The New Orleans Ballet Association (NOBA) brings to town a rare treat: two appearances by one of the world's most prestigious dance troupes, LES BALLETS DE MONTE-CARLO. The group will perform at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday night at the Mahalia Jackson Theatre of the Performing Arts in Armstrong Park. Formed at the turn of the 20th century by Sergei Diaghilev, Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo is regal in its stewardship by Her Royal Highness the Princess of Hanover, who renewed the historic company in 1985 and helped fulfill a lifelong effort of her mother, Her Serene Highness Princess Grace of Monaco (Grace Kelly, as she was known in her Oscar-winning Hollywood actress days). The company grew during the first half of last century led by artists such as Nijinsky, Balanchine, Fokine, Ravel and Matisse, with a reputation for greatness built on a cutting-edge aesthetic. Internal bickering and egos tore Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo apart by the 1960s. Today, the group boasts 41 dancers under the direction of Jean-Christophe Maillot, who continues the company's proud tradition with a penchant for combining classical tales with modern technique and style. For their local performances, Les Ballets on Friday will showcase Cendrillon, Maillot's unique interpretation of the timeless Cinderella tale set to Prokofiev's score. Saturday's show is a mixed bag of works by Maillot as well as American choreographer William Forsythe, currently director of the Frankfurt Ballet. The program begins with Maillot's original work Vers un Pay Sage, homage to the color and images of his father's life and art, with a score by composer John Adams. Forsythe's contribution to Saturday's program is In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated, a piece composed for the Paris Opera Ballet that built his international reputation as a master at blending the classic and modern and inspired his oft-shared quote, "The classical vocabulary is not, and never will be dated." Tickets for these performances range from $26.50-$75.50 and are available online at www.nobadance.com or through the box office at 522-0996. -- Frank Etheridge

The Maids X 2 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. Thursday-Sunday, Feb. 24-27; through March 13 The Jewel Gallery, 2134 Magazine St., (866) 234-0317 There's more than one way to skin a cat, we folksier types love to say, and EgoPo Productions has decided there's more than one way to present Jean Genet's one-act play The Maids. The work is based on the real-life story of two French chambermaids who brutally murdered their female employer in the 1930s. The story was later made into a 2000 film, Murderous Maids, directed by Jean-Pierre Denis, based on Paulette Houdyer's novel. The play explores the identity issues at work, and EgoPo's Lane Savadove will present two different versions, one using an all-female cast (Leah Loftin, Daiva Olson and Claudia Baumgarten) and another with an all-male cast (Andy English, Jason Picus and Chris Lane). Savadove rehearsed each cast completely separate from the other, and with different set designs. The male cast will perform the 7 p.m. shows, while the female cast will perform at 9 p.m. There is a $14 suggested donation. -- David Lee Simmons

Dave Douglas 9 p.m. and 11 p.m. Thursday-Friday, Feb. 24-25 Snug Harbor Jazz Bistro, 626 Frenchmen St., 949-0696; www.snugjazz.com Trumpeter Dave Douglas is one of the most creative conceptualizers in contemporary jazz. He has worked with the Tiny Bell Trio playing Balkan-inspired music as jazz, collaborated with John Zorn in Masada, and founded the groundbreaking Festival of New Trumpet Music. He has combined jazz with poetry and melded influences from classical music to legendary bop trumpeter Booker Little with his own groups. A sonic chameleon, Douglas' style ranges from post bop and free jazz to his own solemn, contemplative form of avant-garde chamber music. All of these elements are present on his latest album, the eerie and beautiful Mountain Passages (Greenleaf), which turns on a unique interchange between trumpet, tuba and reeds that should be of particular interest to an audience steeped in brass band tradition. While he's in town for workshops at Loyola University, Douglas brings his Nomad band, featuring Mountain Passages' Marcus Rojas on tuba. Cover $25. -- John Swenson

Interpol, plus Blonde Redhead 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 25 TwiRoPa, 1544 Tchoupitoulas St., 232-9503; www.twiropa.com Interpol (pictured) performs along with Blonde Redhead on Friday at TwiRoPa. "'Brooding' -- I wouldn't shun that word," Paul Banks of Interpol says about his lyrics and vocal style, but he contends there are a number of better adjectives for what he does. The New York City-based band's second CD, Antics (Matador), suggests he's right. On the sophomore album, his baritone is more expressive and able to convey a wider variety of emotions, some of them even uplifting. Interpol's dark, bass-driven dance rock is irresistible to anyone with even a modicum of tolerance for pretension -- an adjective Banks rejects -- making it one of the most talked-about bands of the past few years. The band has most often been compared to Joy Division and other late-1970s/early-80s New Wave bands, a comparison Banks doesn't accept: "I don't understand how a band with any originality can say as a group that they're influenced by anything particular anyway." Ironically, that's the sort of answer New Wave bands gave 20 years ago, but he's likely not being disingenuous. More accurately, Interpol's sound is the product of inexperienced players figuring out what to do with instruments when they don't want to play blues changes. Song titles like "Last Exit" and "Pervert" suggest Banks' influences -- Nabokov, Hemingway, Celine and Henry Miller -- and create an air of studied decadence, but bassist Carlos D. and guitarist Daniel Kessler give the tracks a bristling, sleek energy. Blonde Redhead opens. After the show, Carlos D. will be DJing at Shiloh. Tickets $19 in advance, $21 at the door. -- Alex Rawls

Die Fledermaus 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 26; 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 27 Jefferson Performing Arts Center, 400 Phlox Ave., Metairie, 885-2000; www.jpas.org Picture a blend of New Orleans' Carnival's opulence and decadence and set it amidst the grandeur of Hapsburg-era Vienna and you come near the intrigue of Johann Strauss' classic farcical operetta Die Fledermaus. Translated as 'The Bat,' the story unfolds from a revenge plot conceived by Dr. Falke, still fuming years removed from earning the nickname 'The Bat' after being deposited on a city park bench, passed-out drunk. Falke was unveiled that dawn still dressed as a bat from a bal masque held the previous night by society rapscallion Gabriel Eisenstein. A charming wife, a chambermaid, royalty, adultery and plot twists all follow. For these Jefferson Performing Arts Society productions, Marco Bellusi of Venice, Italy directs while Dennis G. Assaf conducts the Jefferson Symphony Choir. Tickets $35 orchestra seating, $30 parquet/balcony, $15 students in parquet/balcony. -- Etheridge

Randy Weston's African Rhythms Trio 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 26 Contemporary Arts Center, 900 Camp St., 528-3805; www.cacno.org Jazz pianist Randy Weston took private lessons with bebop innovator Thelonious Monk while growing up in Brooklyn, N.Y., and his early recordings synthesized the angular style of his teacher with the sound of earlier masters like Duke Ellington and Count Basie. Langston Hughes described Weston's playing as 'a combination of strength and gentleness, virility and velvet.' In the late 1960s, when many jazz musicians relocated to Europe, Weston moved to Morocco for five years. He returned to the United States reenergized and began writing expansive compositions that celebrated jazz's African roots. A National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master and one of the most eminent jazz composers of the late 20th century, the 78-year-old pianist will perform at the CAC in a trio with a bassist and an African percussionist. Saturday morning at 11 a.m., Weston will conduct a free workshop for students at the CAC. Tickets for the concert are $25 general admission, $20 for students, seniors and CAC members. -- Todd A. Price

Joe Krown Organ Combo CD-release party 10 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 26 Maple Leaf Bar, 8316 Oak St., 866-9359 On the new Living Large (Independent), organist Joe Krown focuses on the interplay between his Hammond B-3 and the horn section of Brent Rose and Brian 'Breeze' Cayolle. The duo is often used as rhythmic elements or, as in the title track, to double the melody at the end of a phrase. With the twin saxophones carrying the riff on 'Under the Influence,' Krown is free to show off his Jimmy Smith-influenced chops, though the first two solos go to Rose and guitarist Brint Anderson. Clearly, Krown and the combo appreciate the simple pleasures of a good groove, so pieces never feel like mere set-ups for another round of soloing. The solos themselves have a comfortable feel, even Anderson's distortion-rich solo on the greasy 'Bring Me BBQ Baby.' Cover $7. -- Rawls

Rhinestone Records Showcase with Quintron, Baby Rosebud and others 10:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 26 The Circle Bar, 1032 St. Charles Ave., 588-2616; www.circlebar.net He is, all at once, a Ninth Ward mad scientist, diabolical organist, dance-music visionary and recorder of urban wildlife -- the last on his recent Halloween novelty record, The Frog Tape. Quintron presents a rare group showing, on the Uptown side of the tracks, of the gaggle of Bywater-based artists involved with his Rhinestone Records label. The party, sponsored by Southern Comfort, will showcase various purveyors of New Orleans underground dance music, experimental hip-hop and imaginative instrumentation, including MC Trachiotomy, Micronaut, and DJs Rubik and Kid Calculator. The biggest rhinestone in this homemade tiara is local two-piece band Baby Rosebud, whose album Shipwreck was recently released on Rhinestone. The duo's spare, haunting gypsy-exotica sound is courtesy of accorganist Courtney Lain's rare instrument, a peculiar accordion/electric organ hybrid. A special limited edition of the album will be available at the show. No cover. -- Alison Fensterstock

Oscar Night America 6 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 27 Harrah's New Orleans Casino, Earl Turner Theatre, 620-3105 Oscar Night America is the only party officially sanctioned by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which serves up its 77th annual presentation with a new host (Chris Rock) and some interesting categories including a wide-open Best Picture race. Emeril' will serve up the party food and VIP guests will be given the same official program as the one handed out at the real deal in Hollywood. A Joan Rivers impersonator will welcome guests on New Orleans' own red carpet, while H2O Salon & Spa will provide a beauty bar for a little star treatment. Guests can participate in a 'Predict the Winners' contest, with prizes on the line. Proceeds from the event will benefit the American Red Cross Southeast Louisiana Chapter and ABC26/WB38 Children First. Emmy-winning sitcom writer Rahn Ramey will return as this year's master of ceremonies. The VIP party starts at 6 p.m., followed by the ceremonies at 7 p.m. The event sold out last year. Tickets $65 general admission, $95 VIP. -- Simmons

Academy Awards party 6:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 27 Prytania Theatre, 5339 Prytania St., 891-2787/523-3818 Will Martin Scorsese finally win his first Oscar for Best Director for The Aviator? Will Best Supporting Actress go the ingenue route (Closer's Natalie Portman, who won the Golden Globe) or the prestige route (The Aviator's Cate Blanchett, who won the Screen Actors Guild award)? We've got questions; the Academy Awards, hosted this year by comedian Chris Rock, will provide the answers. (Our favorite Chris Rock quote so far: 'What straight black man sits there and watches the Oscars? Show me one.') The annual Oscar party hosted by the historic Prytania Theatre also serves as a fundraiser for the New Orleans Film Festival (NOFF), which annually serves as a preview to some of the best in independently made films. Food will be provided by the Savvy Gourmet and Lulu's in the Garden, while beverages will come from Miller Beer, Robert Mondavi and Fetzer wines. There also will be a 'predict the winners' contest for prizes. Local producer and actor Michael Arata returns as the master of ceremonies. Tickets $20 general admission, $15 NOFF members. -- Simmons

Tribute to the Classical Arts 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday, Feb. 28 Hotel Monteleone, Queen Anne Ballroom, 214 Royal St., 486-5900, ext. 160; www.hotelmonteleone.com Much of the year, New Orleans celebrates jazz, blues and rock 'n' roll, but the 12th annual Tribute to the Classical Arts luncheon gives overdue recognition to New Orleanians' achievements in classical music, opera and dance. Nominees this year include Exhibit Dance Collective, NOCCA/Riverfront Department of Dance, the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, and the New Orleans Opera Association. Wendy Rodrigue is the master of ceremonies for the event, which presents performances by nominees Monika Roy of the Nritya School of Dance, Maria Kate Fleming, and Patti Adams and Jan Grimes, among others. At this year's luncheon, Jenny Thompson of the NORD/NOBA Dance Center will receive the Special Recognition Award (see Arts and Entertainment feature) and founder of the Dance Council of New Orleans Muriel Moreland will be honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award. Tickets $30 each, with tables of 10 available for $300. -- Rawls