LJWorld.com

Dance, theater and rock music come together Wednesday as Tap Dogs comes to the Lied Center.

The show is at 7:30 p.m. Tickets range from $20 to $46 and are available by calling 864-2787.

The show’s six athletic dancers create rhythms by stomping and tapping to vibrant music.

The show was created by award-winning choreographer Dein Perry, with a construction-site-like set by Nigel Triffit and a score by Andrew Wilkie. Perry created a group called Tap Brothers in 1995, which morphed into Tap Dogs.

Tap Dogs made its North American debut at Montreal’s Just For Laughs festival in August 1996 and then went on a limited North American tour before an off-Broadway engagement in 1997. There, Perry earned a drama desk nomination for best choreography and an Obie Award. Tap Dogs was featured in the movie “Bootmen,” directed by Perry, inspired by his Tap Dogs experiences.

Since its debut, TAP DOGS has toured extensively throughout North America, Europe, Australia, the Far East and South Africa, and participated in the opening ceremony of the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games.

Sax quartet plans recital

The Kansas University Saxophone Quartets will perform a fall recital at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Swarthout Recital Hall, inside KU’s Murphy Hall.

Directing this recital will be professor Vince Gnojek, Mary Huntimer and Crystal Alexander. The program will include works by Beethoven, Bach, Jean Francaix, Orlando Gibbons, Astor Piazzolla, Domenico Scarlatti, Dmitri Shostakovich, Emmitt Yoshioka and Jean Rivier.

The recital is free and open to the public.

KU Wind Ensemble readies fall concert

The Kansas University Wind Ensemble will perform at 7:30 p.m. Monday at the Lied Center.

The concert will be preceded by a 7 p.m. “informance,” in which the conductors will discuss the program with the audience.

The program includes “Et exspecto resurrectionem mortuorum” by Olivier Messiaen and “Music for Prague” by Karel Husa. Scott Weiss is conductor, and Haley Armstrong, a graduate teaching assistant, will assist in conducting.

Tickets are $7 for the public and $5 for students and seniors. They are available by calling 864-2787.

Dance company plans fall concert

The University Dance Company at Kansas University will perform works by award-winning choreographer Bill Evans and KU dance faculty.

The company’s fall concerts will be at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 19 and Nov. 20 at the Lied Center.

Pieces include “Jukebox,” a piece by Evans that pays homage to the Hollywood musicals of the 1940s; “Carousel” by Jerel Hilding, inspired by Richard Rogers’ “Carousel Waltz,” and “Earthsong” by Muriel Cohan, which was inspired by Swedish songs.

Tickets are $15 for the public and $10 for students and seniors. They are available by calling 864-2787.

Naismith authors to sign books

Rob Rains and Hellen Carpenter, co-authors of “James Naismith: The Man Who Invented Basketball,” will talk about their new book and sign copies during an event this week.

They will appear from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Friday at Oread Books, on the second floor of the Kansas Union.

It is free and open to the public.

Rains is the former National League beat writer for “Baseball Weekly.” He has written or co-authored books about Tony La Russa, Ozzie Smith, Mark McGwire, Jack Buck, Red Schoendienst and other sports celebrities. Carpenter is the granddaughter of Naismith, the former KU basketball coach and game inventor.

Artists sought for courthouse show

Exhibitors are being sought for the Douglas County 2010 Local Artist Series.

The juried show runs year-round, with works by various artists alternating every six weeks.

Multimedia work is displayed on the second-floor rotunda and in the Douglas County Treasurer’s Office on the first floor of the Douglas County Courthouse at 11th and Massachusetts streets.

Deadline for entries for 2010 is 4 p.m. Nov. 17. Interested artists should bring one sample of their work to the treasurer’s office between 8 p.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. For more information, contact Paula Gilchrist at 832-5275 or pgilchrist@douglas-county.com.