LOS ANGELES - A free, six-hour holiday spectacular of music, song and dance unfolds on the stage of the beautiful Dorothy Chandler Pavilion of the Music Center Monday, December 24 from 3:00 to 9:00 p.m. It's the 48th Annual L.A. County Holiday Celebration, L.A. County's biggest holiday show featuring more than 40 musical ensembles, choirs, and dance companies, about 1,200 performers in all, expressing the joy of the season.

This year's hosts include Sheryl Lee Ralph (original Broadway cast of Dreamgirls, To Sleep with Anger), Fred Willard (FOX's new comedy series Back to You and the films For Your Consideration, Best in Show); two members of the comedy group Culture Clash, Richard Montoya and Herbert Siguenza; two cast members from The Closer, Michael Paul Chan and Raymond Cruz; and actor Gedde Watanabe.

The Holiday Celebration, which reflects the rich mosaic of cultures found in Southern California, is L.A. County's yearly gift to Los Angeles. Admission is FREE, as is the parking under the Music Center. Reservations for tickets to the show or parking are not necessary. Doors open at 2:30 p.m. Patrons may come and go throughout the six hour performance. People waiting in line to get in can see the show on the Jumbotron on the Music Center Plaza.

Dance companies performing this year include LA Contemporary Dance Company, directed by Kate Hutter, premiering "Nighlight," a dance about snow angels set to music by the Icelandic band Sigur Ros. Other dance companies are Clear Cosmo Art Studio, performing "The Omnipresent Buddha's Light" that uses ttraditional Chinese hand gestures and symbolic Chinese costumes to portray the compassion of Buddha; Grandeza Mexicana Folk Ballet Company's youth dance academy, performing Mexican folklorico dances from Guerrero, Mexico; Grupo Folklorico Sabor de Mexico performing "El Rumbero", a festive dance with fast moving footwork and colorful native costumes inspired by the four regions of dance in Guerrero, Mexico; JazzAntiqua Dance & Music Ensemble, performing an original jazz-ballet "Christmas is Coming" from seasonal classic "A Charlie Brown's Christmas"; Jung Im Lee Korean Dance Academy performing the "Korean Symphony of Drum" where dancers' movements and drum "become one" building to a passionate crescendo; Kultura Philippine Folk Arts with a lively and spirited dance medley of "Dance of Lights" (Pandanggo sa llaw) and a bamboo dance "Tinikling"); Mandarin Orange Performing Art, combining the dance styles of traditional Chinese water sleeve technique with the utterly opposite South American Tango in "Mandarin Tango"; and Showtime Katusha, a youth ensemble offering a dance inspired by Russian nesting dolls.

Complete program information is available at www.holidaycelebration.org and 213-972-3099. Those who can't make it to the Music Center can watch the live broadcast of Holiday Celebration on KCET.

The Arts Commission also produces "L.A. Holiday Celebration," an one-hour television music and dance special highlighting the best performances from the previous year's live show. This national special will be carried by PBS stations across the country, including KCET, on Monday, December 10, 2007 at 10 p.m. (check local listings and find out more about the program at www.pbs.org/holidaycelebration). The national program will also be broadcast on the Jumbotron on the Music Center Plaza prior to the start of the live performance.

Photo © & courtesy of Los Angeles County Arts Commission

Photo © & courtesy of Ed Krieger

Photo © & courtesy of Henry Han

Photo © & courtesy of Los Angeles County Arts Commission

Photo © & courtesy of Ed Krieger