Weekend Picks: Cirque du Soleil, Micaela Taylor, Malpaso Dance and more

You have a wealth of arts events from which to choose this weekend, including the return of Cirque du Soleil, new work from up-and-coming choreographer Micaela Taylor, and pianist Hélène Grimaud sitting in with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. The Malpaso Dance Company of Cuba does a three-night stand at the Wallis, the dramas “Heisenberg” and “Rotterdam” get return engagements, tap-dance star Savion Glover teams up with Rachael Worby’s Muse/ique orchestra, and a musical celebration of spring takes place in Watts.

A high-flying fantasy at the Forum

Clowns, acrobats, aerialists and others cavort in “Corteo” as Cirque du Soleil returns to Southern California, sans tent, with its touring production of a carnival-style fantasy. The Forum, 3900 W. Manchester Blvd., Inglewood. 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Friday, 3:30 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, 1 and 5 p.m. Sunday. $59 and up. cirquedusoleil.com

‘Drift’ away at the Ford

TL Collective takes the stage with “Drift,” an evening-length exploration of one’s evolving relationship to one’s self, from up-and-coming dancer-choreographer and Ford artist-in-residence Micaela Taylor. Ford Theatres, 2580 Cahuenga Blvd. E., Hollywood. 5 p.m. Saturday. $15, $20. FordTheatres.org

Grimaud tickles ivories with LA Phil

Pianist Hélène Grimaud joins the L.A. Phil under guest conductor Lionel Bringuier for a program that includes Gershwin’s “Cuban Overture” and “An American in Paris” plus Ravel’s “Valses Nobles et Sentimentales” and Piano Concerto in G. Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 S. Grand Ave., L.A. 8 p.m. Thursday-Friday, 2 p.m. Saturday-Sunday. $61-$224. laphil.com

Pianist Hélène Grimaud joins the L.A. Phil for works by Gershwin and Ravel.

(Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)

Havana good time at the Wallis

The Malpaso Dance Company is back to perform artistic director Osnel Delgado’s “Ocaso” and company member Beatriz Garcia’s “Ser,” plus works by Merce Cunningham and Ohad Naharin. Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, Bram Goldsmith Theater, 9390 N. Santa Monica Blvd., Beverly Hills. 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday. $35-$105. TheWallis.org

A double dose of drama

You’ll get a second chance to catch these two L.A. Times Critics’ Choice shows when they return for limited engagements at new venues:

“Rotterdam,” Jon Brittain’s drama about someone who wants to come out as a transgender man, is part of Center Theatre Group’s annual Block Party series. Kirk Douglas Theatre, 9820 Washington Blvd., Culver City. 8 p.m. Saturday, 6:30 p.m. Sunday; other dates through April 7. $25-$77. CenterTheatreGroup.org

“Heisenberg” is Simon Stephens’ two-character drama about an Irish butcher in his 70s and a 40-something American woman who forge an unlikely connection after a chance encounter in a London train station. Joe Spano and Faline England star in a production headed to Laguna Playhouse, 606 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach. 5:30 p.m. Sunday; other dates through April 14. $56-$86. lagunaplayhouse.com

Glover steps up with Muse/ique

Tap dancer extraordinaire Savion Glover teams up with Rachael Worby’s Muse/ique orchestra and violinist-vocalist Charles Yang for the intimate, improvised program “Unrestrained/Refrains.” Pasadena Museum of California Art, Kosmic Krylon Garage, 490 E. Union St., Pasadena. 7 p.m. Sunday. $70. muse-ique.com

Spring is in the air

The community concert “Springtime in Watts” has string and trombone players from the L.A. Phil joining forces with the Voices of Macedonia choir for a program that includes works by Beethoven, St. Georges and William Grant Still, plus selected spirituals. Macedonia Baptist Church of Los Angeles, 1751 E 114th St., Watts. 6 p.m. Sunday. Free. laphil.com

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