Friday's best bets: Dave Liebman, Miami City Ballet Dances Balanchine and Tharp, more

DANCE
Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan: Water Stains on the Wall
Choreographer Lin Hwai-min's company of unique and transfixing movers reflects his diverse appetite for dance: The former writer counts George Balanchine, Pina Bausch, Merce Cunningham and William Forsythe among his influences. To a score by Toshio Hosokawa for traditional East Asian instruments and performed on a stage raked eight degrees from the horizontal, Water Stains theatricalizes one of the purest combinations of writing and dancing: Chinese calligraphy. Harris Theater (205 E Randolph St, 312-334-7777, harristheaterchicago.org). 8pm; $25–$65.

DANCE/TELEVISION
Miami City Ballet Dances Balanchine and Tharp
Balletomanes: Don't miss the television premiere of this Great Performances installment directed by Matthew Diamond (Paul Taylor: Dancemaker). Sisters Jeannette and Patricia Delgado shine in Balanchine's Square Dance and Tharp's The Golden Section, respectively, while the whole company's focus and vision glow in its pitch-perfect interpretation of Western Symphony, Balanchine's love letter to the Wild West of American folklore. WTTW Channel 11. 9pm.

ART & DESIGN
“Diane Christiansen: Enough Space in the Head to Breathe”
Christiansen, an artist, psychotherapist and member of the band Dolly Varden, presents an animation and several small oil paintings on plaster, created through both painting and sanding. Kasia Kay Art Projects, 215 N Aberdeen St (312-944-0408, kasiakaygallery.com).  6–8pm. FREE.

MUSIC
Dave Liebman
Formidable soprano saxophonist Dave Liebman, a Miles Davis sideman during the Dark Magus's electric period, has returned with increasing frequency to the brawny tenor sax on which he cut his teeth. Here's a chance to catch his energetic postbop flights up close and personal. Green Mill, 9pm, $15.

MUSIC
MURS + Ski Beatz + Tabi Bonney
The Hip Hop & Love Tour brings a must-see bill for underground hip-hop heads to the South Loop tonight, with MURS in the headlining slot. He’s joined by an assortment of friends including Ski Beatz (perhaps most famous for his contributions to a little record called Reasonable Doubt), Tabi Bonney and more. Reggie's Rock Club, 7pm, $15, all ages.