PopSmart

McCoy Tyner’s name might not be as instantly recognizable as John Coltrane or Miles Davis, but the blues-based jazz pianist has been just as influential. He stepped onto the early 1950s jazz and R&B scenes with a heavy left hand that came to define his sound. Tonight, FEB. 15, the MCCOY TYNER TRIO performs at Georgia Tech’s Ferst Center for the Arts with tap virtuoso SAVION GLOVER (pictured) of Bring in ‘Da Noise, Bring in ‘Da Funk fame. The combination should be a percussive explosion of both feet and hands. $32-$50. 8 p.m. 349 Ferst Drive. 404-894-9600. www.ferstcenter.gatech.edu.

(Todd Rosenberg)

Athleticism and grace are not mutually exclusive. Look at HUBBARD STREET DANCE CHICAGO, a company that combines the subtlety of classical ballet, the physicality of modern dance and everything else in between. The troupe’s current three-piece repertoire, in Atlanta Sat., FEB. 9, includes Twyla Tharp’s Baker’s Dozen, a jazz ballet between six romantically linked couples; artistic director Jim Vincent’s counter/part, inspired by Bach’s “Brandenburg Concerti”; and Susan Marshall’s aerial ballet Kiss, which the Oakland Tribune says captures the “feeling of swimming in love.” $32-$56. 8 p.m. Rialto Center for the Arts, 80 Forsyth St. 404-413-9849. www.rialtocenter.org.

Take a look at one Hubbardian’s fancy footwork…

Decatur’s Wordsmiths Books inaugurates a new literary/music series today, JAN. 23, called BABYGOTBOOKS READING SERIES VOLUME 1. The event is the brainchild of the bookworm bloggers at BabyGotBooks.com. Volume 1 features Rolling Stone writer Rob Sheffield and local band the Swear. Like Nick Hornby’s High Fidelity, Sheffield’s Love Is a Mix Tape examines life, love and death in terms of music, specifically a set of mixtapes from throughout his relationship with Renee, the spunky punk rocker he married and eventually lost to a pulmonary embolism. Free. 7:30 p.m. 141 E. Trinity Place, Decatur. 404-378-7166. www.wordsmithsbooks.com.

Also, check out Emily Hansen’s review.

Far sexier than bumping and grinding at the club, the libido-driven staccato of Argentina’s two-person tango is the ultimate mating dance. On Sat., JAN. 19, Buenos Aires dance company Estampas Porteñas performs “Argentina’s gift to the world” in TANGO FIRE. The performance follows the tango from its start in Buenos Aires’ red-light district to its current influence on ballroom dance and features company founder Carolina Soler and the music of 20th-century composer Astor Piazzolla. $39-$65. 8 p.m. Rialto Center for the Arts, 80 Forsyth St. 404-413-9849. www.rialtocenter.org.

(Photo courtesy Ryan Gravel and Danielle Roney)

Re/constructing Atlanta is a local initiative begun in 2007 exploring art, architecture and urban design. URBAN INTERVENTION: THE BELTLINE, continuing today, JAN. 14, looks at the city’s Beltline project and focuses on its environmental and community impacts. Dubbed “interventionists,” the exhibit’s participants include such artists, activists and thinkers as Ryan Gravel, Danielle Roney, Pandra Williams and Ed Akins. Through video, website, photography and sound installations, a graphic novel, and a native garden in Hurt Park, they and others have created a multimedia experience exploring the Beltline’s possibilities. Through March 6. Free. Reception: Thurs., 5-8 p.m. Gallery hours: Mon.-Fri., 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Ernest G. Welch School of Art & Design Gallery, Georgia State University, 10 Peachtree Center Ave. 404-413-5230. www.gsu.edu/artgallery.

(Photo by Robert Glenn Ketchum)

In SOUTHWEST ALASKA: A WORLD OF NATIONAL PARKS AND WILDLIFE REFUGES, continuing Tues., JAN. 8, at the Jimmy Carter Library and Museum, Robert Glenn Ketchum’s large-format color photos show a bird’s-eye view of crisp, unfettered landscapes. Bodies of water bleed between mountains, and miles of river snake through a wilderness larger than Washington state. It’s hard to believe that anyone would sacrifice Alaska’s mysterious terrain for oil pipelines and copper and cyanide gold-leach mining. Ketchum’s work documenting the wild has had a significant impact on environmental politics over the past 40 years, earning him a spot on Audubon magazine’s “Champions of Conservation” list as well as a nod from the United Nations. Through April 13. Free-$8. Mon.-Sat., 9 a.m.-4:45 p.m.; Sun., noon-4:45 p.m. 441 Freedom Parkway. 404-865-7100. www.jimmycarterlibrary.gov.

After touring with the socially conscious hip-hop group Arrested Development in its mid-’90s heyday, singer/dancer/choreographer Terrie Ajile Axam settled in Atlanta and formed Total Dance Company. Every year now for the past 11, Total Dance has performed its Kwanzaa tribute FUSION: FROM AFRICA TO HIP-HOP. The production, co-written by Axam and Arrested Development frontman Speech, traces African dance’s historical and cultural evolution to the beat of master drummer Greyling Oginga Love Fri.-Sun., DEC. 28-30. $15-$25. 8 p.m. Fri.-Sat.: TheatreSouth Atlanta, 5355 Hunter Road. Sunday: Booker T. Washington High School Theater, 45 White House Drive. 404-745-9699. www.dancical.net.

Full of holiday spoofs and funky beats, the Youth Ensemble of Atlanta’s 2007 production of URBAN HOLIDAY SOUP features original skits by current members and cameos from alumni. It’s a nontraditional look at the holidays from one of the season’s most important points of view: a child’s. The performance tonight, DEC. 22, concludes this year’s run. $15-$20. 8 p.m. 14th St. Playhouse, Stage 2, 173 14th St. 404-756-2184. www.youthensemble.org.

(Photo by Horace Henry)

The Wizard of Oz became a Christmas tradition back in the late 1950s when the now classic film was televised annually as a holiday special. So it only seems natural that True Colors Theatre Company would stage its version of the adaptation THE WIZ at the same time. Kenny Leon directs his acclaimed company in a young (performers range in age from 7 to 27) and soulful performance opening tonight, DEC. 20. Through Dec. 30. No shows Dec. 24-25. $15. Dec. 20, 7:30 p.m.; Wed. and Fri., 8 p.m.; Sat., 2:30 and 8 p.m.; Sun., 2:30 p.m. Dec. 27, 2:30 and 8 p.m. Rialto Center for the Performing Arts, 80 Forsyth St. 404-588-0234. www.truecolorstheatrecompany.com.

(Editor’s note: Check out Curt Holman’s review of the 2004 production. Sounds like Kenny Leon has a chance to redeem himself on this one.)

Before making a New Year’s resolution, hit this weekend’s PSYCHIC FAIR for a 2008 preview. The event, held at local holistic and metaphysical center the Inner Space, features a variety of different psychics from palmists and card readers to mediums and clairvoyants. If you’re not quite ready to chat with great-grandma or see what the cards have in store, get a massage or have your chakra balanced instead. Through today, Dec. 16. Event: Free. Readings: $20-$35. Sun., noon-6 p.m. 185 Allen Road, Sandy Springs. 404-252-4540. www.theinnerspace.com.