Beginning March 12, 2025, Fifth Graders from More Than 170 L.A. County Schools Will Converge in Downtown L.A. Over Three Days to Watch a Professional Dance Performance and Embrace Unique Opportunity to Perform All Together at L.A.’s Performing Arts Center
LOS ANGELES (February 5, 2025) – Over three days, from March 12–14, 2025, The Music Center will be the ultimate destination for more than 13,500 local fifth grade students eager to visit L.A.’s performing arts center to participate in the 55th annual Blue Ribbon Children’s Festival. Their life-changing adventure will begin inside The Music Center’s iconic Dorothy Chandler Pavilion with a thrilling performance by a professional dance company followed by the students themselves participating in a choreographed dance routine. Many of these young guests will be experiencing a live performing arts event for the first time.
"Now is the time to share the wonder that dance brings to the young people of Los Angeles County. After the devastation of the wildfires, Angelenos of all ages are seeking opportunities for joy and a sense of community. These performances provide that," said Rachel S. Moore, president and CEO of The Music Center. "For 55 years, The Blue Ribbon Children’s Festival has inspired hundreds of thousands of children in Los Angeles. We hope the lives of our young guests will be uplifted by these beautiful and inspiring artists and that they will experience joy, solace and connection at L.A.’s performing arts center, especially during these trying times."
On each day of the three-day festival, approximately 4,500 fifth grade students will attend a performance by New York-based Parsons Dance, one of the world’s premier contemporary dance companies, in The Music Center’s Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. The dance troupe, whose dynamic fusion of styles combine athleticism, grace and unparalleled innovation, will perform four works: Nascimento (1990), The Road (2021), The Rare Walk (2019) and Mr. Withers (2023). Following Parsons Dance’s live performance, the students will have the exciting opportunity to dance a short choreography all together on Jerry Moss Plaza at The Music Center. The dance was created especially for them by Music Center Teaching Artist Tara Cook Davis and inspired by the dance company’s music and choreography. Each student also will receive a copy of the book My Journey Through The Music Center, which introduces them to The Music Center‘s four theatres and the performing arts presented in each venue. The 26-page illustrated book, made possible by a generous $1 million gift from Blue Ribbon member Maxine Dunitz to ensure all participating students receive a copy in perpetuity, also includes profiles of performers and behind-the-scenes staff, selected vocabulary used in the performing arts and fun facts about The Music Center.
"We are thrilled to bring the performing arts to local fifth grade students for the 55th year! The Blue Ribbon Children’s Festival welcomes our local students to come experience the exhilaration of a live performance and explore their own artistry," said Mary Ann Hunt-Jacobsen, president of The Blue Ribbon. "Many of our young guests have been through a lot this year. We hope they discover how comforting and life-enriching the performing arts can be in their lives and their communities—the magic of The Music Center is incredible!"
Debuting in 1970, The Blue Ribbon Children’s Festival is California’s longest-continuing free arts learning initiative. It is spearheaded by The Blue Ribbon, the premier women's support organization of The Music Center whose members champion the performing arts and are committed to arts education, volunteerism and financial support for L.A.’s only performing arts destination. For more information about The Blue Ribbon Children’s Festival, visit musiccenter.org/brcf.
ABOUT THE MUSIC CENTER
The Music Center convenes artists, communities and ideas with the goal of deepening the cultural lives of every resident in Los Angeles County. The $80 million non-profit performing arts organization has two divisions: TMC Arts and TMC Ops. TMC Arts, The Music Center’s programming engine, provides year-round programming inside The Music Center’s four theatres, on Jerry Moss Plaza, outside at Gloria Molina Grand Park—a 12-acre adjacent green space—in schools and other locations all over Los Angeles County. TMC Arts presents world-class dance with Glorya Kaufman Presents Dance at The Music Center, free and low-cost public concerts and events, live and digital K–12 arts education programs, workshops, performances, interactive experiences and special events. TMC Ops manages the theatres, the Plaza and Gloria Molina Grand Park, which comprise $3 billion in county assets, on behalf of the County of Los Angeles. The Music Center is also home to four renowned resident companies—Center Theatre Group, Los Angeles Master Chorale, LA Opera and LA Phil. For more information, visit musiccenter.org. Follow The Music Center on social media @MusicCenterLA.
ABOUT THE BLUE RIBBON
For over 55 years, The Blue Ribbon remains the premier women’s support organization for The Music Center. The Blue Ribbon enriches the lives of the greater Los Angeles community through its commitment to arts education, volunteerism and financial support for The Music Center and its resident companies. Created in 1968 by Dorothy Buffum Chandler to raise funds for The Music Center, its education programs and its resident companies, The Blue Ribbon has contributed more than $81 million as part of its commitment to uphold artistic excellence in programming on The Music Center’s stages and arts education for youth. For more information, visit musiccenter.org/BlueRibbon and follow The Blue Ribbon on Facebook and X (@BlueRibbonMCLA).
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