The Music Center's 42nd Annual VERY SPECIAL ARTS FESTIVAL Goes Virtual

The Music Center's 42nd Annual Very Special Arts Festival Goes Virtual will transform its long-standing tradition of showcasing the talents of students of all abilities into a virtual format for 2021.

Usually a private event for K-12 schools located throughout Los Angeles County, the online offering now gives the public a first-ever opportunity to participate and join the celebration. The fun, hour-long program will stream on The Music Center Offstage virtual platform on Friday, April 16, 2021, from 10:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m., featuring student performances, professional entertainment segments and six participatory educational workshops.

In addition, The Music Center's 42nd Annual Very Special Arts Festival Goes Virtual will also highlight hundreds of visual artworks created by students based on this year's theme, "Seeds of Kindness," in a virtual gallery. The program will include an ASL interpreter and will be transcribed for people with visual impairment. This free, annual inclusive event, the only student festival of its kind in the county, celebrates the students' artistic achievements and encourages active participation in the arts and connection with one another as a community.

"The Music Center's Very Special Arts Festival is going on 42 years strong, and we are going to make sure these incredible students still have the opportunity to show off their creative talents and have the chance to shine for friends, family and other student performers," said Rachel S. Moore, president and CEO of The Music Center. "We postponed the live fall event hoping we could still gather in person sooner, rather than later. Yet, even with continued closures, we can still celebrate and share the fun and enrichment the arts offer all of us, and how dancing, singing and performing makes each of us feel special."

"Our partner schools look forward to the Very Special Arts Festival each year and we're thrilled we could create a virtual version that allows young people to actively participate, learn and express themselves through creating and contributing to artistic work. The opportunity of an online format enables students and teachers-and the public-to engage with the program at their convenience without the worry of missing any of the many dynamic arts experiences. The Music Center's 42nd Annual Very Special Arts Festival Goes Virtual as well as our other arts learning offerings available on The Music Center Offstage provide opportunities for all to enjoy no matter your age or ability," added Keith Wyffels, associate vice president of education, TMC Arts.

Hosted by master teaching artist David Prather and mezzo-soprano Suzanna Guzmán, The Music Center's 42nd Annual Very Special Arts Festival Goes Virtual will feature four three-minute video performances of students from Little Citizens Westside Academy (Leimert Park); Christopher Dena Elementary School (East Los Angeles); Millikan Middle School (Sherman Oaks); and Pio Pico Middle School (Mid-City). These students have created and edited videos of themselves sharing their artistic expression of the theme "Seeds of Kindness." The program, directed by Nicole Alexander, will also entertain viewers with master magician Kenrick "Ice" McDonald, as well as include performances by ILL-Abilities, an international professional break dancing crew featuring differently-abled dancers showing the world that anything is possible; Infinite Flow Dance, an L.A. dance company composed of dancers with and without disabilities who use dance to promote inclusion and innovation; and student members from Straight Up Abilities, a local non-profit which provides dance training to students of all abilities and ages.

The virtual festival will also include six visual and performing arts participatory workshops led by professional artists, including:

• Dance Workshop: Led by Music Center Teaching Artist Tara Cook Davis, this workshop embodies kindness by using the vehicle of dance for self-expression and lots of fun. Viewers will learn choreographed movement and have the opportunity to create moves of their own.

• Dance Workshop: The public is invited to dance along with Robin Olive and two of her All-Star dancers, John Tucker and Marci Landeros, from Straight Up Abilities. This non-profit believes "Everyone can and should dance."

• Media Arts Workshop: Guided by Music Center Teaching Artist Lynn Okimura, participants will learn how to cut and move simple shapes around to make paper cutout characters drawn from imagination.

• Fine Arts Workshop: Music Center Teaching Artist Beth Peterson teaches viewers how to dream up and create a hand puppet character who can plant a seed of kindness!

• Theater Workshop: After viewing a short performance by the Chameleons Mime Theatre, participants will learn an invisible rope illusion that can be applied to a short mime piece, called "The Tug of War."

• Music Workshop: Joseph Peck's Scavenger Drum Circle introduces various percussion instruments and then teaches the audience how to make a drum and shaker. Viewers will also learn the rhythmic scale and participate in an Engine Room Jam!

The Music Center's Very Special Arts Festival Goes Virtual is produced in partnership with the Los Angeles Unified School District and the Los Angeles County Office of Education. Schools throughout Los Angeles County with students in grades K-12 are invited to participate.

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