8 Days a Week 

The Word Phoria: Spoken Word Festival is back with its next event at the Visulite Theater beginning tonight at 7:30pm. Come out and be a part of what appears to be a growing trend in the Queen City. Be entertained by innovative poets, writers, performers and novelists who come out to read and perform on one Wednesday each month. For more information, or to register to read yourself, call 704-566-6566.

Saxophonist Dave Sanborn has played with just about everyone, so there's not much to be revealed here. He's adored by the smooth jazz crowd, although he's also an excellent R&B-influenced player. It's the uncategorizable musicians who are usually the most interesting; you can find out at the Performing Arts Center at 8pm. Tickets range from $34.50 to $49.50. Call 704-372-1000,

Due to a tremendous response, Quidam, Cirque Du Soleil's masterful work, continues its run at Lowe's Motor Speedway. Showtimes run as follows: Tuesday and Wednesday at 8pm, Thursday and Friday at 5pm and 9pm, Saturday at 4pm and 8pm, and Sunday at 1pm and 5pm. The performances on April 18-19 will be held at 8pm. Tickets range from $45-$65 for adults and $31.50-$45.50 for children. For more information call 800-678-5440 or visit online at www.cirquedusoleil.com.

This year Rock Hill celebrates its 150th birthday with its annual Come See Me festival. The festival continues today through Sunday with events for all ages all around town. Visit beautiful gardens, see a play, hear local music, enjoy food from local vendors, and all that other neat small town stuff. For a complete schedule of events visit the website at http://comeseeme.rockhill.net.

THURSDAY 18The big Charlotte Wine & Food Weekend benefiting Hospitality House of Charlotte and the Charlotte Symphony is set for today through Saturday. The weekend includes vintner dinners, numerous tastings, a Napa-style barbecue, a silent auction and a live auction and gala. Costs vary depending on which events you wish to attend. Reservations for any of the events can be made online at www.charlottewineandfood.com or by calling 704-552-9780.

Margaritaville mayor Jimmy Buffett will appear with his Coral Reefer Band tonight at 8pm at Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre. The show is likely sold out, as are area dealers of Hawaiian shirts, plastic parrots, and dirt weed. However, you might want to call 704-522-6500 just to be sure.

Tonight at the Levine Museum of the New South at 6pm, Bettye Collier-Thomas, Professor of History at Temple University, will speak on She Hath Done What She Could: Black Women Preachers and Their Struggle for Recognition. A dinner will be provided. Admission is $10 for members and $12 for non-members. For more information, call 704-333-1887.

Charlotte Symphony's Mostly Mozart Neighborhood Concert Series returns with its next installment beginning this evening at First United Methodist Church. Shows follow on Friday at St. Matthews Catholic Church and Saturday at University Park Baptist Church. All shows begin at 7:30pm. The program will feature works by Bruckner, Bach and, you guessed it, Mozart. Tickets are $10. For more information call 704-972-2000 or visit online at www.charlottesymphony.org.

CPCC's division of Visual and Performing Arts presents Dances of India with internationally acclaimed performer Maha Gingrich and Group. We have been assured that these folks are not related, nor do they have anything to do with, former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich. Which is a relief. The performance will feature both North and South Indian Classical and Folk dances. The show starts at 12:30pm in Pease Auditorium on the campus of CPCC. Admission is free. For more information call 704-330-6309 or 704-549-8428.

The UNC Charlotte Jazz Ensemble, always an impressive outfit, are set to perform at 8pm in the university's Rowe Recital Hall. The show will also feature a new big band, the Charlotte Jazz Orchestra. It's a great chance to hear up-and-coming student musicians playing a number of different styles (swing, Latin, funk, etc.), together with seasoned professionals. The performance is free.

Last year's African American Romance Writers Weekend at West Boulevard Library was so popular, they decided to bring it back this year. Romance & All That Jazz comes to the West Boulevard Library welcoming six new authors, and one favorite from last year. The writers are Gwynne Forster, Angela Benson, Nathasha Brooks-Harris, Shirley Halistock, Brenda Jackson, Kayla Perrin and Jacquelin Thomas. The visiting authors will participate in writing workshops, readings, book signings and a concert. For more information or a detailed schedule of events call 704-353-0959 or visit online at www.plcmc.org/romance.

FRIDAY 19The all-male comic ballet Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo will be presented at the Performing Arts Center tonight at 8pm. The troupe dances a fine line between high art and straight comedy as they parody classic works like Swan Lake and Giselle. Tickets range from $15-$40. For more information call 704-372-1000 or visit online at www.performingartsctr.org.