ART

SEW IT UP “New Works,” an exhibit by artist Elisa D’Arrigo, consists of collages of hand-sewn, colored flat “shards,” or hollow forms made of stiffened cloth or paper. The tension created by sewing together the individual rigid components transforms them into structures that undulate and billow, as if animated from within. Selections include “Byzantine Homage” (2006), above left, and “Recollection … Yellow” (2006), right. Through Thursday, May 24, Tuesday–Saturday, 11 a.m.–6 p.m., Elizabeth Harris Gallery, 529 W. 20th St., between Tenth Avenue and the West Side Highway, 212-463-9666, free.

DANCE

THE JOY OF DANCE The Brooklyn-based Silver Brown Dance Company hosts its ninth annual gala benefit performance. A reception follows the company’s performance of three pieces, including a tango and a newly choreographed comedic ballet. Eva Silverstein is artistic director of the troupe, and Pamela James-Goodenow, Nile Russell, and Mary Glackmeyer are among featured dancers. A brief SBD season follows, which runs this Friday through Saturday. Tonight, gala, 7:30 p.m., season performances begin tomorrow, 8 p.m., Saturday, 2 and 8 p.m., Ailey Citigroup Theater, Joan Weill Center for Dance, 405 W. 55th St. at Ninth Avenue, 212-352-3101, $100. For complete information, go to silverbrowndance.org.

A ROSE BY ANY OTHER NAME The New York City Ballet dances its final performances of Peter Martins’s “Romeo + Juliet,” about the doomed star-crossed lovers, set to the classic score by Sergei Prokofiev. The new staging of the ballet celebrates the centennial of the co-founder with choreographer George Balanchine of NYCB, Lincoln Kirstein. The production features set and costume de signs by Danish painter Per Kirkeby and NYCB’s youngest talents are among those cast in the title roles Mr. Martins is ballet master in chief of the ballet company. Tomorrow, 8 p.m., Saturday, May 12, 2 and 8 p.m. and Sunday, May 13, 3 p.m., NYCB New York State Theatre, 20 Lincoln Center Plz., between Columbus Av enue and 62nd Street, 212-870-5570 $15–$95.

FESTIVALS

AIR SO LIGHT The French electronica duo Air performs as part of the H&M High Line Festival, during its first American tour in 10 years. The Brooklyn indie rock band TV on the Radio opens the concert, performing from its latest album, “Return to Cookie Mountain.” Tonight, 8 p.m., Theater at Madison Square Garden, 4 Penn Plaza, 33rd Street and Eighth Avenue, 212-307-7171, $46.

FILM

WARTORN NATIONS The 2007 Bosnian-Herzegovinian Film Festival presented by the nonprofit organiza tions Voice of Bosnia and Herzegov ina and the Academy of Bosnia and Herzegovina, highlights contemporary Bosnian-Herzegovinian cinematography and provides a plat form for the exposure of up-and coming and internationally renowned Bosnian-Herzegovinian filmmakers. The festival begins with screenings of Marko Santic’s “Good Luck Nedim” (“Sretan put Nedime”) (2006), about two brothers who struggle to enter Slovenia so that one brother, who suffers from terminal cancer, can die in his home country; and Ognjen Svilicic’s “Armin” (2007), about a Bosnian father and son who travel to Croatia to kick-start the son’s acting career. Tomorrow, 7 p.m., Tribeca Cinemas 54 Varick St., between Laight and Beach streets, 212-941-2001, $12.

MUSIC

COLE PORTER IN PARIS A concert featuring musical theater works inspired by the City of Light, “We Open in Paris,” is presented by the New York Festival of Song Concert Series at Carnegie Hall. The program includes Cole Porter’s “Fifty Million Frenchmen,” and Jacques Offenbach’s “La Vie Parisienne.” The plot of Porter’s musical comedy involves a young American millionaire who travels to Paris and bets a friend that he can live without his money for a month. The American soon becomes engaged to a woman whom he adores, but is humiliated as he attempts to woo her while penniless. Mezzo-sopranos Marie Lenormand and Mary Testa, soprano Sari Gruber, and tenor Nicholas Phan are among the featured performers. Pianist Steven Blier provides accompaniment. Tonight, 8 p.m., Carnegie Hall, Weill Recital Hall, 54 W. 57th St. at Seventh Avenue, 212-247-7800, $48.

TWO TIMES AROUND Singer, pianist, and composer Gabriel Kahane performs his “Cragislistlieder” song cycle, in which he took postings from the Internet site and set them to his own style of rhythmically dense avant-garde jazz. After his performance, jazz pianist Dan Tepfer and his trio perform a reinterpretation of Mr. Kahane’s exact performance. Monday, 9:30 p.m., Joe’s Pub, 425 Lafayette St., between Broadway and Astor Place, 212-967-7555, $12.

READINGS

STEPPING OUT IN A NEW WORLD Writers Joshua Ferris and John Haskell read from their respective books during the Behind the Book Reading Series at KGB Bar. Mr. Ferris reads from “Then We Came to the End” (Little, Brown), about the romances and tragedies of employees of a failing advertising agency, and Mr. Haskell reads from “American Purgatorio” (Picador), about a happily married man who discovers, as he walks out of a convenience store, that his life has suddenly vanished. Tonight, 7 p.m., KGB Bar, 85 E. 4th St., between Second and Third avenues, 212-924-0654, free.

AFTERNOON TEA WITH GILBERT & GEORGE In celebration of the publication of “The Complete Pictures, 1971-2005” (Aperture), British performance artists Gilbert & George host a book signing and traditional tea. A collaborative team who were pioneers in exploring performance as an art form, the pair mingled photography and graphics in a style that recalled advertising forms to address sexual identity and other controversial issues. The two-volume set is published on the 40th anniversary of the artists’ meeting and on the eve a major retrospective that will tour six venues around the world, including the Tate Modern, the Brooklyn Museum, and the de Young Museum in San Francisco. Saturday, 4 p.m., Lehmann Maupin Gallery, 540 W. 26th St., between Tenth and Eleventh avenues, 212-255-2923, free.

SOIRÉES

ACROSS THE LAND The nonprofit organization AmeriCares holds its 25th anniversary gala, celebrating its efforts in serving and helping people in need throughout the world. The honorary co-chairmen of the event are President and Barbara Bush, and author Elie Wiesel. The dinner honors AmeriCares founders Bob and Leila Macauley, and a performance by pianist John Kimura Parker is featured. Emcees for the evening are an anchor on NBC, Ann Curry, and the CBS news anchor Harry Smith. Tonight, 6 p.m., Cipriani Wall Street, 55 Wall St., between William Street and Hanover Place, 203-658-9558, $1,000 and up.

ANIMAL LOVE The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals holds its 10th annual Bergh Ball, featuring an auction of artwork by photographers including David LaChappelle, Bruce Webber, Roberto Dutesco, Ross Bleckner, and Arthur Elgort. The ball is hosted by fashion designer Isaac Mizrahi, and committee members include an anchor for NBC, Matt Lauer, and the owner of Dylan’s Candy Shop, Dylan Lauren. Tonight, 7 p.m., Mandarin Oriental, 80 Columbus Circle at 60th Street, 212-876-7700 ext. 4652, $1,000 and up.

TALKS

THE DEPTHS OF THE CITY ARCHIVES The Arts, Culture & Fun at Manhattan Recreation Centers series presents “Secrets of the Municipal Archives” with the city records commissioner, Brian Andersson. He is considered to be the custodian of millions of deeds, in dentures, census surveys, records of city actions, papers of city official maps, prints, and photographs located in the city’s Municipal Archives. Mr. Andersson discusses how the public can use the records department for ancestral history and other types of research. Tonight 7 p.m., East 54 Street Recreation Center, 348 E. 54 St., between First and Second avenues, 212-754-5411, free.

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