53rd Annual L.A. County Holiday Celebration Plays Dorothy Chandler Pavilion Today

Bring the whole family to L.A.'s biggest, Emmy-nominated holiday show at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, the 53rd Annual L.A. County Holiday Celebration. More than 20 choirs, music ensembles and dance companies from the many neighborhoods and cultures of L.A. celebrate the season during this free three-hour extravaganza. Even the parking underneath the Music Center is free.

Since 1964, the Arts Commission has produced a holiday celebration in the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion of the Music Center every year on December 24th. The program honors the spirit of many cultures and holiday traditions through music, song and dance.

Some highlights this year: Invertigo Dance Theatre, celebrating the sunny weather that characterizes the winter season in L.A.; Jouyssance Early Music Ensemble, weaving the ancient Aztec language of Nahuatl with Spanish in its choral presentation of a traditional Mexican Christmas song; Las Cafeteras, blending Mexican folk with Afro-Caribbean rhythms; Pacifico Dance Company, presenting folklorico dance from the region of La Costa Chica; Shakti Dance Company, celebrating the classical dance of southern India; Shin Dance Company, symbolizing the snowy mountains of Chang Bai with an ethnic Korean drum dance; and Spirit Chorale of Los Angeles, singing a capella, spiritual arrangements of holiday classics.

Watch it live on KCET from 3-6 pm, and again from 8-11 pm. Hear it live on 90.7 KPFK. Stream it live at www.kcet.org. The KCET broadcast repeats from 8 pm-11 pm, and again on December 25 at noon and 3 pm.

The event will take place today, December 24, 2012 from 3 pm to 6 pm. Doors open at 2:30 pm. Patrons may come and go throughout the three-hour performance. Reservations for tickets to the show or parking are not necessary. The L.A. County Holiday Celebration is a gift to the community from the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.

It all takes place at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion at the Music Center, 135 N. Grand Ave., Los Angeles, Calif. Information hotline: (213) 972-3099 or www.HolidayCelebration.org.

Artists performing in 53rd Annual L.A. County Holiday Celebration:

Colburn Children's Choir, a 50-voice ensemble of the Colburn School of Performing Arts, will perform holiday songs in Hebrew and English

Double G and Strings*, a six-musician ensemble formed by members of daKAH Hip Hop Orchestra, will perform holiday favorites

Elliot Deutsch Big Band, an 18-piece contemporary jazz ensemble, will return to Holiday Celebration with upbeat, original arrangements of classic Christmas songs

Family Life Sanctuary Choir* is the Whittier-based finalist of the 2011 How Sweet the Sound Gospel Choir Competition

Gay Men's Chorus of Los Angeles will return to this year's program with holiday repertoire

Harmonic Bronze Handbell Ensemble, a 20-person music ensemble of 11- to 18-year olds from Antelope Valley, will perform a classical handbell piece

Immaculate Heart of Mary Children's Choir* will perform traditional Filiipino songs celebrating the Christmas holiday

Invertigo Dance Theatre* will celebrate the sunny weather that characterizes the winter season in Los Angeles with a new piece choreographed for the Holiday Celebration

Jouyssance Early Music Ensemble* weaves the ancient Aztec language of Nahuatl with Spanish in its choral presentation of a traditional Mexican Christmas song

Las Cafeteras* joins the Holiday Celebration program with music that blends Mexican folk with Afro-Carribean rhythms

Special guest Los Angeles Ballet* will perform "Waltz of the Flowers"

Mariachi Sol de Mexico will perform classic Mariachi holiday favorites

Pacifico Dance Company will present folklorico dance from the region of La Costa Chica, an area of Mexico encompassing Oaxaca and Guerrero

Palmdale High School Choral Union, a 45-person chorus from the Antelope Valley, will present traditional and jazz-style holiday selections

Salvation Army Tabernacle Children's Chorus, the largest and youngest choir on the program is known for their "choralography" and light-hearted holiday songs

Second Samoan Congregational Church Choir* will sing "E le aso fiafia" (Oh, happy day), a traditional Samoan holiday song

Shakti Dance Company* will present a celebratory classical dance of southern India, featuring percussive foot rhythms and colorful traditional costume

Shin Dance Company will perform an ethnic Korean drum dance that symbolizes the snowy mountains of Chang Bai, a region bordering China and North Korea

South Bay Children's Choir, an 80-voice ensemble, will sing traditional seasonal favorites

Spirit Chorale of Los Angeles* will debut on Holiday Celebration this year with a capella, spiritual arrangements of holiday classics

Vaud & The Villains,* a 19-piece New Orleans jazz orchestra, will debut on Holiday Celebration with holiday music played in 1930s jazz style

Vox Femina Los Angeles, a choir of 40 women, will perform songs celebrating Christmas and Hanukah
* indicates groups new to the Holiday Celebration this year

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. In addition to producing the L.A. County Holiday Celebration, the Arts Commission provides leadership and staffing to support the County-wide collaboration for arts education, Arts for All; administers a grants program that funds more than 350 nonprofit arts organizations annually; oversees the County's Civic Art Program for capital projects; programs the John Anson Ford Theatres and co-produces Live @ the Ford on KCET; funds the largest arts internship program in the country in conjunction with the Getty Foundation; and supports the Los Angeles County Cultural Calendar on ExperienceLA.com and SpacefinderLA.org, Creative Spaces for Creative People. The 2012-13 President of the Arts Commission is Mattie McFadden-Lawson.

Photo Credit: Ed Krieger

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