Each year, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors sponsors a free holiday-themed show for the people of Los Angeles. Every December 24 since 1959, the free ANNUAL L.A. COUNTY HOLIDAY CELEBRATION has delighted audiences. The first annual celebration, then called the Christmas program, took place in the Los Angeles Sports Arena – the event the brainchild of the late Kenneth Hahn, Supervisor of the Second Los Angeles County district from 1952 to 1992. When Dorothy “Buffy” Chandler came to him seeking his support for the proposed Music Center, he told her that he would support it only if he could be sure that The Music Center would be open free to the residents of the county for at least one day each year. Since it was opened in 1964, the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion of The Music Center has hosted the ANNUAL L.A. COUNTY HOLIDAY CELEBRATION.
The celebration began as a 12-hour event which was gradually whittled down to a three-hour live event which is also live-streamed on public television. Over 500 Los Angeles performers demonstrate their considerable talents in this nonstop show. A new producing team from Milktmade and Executive Producer Lindha Narvaez will embrace the evolution of the 2025 annual show with a fresh approach including new artistic genres – experiences like a circus act and a marionette performance, as well as performances by dance companies, music ensembles, and choral groups – for a total of 28 performances in three hours. This year’s performers will showcase holiday traditions, colorful costumes, and global sounds from China, Korea, India, Brazil, Peru, Cuba, pan-Africa, Mexico, Germany, Hawaii, and many more.
This year, advance tickets will be required for entrance. Tickets are available online. Doors will open at 2:30 p.m., and there will be a standby line for anyone interested in attending but who may not have a ticket (without a ticket, entrance is not guaranteed). Ticket holders arriving after 3:30 p.m. will relinquish their reserved seats and be directed to the standby line. Parking is free at the Music Center.
Las Colibri brings Mariachi to everyone – Photo courtesy of Las Colibri
To get ready for the holiday extravaganza, leaders of two of the groups represented agreed to interview on 12/12/24. Susie Garcia, founder of the all-female mariachi group Las Colibri, had some fascinating information about the history and plans for the group.
TELL US ABOUT LAS COLIBRI AND HOW IT GOT STARTED.
SUSIE GARCIA: I founded the group in 2009. This year we’re have our 15-year anniversary, our Quinceanera, and celebrated at the John Anson Ford Theater, where I produce an annual show called “Viva La Tradicion.” We’re an all-female all-string mariachi group. We want to maintain the mariachi tradition and preserve the traditional sound from when mariachis first played for weddings and all sorts of events in the late nineteenth century. We want to take mariachi to the highest level we can, and we feel that women deserve a place on every stage. Even though we have personal and family obligations in our lives, we’re willing to make the commitment to play and share our cultural and bilingual heritage.
WHAT MADE YOU AN ADVOCATE FOR MARIACHI MUSIC?
SG: From the age of 12, I was playing mariachi in L.A. My parents were mariachi fans, and they got me a female teacher. Back then, women usually didn’t play mariachi. In 1994, I tried out for L.A.’s first all-female mariachi band, Reyna de Los Angeles; but I was only 14 and didn’t make it. In 1999, I helped form Mariachi Divas and became an original member. I was there for ten years when I decided to start my own group, Las Colibri. I wanted to do something different. For example, Las Colibri is only strings; I felt that strings and voices were enough for the genre. Also, I wanted the attire to be more feminine so that we looked like women. Now each member has an outfit in her own color to individualize her from the others in the group. I believe that it’s important to play on big stages and venues to spread our oral tradition. We support ourselves by what we earn playing for others, and we’re very busy. Everybody in Latin America loves mariachi music, and its part of Los Angeles culture. I see us as culture bearers. I’m really proud that a lot of educated people in the group find the time for this commitment to play music. We have some full-time musicians, but we also have teachers, police officers, and other professionals.
WHAT BROUGHT YOU TO THE ANNUAL L.A. COUNTY HOLIDAY CELEBRATION?
SG: This will be the fourth time that we are performing at the holiday show. I believe that our performers represent L.A. and demonstrate that we are part of a special community. We played at the opening of Grand Park; and, since then, we have been part of the Music Center family. Shows like the L.A. County Annual Holiday Celebration are especially important because the world sees us on PBS. At the holiday show, our band will consist of eight members, each with a passion for mariachi music. We plan to do a Christmas medley of traditional holiday music because we want to play what people are used to hearing around Christmas. That’s part of our tradition.
By the way, I love doing the Annual L.A. County Holiday Celebration because we get to see each other on Christmas Eve. We have some time to give each other a hug before we go our separate ways to celebrate with our families.
WHAT ARE YOUR FUTURE PLANS?
SG: I want to continue to play big stages. In October, we played with the L.A. Phil. We want to keep representing our community and bringing oral tradition to everyone. We’ll keep working a lot, including educationally, where we bring mariachi traditions to the schools and younger generation. It’s part of cultural relevance in the schools. I also have a group called Colibri Entertainment and produce shows. I had the opportunity to do a commissioned show at the Ebell Theater this year. Most of all, I want to share my passion for mariachi music with the world.
Bringing Mariachi to the audience – Photo courtesy of Las Colibri
The Kim Eung Hwa and Korean Dance Company will be performing in 2024. Experienced dancer and Academy instructor Angela An shared some absorbing information about the group.
TELL US ABOUT THE KIM EUNG HWA AND KOREAN DANCE ACADEMY AND HOW IT GOT STARTED.
ANGELA AN: This is a traditional Korean dance company that also teaches traditional Korean instruments to students. Kim Eung Hwa founded the Academy in 1989 and has spent 44 years teaching Korean Dance and instruments to second-generation Korean-Americans. Kim was born in Korea and studied Korean dance from the age of four. She toured globally and, in her twenties, came to the U.S., where she discovered that Americans were interested in learning Korean culture and arts. At first, she had classes; but later she opened a studio in 1980. The goal of the Company is to preserve Korean heritage and culture through Korean dance and using traditional instruments like drums and gayageum. Besides dance, we also teach Korean culture, including traditional values, mannerisms, styles of relating to others – and we also reach out to people without a Korean background in the hope that we can share our culture with the local community and spread awareness about our heritage.
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE TRADITIONAL VALUES THAT STUDENTS LEARN?
AA: The way people relate to each other is in every aspect of Korean culture and arts. For example, we teach that people must respect their elders. They should call them by their title, even if they are only one year older. It’s a pretty formal system. There are five levels of speech formality helping people learn how to address elders or others in formal settings. To be humble and modest while respecting those around you, especially ones older in age, is a traditional value in Korean culture. In Korean dance, this idea might be coupled with bodily gestures like bowing in submission, lowering your gaze, and generally behaving in a humble manner. The Korean flag has a taeguk circle in the middle that is created by combining two yin-yang halves. The fluid and circular movements often found in Korean dance resemble the taeguk mark and the shape of the halves. Director Kim often teaches us to focus on the center of the body and the being. A lot of energy and balance in Korean dance and drumming stem from the core, while maintaining a circular, controlled rhythm throughout the movements.
WHAT BROUGHT YOU TO THE ANNUAL L.A. COUNTY HOLIDAY CELEBRATION?
AA: We did the Annual L.A. County Holiday Celebration four times before the pandemic. This is the first time that we’re performing at the Music Center since then. We want to share traditional Korean culture at a community-based event that includes a diverse population. We want to join in the Big Celebration. The holiday celebration gives us the chance to spread the word about our culture and art forms.
This year, we’re going to do something a little different. We plan to focus on our instruments, namely our different drum pieces. We call this piece “The Sound of Drums,” which is an ensemble of different traditional Korean drums and uniquely seen at our Academy. There will be the JANGGO, an hourglass-shaped hollow drum with a leather face on each side. The janggo is capable of producing a variation of high and low-pitched hits – almost contributing melodic sounds to the ensemble. By tightening the drum straps, you can enhance the high-pitched right side and low-pitch the left side. Then there’s the BUK, more like a standard drum, which sits on a stand and is hit on one side with two wooden sticks. It has a lower sound than the janggo and can be played simultaneously or back and forth while standing. Finally, there’s the DAE BUK, which is a large cylindrical drum that makes the biggest and deepest sound. It is used in rituals and ceremonies; it’s like a war-beating sound. Culturally, the drum sounds are meant to create a space to ward off bad energy and empty the space to invite positive energy, such as prosperity, harmony, and peace. When Koreans celebrate the New Year – called SEOL-NAL – and other big celebrations, you might see cultural performances that incorporate the drums. Our Sound of Drums is a celebratory performance that is symbolic of “warding off the bad and inviting the good.” Through this drum ensemble, we hope to share this experience with the audience so they can positively end 2024 and start afresh in the New Year.
WHAT ARE YOUR FUTURE PLANS?
AA: We hope that we can continue to play at the Annual L.A. County Holiday Celebration so that we can share our culture and art forms with everyone. Our Academy is open to sharing and teaching all people who are interested in learning about Korean dance and culture, even if they are not Koreans or Korean-Americans. With over 44 years of studio directing and almost 65 years of dance experience, our founder Kim Eung Hwa is still very active and continuously strives to grow and diversify the Academy.
The 65th Annual Los Angeles County Holiday Celebration performs on 12/24/24 from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. The Dorothy Chandler Pavilion is located in the Music Center, 135 N. Grand Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90012. Admission and parking are FREE, but require advanced tickets which are available online. For information and in-person reservations, call 213-972-3099 or go online.
A live broadcast of the show airs on PBS SoCal on Tuesday 12/24/24 from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. with an encore on PBS SoCal Plus on Wednesday, 12/25/24 from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. Live streaming is also available online.
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