in Carrollton Saturday night. While the heat has beaten much out of the life of the local social scene, this annual August doozy offers a dose of debauchery usually reserved for Carnival. Thus the 2002 theme, "Too Hot to Handle." This year, Uptown entrepreneur Kevin Delaney reigns as king, along with the queen, research scientist Monica Steward. After the royalty is introduced, the parade begins as it follows the sounds of Mustang Sally's Brass Band. Then, it's feeding time with offerings of pulled pork barbecue, cheese grits and pistolettes prepared by Charles Mieli of Jacques-Imo's. The fiery grooves of Papa Grows Funk cap off the night. The parade is free, post-parade ball admission $15, includes food and Papa Grows Funk cover. -- Etheridge

Harold Battiste presents the Next Generation 10 p.m. and midnight Saturday, Aug. 24 Funky Butt, 714 N. Rampart, 558-0872 Legendary New Orleans composer and saxophonist Harold Battiste is renowned for playing and documenting New Orleans contemporary jazz in the '60s with AFO Records, and Battiste still carries on AFO's mission. "My concept is to have a 'next generation' ensemble, featuring fluid movement with different young musicians," says Battiste. The shows always feature a healthy portion of Battiste compositions, including recent work, and Battiste usually joins the younger guard on stage for a few numbers. This "next generation" performance features pianist Jesse McBride, saxophonist Samir Zarif, trumpeter Andrew Baham, vibraphonist James Westphal, bassist Jason Stewart, and drummer Dylan Hicks. "This is my way of helping keep the music alive," says Battiste. Admission TBA. -- Jordan

Norah Jones 8 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 24 House of Blues, 225 Decatur St., 529-BLUE Her songs sound like classics from a bygone era, with lyrics only a wise woman could write, but Norah Jones was just 21 when she signed with Blue Note Records and recorded Come Away With Me, a debut that bowled over critics in all corners of the industry. She's been thrown in the jazz category by label association, but Jones' repertoire is blues-infused, eclectic pop with a country lilt. She lent her sweet, smoky voice to the Dirty Dozen Brass Band for a cover of the Irma Thomas hit "Ruler of My Heart" on their latest album Medicated Magic. While other singer-songwriter prodigies seem packaged and pushed on the pop world, Jones shocked the industry, her record label, and even herself with her surprise attack on the charts. After 23 weeks, the album is still at number 15, and Jones has done it all without showing her midriff. Tickets $25. -- Diettinger

Adonis Rose All-Stars featuring Mulgrew Miller, Terence Blanchard, Tim Warfield and Jason Stewart 9 p.m. and 11 p.m. Saturday-Sunday Aug. 24-25 Snug Harbor, 626 Frenchmen St., 949-0696 Adonis Rose hosts an all-star gathering Saturday and Sunday at Snug Harbor. Drummer Adonis Rose is one of New Orleans' most talented and hard-working drummers, playing with the likes of Nicholas Payton, and leading his own ensemble. He also recently formed the band Stratospheres, which plays "Meters-type tunes, fusion, and a mixture of stuff," says Rose. Rose has assembled a dream band specifically for this two-night stand. Veteran pianist Mulgrew Miller is a jazz giant, having played with Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, Woody Shaw, Betty Carter and the Tony Williams Quintet. "I've been wanting to do a project where I could bring Mulgrew to town for a long time," says Rose, "and these shows put it in motion." Rounding out the bandstand is ace local trumpeter (and fellow Blakey vet) Terence Blanchard, Tim Warfield on tenor sax, and Jason Stewart on bass. Admission $20. -- Jordan

Mobile Graceland 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday-Monday, Aug. 25-26; noon to 10 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 27 Harrah's Casino, 512 S. Peters St., 525-6658 Elvis enters the building with Mobile Graceland's tour stopping in New Orleans Sunday through next Tuesday at Harrah's. Now more than ever, it's apparent that the King really hasn't left the building. And with more than 12 million visitors to his Memphis mansion Graceland since his death in 1977, the public demand for that intimate peek is palpable. This week, Elvis' home comes to New Orleans with the Mobile Graceland -- a 53-foot-long, 18-wheel semi-truck -- setting up shop at Harrah's Casino as an early stop on a 31-city tour of the country. Mobile Graceland debuted on Aug. 10, with an exhibit featuring jewelry, clothing, instruments and other artifacts to approximate a visit to Elvis' famous home. Highlights include his shirt from Jailhouse Rock, and the Gibson guitar customized by Elvis in 1960 and used for years. The multimedia truck also sports rare archival photos of Elvis, as well as four listening and viewing stations. Admission is free, with timed tickets available at Harrah's Total Rewards Center. -- Etheridge

Leslie Staub: Right Here Through September 28 LeMieux Galleries, 332 Julia St., 522-5988 Sometimes its the simple things that count. That's especially true for painter Leslie Staub, whose LeMieux show focuses on nature and naturalists. Yet if Staub craves wild nature, she is also fascinated by what she calls "direct contact with life as it is, full of bugs, decay and the gorgeous rightness of the whole thing." She said she didn't have to go far to find what she was looking for. "I simply needed to pay attention to my environment: Faubourg St. John and City Park, the curve of the Crepe Myrtle, the birds outside my window looking beautiful, the weed patch by the post office, the ecosystem within the city of New Orleans, which is extraordinary if not exactly untouched by the hands of man." Walden Pond it ain't, but New Orleans offers endless possibilities to observe nature, and Staub's paintings are a visual record of her experiences in the wilds of the city and beyond. -- D. Eric Bookhardt

Romeo and Juliet 7:30 p.m. Monday, Aug. 19 & 26 W French Quarter/Bacco courtyard, 316 Chartres St., 522-2426 When Gambit Weekly theater critic Dalt Wonk recently gushed over Mikko's recent (and invitation-only) revival of Romeo and Juliet, curious minds wondered, "Great; how does that affect me?" Well, this production is ready for public consumption as Mikko has moved it out of the mysterious confines of a French Quarter courtyard and into Ralph Brennan's popular restaurant. An impressive supporting cast that includes Scott Jefferson, Raphaelle O'Neil, Greg Di Leo, Diana Shortes and Martin Covert complements the two truly young lovers in Ben Maddocks and 13-year-old TatiAnna Haskell in the title roles. A $15 ticket include hors d'oeuvres and a cash bar, while a $30 ticket includes a two-course dinner with wine. -- David Lee Simmons