The Ogden Museum of Southern Art hopes to prove that the legacy of the 1984 Louisiana World's Exposition (LWE) exists beyond duped vendors and contractors still waiting for their paychecks. Beginning Wednesday, the Ogden (925 Camp St., 539-9600) serves as host institution for LOOKING BACK/LOOKING FORWARD: A 20TH ANNIVERSARY RE-EVALUATION OF THE ART AND CULTURE OF THE 1984 LOUISIANA WORLD'S EXPOSITION. It's a series of events and exhibitions to be held throughout the year that will highlight various aspects of the expo, commonly referred to as the New Orleans World's Fair, with a specific focus on its art, artists, architecture and impact on the city. The fair is credited with revitalizing the long-neglected Warehouse District and riverfront areas and placing New Orleans on a world stage. To fully ascertain and ultimately display the World Fair's legacy, the Ogden partnered with a collection of former fair executives and consultants: Kathy Gates (LWE's director of marketing operations), Karin Giger (LWE's director of entertainment), Mark Romig (protocol and guest relations director) and Allen Eskew (principal architect). The resulting series of events and exhibitions will run through December and will include a series of art exhibitions as well as symposia reviewing the fair's architecture and design and its economic, social and political impact. Finally, the look back will culminate with a fall exhibit honoring the works of artists featured at the fair, many of whom are already on display in the Ogden's collection. Looking Back/Looking Forward begins with an exhibit by photographer Joshua Pailet, who documented the fair from pre-construction in 1980 to demolition in 1985. Pailet's 60-plus photographs are on display starting Wednesday. The Ogden will offer free admission on Wednesday (and subsequent Sundays) to anyone presenting their World's Fair Season Pass or employee ID from the LWE. Other elements of the series include a re-creation of the fair's Wonderwall and reunions of various performers such as the Musical Ambassadors and those from the Aquacade. The Ogden Museum of Southern Art is open 9:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday; Louisiana residents with ID are admitted free on Thursdays from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Regular admission is $10 adults, $8 seniors/students. -- Frank Etheridge

Oklahoma! 8 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday, May 11-15; 2 p.m. Thursday and Saturday-Sunday, May 13 and 15-16 Saenger Theatre, 143 N. Rampart St., 524-2490/522-5555 The name Oklahoma! doesn't exactly scream cutting edge in the music-theater world. Quite the opposite; one could argue that the production written by Rodgers & Hammerstein has almost become a cliche for the Broadway musical, with those dance numbers marked by swinging arms and manic, happy-happy grins. Its impact, though, is unmistakable, for 1943's Oklahoma! ran the awards table: Pulitzer Prize, Tony Awards, even Academy Awards for its film version in 1955. It also helped launch the career of Rodgers and Hammerstein, who later added The King and I, South Pacific, Carousel and The Sound of Music. Theater-goers will be happy to know that this national tour has been adapted from the Cameron Mackintosh version of the Royal National Theatre production that played both in London and on Broadway. So expect a refreshing take on such classics as the title tune, Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin' and The Surrey With the Fringe on Top. Tickets range from $20-$60; group rates available by calling 569-1520. -- David Lee Simmons

Suffocation plus Dying Fetus 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 12 House of Blues, 225 Decatur St., 529-BLUE That a band like Suffocation still exists over a decade after the early &185;90s death metal explosion says a lot for the future of extreme music. Obscured by grunge and exported to Europe, death metal and its mathematically complicated cousin grindcore have had a hard time staying afloat in America&185;s overwhelmingly puritan cultural landscape. Suffocation and its current touring partner Dying Fetus are no exceptions. Wracked by record label problems and internal conflict, both bands were forced to completely rebuild themselves through personnel shakeups, offhand tours, and nebulous recording projects (including Suffocation&185;s recent Despise the Sun album, and Dying Fetus&185; hotly anticipated 2003 release Stop at Nothing.) Now re-emerging in a new rock landscape, where fans of heavy underground metal are as rabid as ever, neither band has any qualms about holding a mirror to modern society&185;s ugliest features via screeching, screaming, and scorching guitar. Soilent Green and Malamor are also on the bill. Tickets $15. -- Cristina Diettinger

3 Minutes of Pork and Shoving 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, May 13-15 Sidearm Gallery, 1122 St. Roch Ave., 948-3965 Know that when the dance piece 3 Minutes of Pork and Shoving was created, Scott Heron and Minneapolis-based performance art troupe Hijack had to cope with extenuating circumstances. They were in Russia at the time, and the only practice space available was a coatroom. The low clearance afforded by the dangling hooks and shelves made ducking and watching their head integral to the piece, so when they finally made it to the stage, they had the theater's light fixtures hung as low as a coat rack to maintain the claustrophobia. The story of that piece's creation highlights the story of New Yorker-cum-New Orleanian Heron's dancing career. Heron envelopes the art form yet can step back from it and reveal its absurdities. This performance marks the opening of Heron's new Sidearm Gallery here in his new home, and also includes Hijack's piece 'Fetish' about the 2002 World Taxidermy Championships and '3x Donovan,' a suite of Heron's solo dances. Tickets $7-$10. -- Rob Bryant

Miami City Ballet 8 p.m. Friday-Saturday, May 14-15 Mahalia Jackson Theatre of the Performing Arts, Armstrong Park, 522-0996 Always a favorite of local ballet fans, the Miami City Ballet returns for two performances featuring two different programs. Marking the centennial anniversary of the birth of the late legendary choreographer George Balanchine, Miami City Ballet's tribute to Balanchine's neo-classical style comes under the direction of a living legend, Edward Villella. A dancer and choreographer, Villella stormed the New York City ballet scene in the late 1950s. A Balanchine devotee, Villella will honor his mentor through the acclaimed troupe he directs. Friday night's program covers some of Balanchine's master works, including 'Allegro Brillante' and the romantic 'Diamonds,' both set to Tchaikovsky. On Saturday, Villella interprets American social dance with 'The Fox Trot: Dancing in the Dark,'an upbeat 'Stars and Stripes,' plus 'Ballo Della Regina' choreographed to music by Verdi. This weekend also features the last performances of famed dancers Iliana Lopez and Franklin Gamero before their retirement. Tickets $25-$75. -- Etheridge

Gladney 10 p.m. Friday, May 14 Check Point Charlie, 501 Esplanade Ave., 947-0979 For a few years, Art Boonparn's Hotchkiss has cornered the market on Guided by Voices-like lo-fi pop, but Gladney is a strong contender based on the recorded evidence. The band's two album-length demos are written and performed by Jesse Hall, and they're grounded in Beatles pop like GBV, but Hall's songs are a little darker and more psychedelic. Unlike GBV, Gladney songs don't feel arbitrarily cut short and the lyrics don't seem like evasions. In fact, the arrangements are lusher than you might expect, and Hall's vocals in 'Quarter Notes' and 'No Pop Star' show surprising sympathy. The former is built around the line, 'the gutter punk loves the rain' and with a swelling bridge, it's one of the better songs written about the French Quarter. Live, things are less delicate. No cover. -- Alex Rawls

Art & Soul Gala 7 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. Sunday, May 16 NOCCA/Riverfront, 2800 Chartres St., 940-2900 The New Orleans Center for Creative Arts (NOCCA), started in 1974 as a collaborative effort between Shirley Trusty Corey, Ellis Marsalis and others, celebrates 30 years of pre-professional art instruction with a swinging black-tie affair. NOCCA/Riverfront secured a superb lineup of local and student talent for the affair that should meet the high quality of even its own Center Stage performance series. The gala features two stages of jazz and swing by Alvin Batiste & the Jazztronauts, Leah Chase with Mike Esneault, the Troy Andrews Band, the NOCCA/Riverfront Jazz Ensemble and more. There is a traditional silent auction during the performances with more than 250 items, including sculptures and photographs by several of New Orleans' most notable artists. The night begins with a patron party at 6 p.m. with hors d'oeuvres, a Grey Goose martini bar, and performances by the institution's jazz, dance and musical theatre ensembles. Tickets for patron party and Gala $200. Gala-only tickets $100. -- Bryant

Danger Mouse with Jemini 9 p.m. Sunday, May 16 House of Blues, 225 Decatur St., 529-BLUE Two clear pathways have arisen in recent years for musicians to get ahead: American Idol and illegally sampling both the Beatles' White Album and Jay-Z's recent Black Album to make your own limited-edition Grey Album. Choosing the latter, Danger Mouse self-released 3,000 copies to sell at shows and a few stores; EMI (which owns the Beatles' catalog) quickly got wind of the disc and issued a cease-and-desist order. Danger Mouse gained acclaim for that project -- and at long last attention for his legit efforts. On his most recent label-released album Ghetto Pop Life (Lex Records), DM teams up with MC Jemini, whose traditional gangsta musings mix nicely with DM's offbeat, catchy production. DM also dresses in a mouse costume, an act that may seem at odds with Jemini's discourse on thugs and drugs, but do artists like OutKast not show that the best rap mixes the old-school with the outlandish? Tickets $16.50 -- Bryant