Dance is a strong presence as the eighth annual New Original Works (NOW) Festival enters the second of three weekends showcasing the latest adventures of L.A.-based dance, theater, music and multimedia artists. This week the always thought-provoking Rosanna Gamson/World Wide unveils Layla Means Night, a remix of Scheherazade, about a woman who staves off her execution by entrancing her murderous husband with her nightly installment of ongoing stories. A master manipulator in her own right, Gamson weaves together dance, text, props and a live score performed by Houman Pourmehdi and Pirayeh. The program is shared with Robert Cucuzza's Cattywampus. Next weekend's wrap-up (Sept. 23-24) offers more dance with Michel Kouakou/Daara Dance's Sack, Victoria Marks' Smallest Gesture/Grandest Frame and Tandem & Timur and the Dime Museum with Zoophilic Follies. REDCAT, 631 W. Second St., dwntwn.; Thurs.-Sat., 8:30 p.m.; thru Sept. 24; $18. (213) 237-2800, redcat.org.

Thursdays-Saturdays, 8:30 p.m. Starts: Sept. 8. Continues through Sept. 24, 2011

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