Pauline Adamek
TOMORROW!
111 schools from all over Los Angeles County will take part in The Music Center’s 39th Annual Very Special Arts Festival – an annual inclusive event celebrating the artistic achievements of students with all abilities.
The 39th annual festival will take place on Friday, October 20, 2017, with the theme Connecting Our Stories.
This free festival gives students of all abilities the opportunity to celebrate their artistic achievements, explore the arts and connect with one another along with their mainstream peers.
The festival will feature on-stage performances by 40 student groups throughout the morning in front of The Music Center’s Walt Disney Concert Hall and will include visual and performing arts workshop – including workshops led by students from local high schools and a display of hundreds of pieces of student artwork based on the festival’s theme, “Connecting Our Stories.”
Students will also enjoy performances by Filipino Cultural Group Kayamanan Ng Lahi, Magician Allen Oshiro, dance lessons and face painting by Los Angeles County High School of the Performing Arts students, stilt walkers, mimes, a disco, a showcase of exotic animals from the Wildlife Learning Center, puppies from Guide Dogs of America and much more.
The festival features student and professional performances on two stages, visual and performing arts workshops, and a student art exhibit created around the theme. Presented in partnership with the Los Angeles Unified School District and the Los Angeles County Office of Education, the Very Special Arts Festival is free and open to all grade levels.
WHEN: Friday, October 20, 2017
9:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
WHERE: The Music Center’s Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 S. Grand Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90012
WHY: The Music Center advocates the benefits of arts education and believes the arts are crucial to the development of every child. Its long-standing Very Special Arts Festival, developed in partnership with LAUSD and the Los Angeles County Office of Education, reaches out across Los Angeles County to give students of all abilities an opportunity to develop and showcase their creative talents. Teachers receive curriculum materials in advance to help them develop and share the most appropriate performances for their students.
Highly visual and emotionally compelling event, featuring students with disabilities of all ages performing in front of an audience of their families, teachers, other students. For many, this is their first performance in a public setting.
