In celebration of the bicentennial of the Louisiana Purchase, the NEW ORLEANS INTERNATIONAL BALLET CONFERENCE presents a world conference about the roots of dance in early Louisiana from 1750 to 1830. The conference will include historical lectures on dance, panel discussions, a performance by world-renowned dancers, master classes, a lecture demonstration and rare dance films. The events will be presented at the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts/Riverfront (2800 Chartres St.), the Old U.S. Mint (400 Esplanade Ave.) and the Orpheum Theatre (129 University Place) Wednesday through Sunday. The symposium portion of the conference, held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday through Saturday at the Old U.S. Mint, will address the variety of dance forms from the Caribbean, Mexico, Canada and Europe found in Louisiana at the turn of the 19th century. Dance historians and scholars from all over the world will host the discussions. Specific examples of lecture topics include "European and Caribbean Influences on the Creation of the New Orleans Ballet Theatre 1792-1830" and "Popular African Dance Traditions and Elements That Have Survived in the New Orleans of Today." Also included in the conference is a series of rarely seen dance films and nine master classes from 2 to 6 p.m. Thursday through Saturday at NOCCA/Riverfront. The Gala Performance on Friday will feature two famous Pas de Deux from the classic ballets Don Quixote and La Fille Mal Gardee performed by two Cuban stars of the San Francisco Ballet, Lorena Feijoo and Joan Boada (pictured). The gala also includes the Western hemisphere premiere of Don Juan danced by France's foremost Baroque ballet company L'Eventail, and a presentation of La Escuela Bolera Classical Spanish Dance. Tickets to the Gala Performance range from $25-$100 and are available through Ticketmaster (522-5500). The conference package, including the symposium and one ticket to the Gala, is available for $235 through DMI (587-1725). Additional packages and single event tickets are available through www.noibc.org or by contacting noballetnoibc@aol.com. The conference is presented under the auspices of the Conseil International de la Danse/UNESCO. -- Heidi Braden

Tim Laughlin CD-release party 9 p.m. and 11 p.m. Wednesday, June 4 Snug Harbor, 626 Frenchmen St., 949-0696 Clarinetist Tim Laughlin is one of New Orleans' finest trad-jazz and swing interpreters, whether he's employing his sweet tone on standards like "Muskrat Ramble" or nuggets like W.C. Handy's "Hesitation Blues." But Laughlin's a composer in his own right, and while his past CDs such as Straight Ahead have featured a Laughlin song or two, his new CD, The Isle of Orleans, is his first containing all-original material. It shows his melodic gift and deep understanding of the New Orleans canon on joyous up-tempo romps like "Dumaine Street Breakdown" and "Suburban Street Parade," while "It's My Love Song to You" is a luxurious nine-minute-plus piece showcasing Laughlin's balladry, with a superb guest vocal from Phillip Manuel. With a band consisting of such stalwarts as trombonists Rick Trolsen and Lucien Barbarin, guitarist John Eubanks, and Jason Marsalis on vibes, the sound is pure New Orleans -- with Laughlin leading the way. Admission $12. -- Scott Jordan

X 8 p.m. Wednesday, June 4 Shim Sham Club, 615 Toulouse St., 299-0666 For its final live music performance before closing its doors at 6 a.m. on Saturday, the Shim Sham Club is going out with a bang with legendary California punk rockers X. Since launching the cathartic battle cry of its 1981 debut, Los Angeles (a seminal album that recently came in at No. 4 on Spin magazine's list of the Top 50 Punk Albums of All Time), X has been one of punk's most intriguing and stylistically diverse ensembles, incorporating country and folk into its later work, but retaining its signature snarl. Despite occasional breakups and band members' solo projects, the core group still tours and plays typically blazing live shows. And while the Shim Sham Club's fate is uncertain, X's considerable legacy was recently further cemented with Rhino Records' CD reissues of the X albums Los Angeles, Wild Gift, Under the Big Black Sun, More Fun in the New World, Ain't Love Grand and See How We Are in expanded editions with previously unreleased bonus tracks. The Bellrays and the Fags open. Tickets $20 in advance, $25 at the door. -- Jordan

Save Louisiana's Wetlands Benefit featuring Tab Benoit 9 p.m. Thursday, June 5 Tipitina's, 501 Napoleon Ave., 895-TIPS Houma's Tab Benoit grew up on the bayou and is an avid fisherman, so the issue of coastal erosion hits especially close to home for him. What's most shocking to Benoit is how quickly the wetlands are disappearing. Just two years ago, he posed for the cover of his Wetlands album at a camp in Lake Dacad; now, all that is left of the camp are the pilings. That album was an homage to the south Louisiana sounds that inform Benoit's sound, and in his live shows, Benoit continues to cook up syncopated versions of classics such as "Hot Tamale Baby" and "I Got Loaded." Benoit's giving back to his native terrain by hosting this benefit, and all proceeds from the event go to the nonprofit organization Gulf Restoration Network. Joining Benoit for the cause are Big Chief Monk Boudreaux, Brian Stoltz, and Jumpin' Johnny Sansone. Bob's Brew opens. Admission $7. -- Jordan

Black Skillet Cooking: A Gumbo of Chefs to Benefit the New Orleans African-American Museum 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Friday, June 6 New Orleans African-American Museum, 1418 Gov. Nicholls St., 529-2976 For years, Chef Austin Leslie has delighted the packed crowds at Jacques-Imo's with traditional New Orleans techniques applied to a mouth-watering variety of dishes (a fried roast beef po-boy?!?). On Friday, Leslie demonstrates another local cooking custom as the chef spearheading Black Skillet Cooking, a fundraiser for the African-American Museum in Treme that has as its focal point the black skillet, a prominent tool in most local kitchens. Joining Leslie are chefs from Bayona, Dooky Chase, Pampy's, The Praline Connection, Rainey's, Whole Foods Market and Zachary's. Entertainment comes with a long list of mostly Sixth Ward musicians, including James Andrews, Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews, Alvin Batiste, Germaine Bazzle, Kidd Jordan, Kermit Ruffins and Phillip Manuel. An auction of donated African art will be held, featuring some artists in the museum's new exhibit, The Color of New Orleans. Benefit tickets are $50, VIP tickets $100. -- Etheridge

The National D-Day Museum's Victory Ball 7:30 p.m. Friday, June 6 Fairmont Hotel, 123 Baronne St., 527-6012 The National D-Day Museum holds its Victory Ball commemorating the American and Allied valor of D-Day annually on its June 6 anniversary. This year's Victory Ball features the inception of the American Spirit Award. The first recipient of the award is the late Stephen E. Ambrose, the creative force behind The National D-Day Museum, who will be honored posthumously for his career as an author, historian and professor. Presenting the award is Gen. H. Norman Schwarzkopf, the retired general who led U.S. troops as commander of operations in Desert Shield and Desert Storm. Victory Ball tickets are $150 per person, with tables available for purchase. -- Etheridge

Hello, Dolly! 8 p.m. Friday-Saturday, June 6-7; 2 p.m. Sunday, June 8; through June 29 Le Petit Theatre du Vieux Carré, 616 St. Peter St., 522-2081 Le Petit Theatre closes its 2002-2003 season by staging one of the most popular musicals in Broadway history. Hello, Dolly! ran for 2,844 Broadway performances after its debut in 1964, with the combination of the toe-tapping compositions of Jerry Herman and Michael Stewart's book based on Thornton Wilder's play The Matchmaker well-received by audiences for decades. The plot follows recently widowed matchmaker Dolly Gallagher Levi, hired to arrange a marriage for wealthy Horace Vandergelder. With her eyes focused on the cash prize, Levi plants seeds to thwart the arranged marriage and snag Vandergelder's bank accounts for herself. Sonny Borey and Derek Franklin direct Ann Casey, Bob Edes, Jimmy Murphy and Bryan Wagar. Tickets $21-$26. -- Etheridge

Ballzack 10 p.m. Saturday, June 7 Mermaid Lounge, 1100 Constance St., 524-4747 In a music scene where organic rappers are rare, West Bank native Ballzack (aka Rami Sharkey) is a breath of fresh air. The stand-up comedian-turned-rapper offers club audiences his mixed-up thoughts on sex, food, psychology and other modern human issues, doused with an irreverent and bizarre sense of humor. It's not surprising, since his list of influences highlights hip-hop satirists Prince Paul, Dan the Automator, and RZA. In reality, his stripped-down, semi-intellectual style is closer to that of dork-rapper MC Paul Barman. Ballzack's 2002 Knucklehead Memoirs presents a collection of musings in verse inspired by "the surreal, the public schools, the psycho girlfriends, and everything else." He also shows his sensitivity to the woes of New Orleans' many tortured artist types with fragmented lyrics such as, "coffee shop nomad, deflated gonad, doodle-ridden notepad." Recent entries in Ballzack's online calendar include such notable events as, "Realized that when pool opens, I'll be able to swim." White Bitch opens. Admission $5. -- Cristina Diettinger

Deana Carter 8 p.m. Monday, June 9 House of Blues, 225 Decatur St., 529-BLUE Country vocalist Deana Carter isn't immune to the slickness of Nashville's contemporary country, but she's managed to keep a refreshingly down-to-earth persona in addition to making the requisite sexy videos. Besides her terrific voice, Carter's a talented songwriter, evidenced by her friends-to-lovers question "How Do I Get There"; "Strawberry Wine," a steamy and bittersweet memoir of lost virginity, showed that Carter can find good songs, too. Both those tracks from her 1996 album, Did I Shave My Legs for This?, helped catapult her to mainstream success, ultimately leading to a rushed and disappointing 1998 follow-up album. Since then Carter's hit some difficult times, including a divorce and a DUI. But she's back in form on her new CD, I'm Just a Girl, with tracks such as the pointed "You and Tequila," and "Waiting," a duet with Dwight Yoakam. Tickets $20. -- Jordan

Laxman K: Inside Out Through June Duque Art Center, 3218 Magazine St., Second Floor, 899-4554 As a general rule, artists make art and collectors collect art. That much should be obvious. Although artists sometimes end up as collectors by trading their own stuff for other artists' work, art collectors rarely end up as artists. Dr. Laxman Kewalramani, a "passionate" collector, breaks the mold. Inspired by his favorite artists, Jackson Pollock and Sam Francis, Kewalramani now creates his own big and boldly colored abstract paintings that explore "the possibility of higher forces determining the ups and downs of our lives." He is also influenced by simple, everyday things like the flight of kites, which he sees as an allegory for the capacities and frailties of human life, concerns he revisits daily in his practice as a physician. A native of India, Kewalramani brings a mythic outlook and medical experience to bear on his colorfully accessible creations. -- D. Eric Bookhardt