46th Annual L.A. County Holiday Celebration Six-hour extravaganza on December 24 is L.A.'s biggest holiday show. And best of all... it's free! "L.A. COUNTY HOLIDAY CELEBRATION" AT THE MUSIC CENTER IS 46TH ANNUAL. Los Angeles, CA - Music - song - dance. A free, six-hour holiday extravaganza in the beautiful Dorothy Chandler Pavilion of the Music Center is L.A. County's yearly gift to Los Angeles. The 2005 edition promises more than 40 musical ensembles, choirs, and dance companies - about 1,200 performers in all - reflecting the geographic and ethnic diversity that defines Los Angeles. The 46th Annual L.A. County Holiday Celebration takes place on Saturday, December 24 from 3:00 to 9:00 p.m. Patrons may come and go throughout the performance, and the entire six hours is simulcast live on KCET. Admission is FREE, as is the parking under the Music Center. Join the thousands of Angelenos who make the L.A. County Holiday Celebration an annual tradition. This year's program includes favorites from past years - the astounding footwork of the Kennedy Tap Ensemble; the Persian-Latin flamenco fusion of Manoochehr Sadeghi Ensemble; the toe-tapping Irish traditional music and step-dancing of Celtic Spring;and the seductive rhythms of Mariachi Divas and Mariachi Sol de Mexico - as well as exciting new performers like the gravity-defying Viver Brasil Dance Company, the harmonies of the Valleyaires Barbershop Chorus, and the big-band sound of Elvis Schoenberg's Orchestre Surreal. American, Mexican, Jewish, African-American, Irish, Brazilian, French, Peruvian, Filipino, Chinese, Korean, South Indian and Persian are some of the cultures represented by groups from South, East and West L.A., as well as the South Bay, Long Beach, Pasadena and the San Fernando, San Gabriel and Antelope Valleys. Attendees should prepare to be captivated by the traditional African American spirituals of the a cappella Albert McNeil Jubilee Singers; the gospel sounds of the Gospel Music Workshop of America of the Antelope Valley and Jubilant Voices of Holman United Methodist Church; the sweet English and Spanish lyrics of the Harmonies of St. Thomas Girls Choir; the Antelope Valley High School Vocal Music-Travel Ensemble's rendition of Total Praise; a lively rendition of 'Twas the Night Before Christmas of the Church of Scientology Choir; and the traditional Korean songs and instruments of the Korean American Music Academy and Opera California. The Chinese Classical Musical Ensemble performs an original composition on Chinese instruments, based on a Taiwanese folk song, by award-winning composer Zhiming Han. The range of choral music is astounding. Le Lycee Français de Los Angeles sings a song from Bizet's Carmen; Long Beach Poly High School Chamber Singers lends 40 voices to A Prayer for Chanukah; and the L.A. Music & Art School Children's Choral Ensemble presents a medley of Charlie Brown holiday songs. The audience can enjoy "choralography" by the Salvation Army Tabernacle Children's Chorus; Peace in Twelve Languages by the San Fernando Valley Youth Chorus; Christmas and Chanukah melodies sung by the South Bay Children's Choir; three-part a cappella harmony in Tagalog from 3 of a Kind; and the Valley Beth Shalom Congregational Choir, featuring members of the LA Jewish Symphony, performing a gospel-influenced Chanukah song. Activities for Retarded Children and Adults (ARC) Handbell Choir rings in the season with sweet Christmas melodies, and the Harmonic Bronze Handbell Ensemble sounds out the energetic and rhythmic Capriccio. The celebration's breathtaking tour of world dance encompasses Angahara Dance Ensemble's performance of a classical dance from Southern India celebrating the Hindu God of the Earth, Ganesha; entrancing traditional Peruvian folk dances of Escuela de Baile Tradicional Peruano; the whirl of color of the Mexican folkloric dance of Grandeza Mexicana Folk Ballet Company, the San Gabriel Mexican Folk & Aztec Dance Company, and the 30 dancers and 22 musicians, all under the age of 16, of Sierra Park Elementary School Folklorico and Mariachi Cielo Nuevo; the mesmerizing Chang-go, a traditional Korean dance with hourglass-shaped drums, performed by the 15 dancers of Kim Eung Hwa Korean Dance Academy; and the Mongolian dances of the young Chinese American dancers who make up Spring Autumn Dance Ensemble II. Inspired by the Chinese, Indian and Egyptian embrace of the Lotus plant, Pennington Dance Group presents Out Of, an affirmation of harmonious living set to Edgar Rothermich's original score. Three dance companies unveil new works. TRIP Dance Theatre, one of L.A.'s premier modern dance companies, returns to the Holiday Celebration with Moonlight on Winter Ice, a graceful piece with subtle Indonesian influences. JazzAntiqua Dance & Music Ensemble performs a new work set to holiday songs by the late Ray Charles. Jazz Tap Ensemble is back with new choreography and live musical accompaniment. Six hourly hosts include pop icon Neil Sedaka; dancer, singer, actress, director, choreographer and author Debbie Allen, comedian/talk show host Mark Walberg, consummate singer/entertainer Gloria Loring, ventriloquist Ronn Lucas (a.k.a. "The Man Who Can Make Anything Talk"), and piano artist Jim Brickman. The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors has sponsored an admission-free holiday-themed show as a gift to the people of the County every December 24 since 1960. The Arts Commission also produces "L.A. Holiday Celebration," a one-hour television music and dance special highlighting the best performances from the live show. The highlights show, drawn from the 2004 live presentation at the Music Center, will be carried by PBS stations across the country on December 15. The Los Angeles County Arts Commission, Laura Zucker, Executive Director, provides leadership in cultural services of all disciplines for the largest county in the United States, encompassing 88 municipalities. The Arts Commission provides leadership and staffing to support the regional blueprint for arts education, Arts for All; administers a grants program that funds more than 250 nonprofit arts organizations annually; oversees the County's Civic Art Program for capital projects, funds the largest arts internship program in the country in conjunction with the Getty Foundation, programs the John Anson Ford Theatres and supports the Los Angeles County Cultural Calendar on ExperienceLA.com. The Commission also produces free community programs, including the L.A. Holiday Celebration broadcast nationally, and a year-round music program that funds mores than 60 free concerts each year in public sites. The 2005-06 President of the Arts Commission is Hope Warschaw. THE FACTS 46th Los Angeles County Holiday Celebration, an admission-free, six-hour seasonal music and dance show. Performing groups from throughout L.A. County - including choirs, music ensembles, and dance companies - reflect the vibrant spectrum of cultures found in Southern California. Pop icon Neil Sedaka; dancer, singer, actress, director, choreographer and author Debbie Allen; comedian and talk show host Mark Walberg, consummate singer and entertainer Gloria Loring, ventriloquist Ronn Lucas (aka "The Man Who Can Make Anything Talk"), and piano artist Jim Brickman are each set to host one of six hourly segments. A gift from the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors to the community at large. The entire six hours is simulcast live on KCET. WHEN: Saturday, December 24, 2005 from 3:00 pm to 9:00 pm WHO: Produced by the Los Angeles County Arts Commission and Jeff Margolis Productions WHERE: Dorothy Chandler Pavilion of the Music Center 135 N. Grand Ave. Los Angeles 90012 HOW: www.holidaycelebration.org Information hotline: (213) 972-3099 ADMISSION: FREE PARKING: FREE in the Music Center parking garage OTHER: Doors open at 2:30 p.m. Patrons may come and go throughout the six-hour performance. Reservations for tickets to the show or parking are not necessary. Those who can?t make it to the Music Center can watch the live broadcast of Holiday Celebration on KCET. 2005 PERFORMANCE
SCHEDULE:
Doors open at 2:30 p.m. Patrons may come and go throughout
the six-hour performance. Reservations for tickets to the show or parking
are not necessary. Those who can?t make it to the Music Center can
watch the live broadcast of Holiday Celebration on KCET.3:00 Host ? Neil Sedaka Mariachi Divas South Bay Children?s Choir Universal Dance Designs Kennedy Tap Company Orquesta Charangoa Kim Eung Hwa Korean Dance Academy Gospel Music Workshop of America of the Antelope Valley San Gabriel Mexican Folk & Aztec Dance Company 4:00 Host ? Debbie Allen Salvation Army Tabernacle Children?s Chorus Activities for Retarded Children & Adults (ARC) Handbell Choir 3 of A Kind Debbie Allen Dance Academy Antelope Valley High School Vocal-Music Travel Ensemble Manoochehr Sadeghi Ensemble Le Lycée Français de Los Angeles Viver Brasil Dance Company 5:00 Host ? Mark Walberg Mariachi Cielo Nuevo and Sierra Park Elementary Folklorico Opera California Spring Autumn Dance Ensemble II Los Angeles Music & Art School Children?s Choral Ensemble Angahara Dance Ensemble Church of Scientology Choir Jazz Tap Ensemble Albert McNeil Jubilee Singers 6:00 Host ? Gloria Loring Escuela de Baile Tradicional Peruano Harmonies of St. Thomas Girls Choir Harmonic Bronze Handbell Ensemble Long Beach Poly High School Chamber Singers TRIP Dance Theatre Valley Beth Shalom Choir & members of LA Jewish Symphony Jabbawokeez Crew 7:00 Host ? Ronn Lucas Grandeza Mexicana Folk Ballet Company featuring Mariachi Nuevo Cuicatlan San Fernando Valley Youth Chorus Elvis Schoenberg?s Orchestre Surréal Valleyaires Barbershop Chorus Pennington Dance Group Chinese Classical Music Ensemble 8:00 Host ? Jim Brickman The Blind Boys of Alabama Celtic Spring Korean American Music Academy JazzAntiqua Dance & Music Ensemble Jubilant Voices of Holman United Methodist Church Mariachi Sol de Mexico ###
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