Music Center Blast to Beat the Doldrums : Family: The venue’s 30th anniversary celebration will serve up four free days of entertainment.

Looking for something to cure the holiday doldrums? Look no further than the Music Center’s 30th anniversary celebration, a free “Festival for Families” with four days of music, dance, storytelling, theater, puppetry and arts workshops, plus performances by the center’s four resident companies.

The jam-packed event, to be held daily from Tuesday to Friday, will take place in the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, on the Music Center Plaza and at the Los Angeles Public Central Library’s KLOS Story Theatre.

Tours of the Music Center, including a sneak peek at the massive, $17.1-million renovation of the new Ahmanson Theatre, will be available to festival-goers as well, according to Music Center President Shelton Stanfill. Robinsons-May, which is underwriting the event, will provide free transportation from several of its stores.

“We want to make sure that the community understands that the Music Center is open to everyone,” Stanfill said. “If we’re doing something that’s free, we want families (to know they can) take advantage of that.” The festival is also, Stanfill added, “a thank you to the general public for its 30 years of support for this institution and its resident companies.”

The roster of performers and artists reflects L.A.’s cultural diversity and represents “the highest level of quality,” said Aaron Paley, president of Community Arts Resources, the locally based organization that helped put the festival together. He added that part of the festival’s intent is to “disprove completely” the “highbrow argument that multiculturalism is an excuse to lower artistic standards.”

“We wanted to give people a sense of inclusivity and welcome them to the Music Center in a way that says all cultures are reflected here,” said Elise Bernhardt, executive director and producer of Dancing in the Street, a New York group that creates site-specific arts events nationally and provided artistic supervision for the festival. “And we wanted to provide a window into various disciplines in a fun way.”

With activities geared to both children and adults, festival-goers will be able to watch performances and participate in arts workshops, including the daily construction of a 34-foot “Winter Dragon” under the direction of artist Michelle Berne.

The program changes daily and repeat visits are encouraged. If the weather turns rainy, all outdoor activities will be moved into the Pavilion.

TUESDAY: “Keeping Time: Rhythms of the World”

11:15 a.m.--Darrell Cox: world percussion instrument workshop, Plaza Workshop Tent.

11:15 a.m.--Martha Stevens: storytelling, Pavilion Green Room.

11:30 a.m.--Color Sound Percussion Trio, Pavilion Grand Hall.

11:45 a.m.--Bobby Matos and Heritage Ensemble: Afro-Latin music, Plaza Fountain Stage.

12:30 p.m.--Fatima Robinson: hip-hop dance workshop, Pavilion Grand Hall.

12:30 p.m.--John Fitzgerald: percussion workshop, Plaza Workshop Tent.

1 p.m.--Ellaraino: storytelling, Pavilion Green Room.

1 p.m., 2 p.m.--Kathleen Zundell: storytelling, Central Library KLOS Story Theatre.

1:15 p.m.--Clarita and the Arte Flamenco Dance Theatre, Plaza Fountain Stage.

1:45 p.m.-- Rose Figueroa: Indian rattle workshop, Plaza Workshop Tent.

2 p.m.--Paulo Mattioli and Charmain Hubbard: African percussion workshop, Pavilion Grand Hall.

2:15 p.m.--The Kiyira Ensemble: East African music, Plaza Fountain Stage.

WEDNESDAY: “Making Rhymes: Raise Your Voice High” 11:15 a.m.--Olga Loya: storytelling, Pavilion Green Room.

11:15 a.m.--Rosalie Ortega: handmade book workshop, Plaza Workshop Tent.

11:30 a.m.--Cornerstone Theatre Company in “Breaking Plates”: Ashby Semple’s play about the building of the Watts Towers, Pavilion Grand Hall.

11:45 a.m.--Los Angeles Master Chorale, Plaza Fountain Stage.

12:30 p.m.--Little Theatre of the Deaf, Pavilion Grand Hall.

12:30 p.m.--The UP Choir: gospel music, Plaza Fountain Stage.

12:30 p.m.--World Stage Word/Music Double Quartet: poetry and music workshop, Plaza Workshop Tent.

1 p.m.--Olga Loya: storytelling, Pavilion Green Room.

1, 2 p.m.--Michael D. McCarty: storytelling, Central Library KLOS Story Theatre.

1:45 p.m.--Marc Bailey Llewellyn and Ann Brown: singing workshop, Pavilion Grand Hall.

1:45 p.m.--Handmade book workshop, Plaza Workshop Tent.

2 p.m.--World Stage Word/Music Double Quartet, Plaza Fountain Stage.

THURSDAY: “Stage Design: Secrets of the Stage” 11:15 a.m.--Rosalie Ortega: set design workshop, Plaza Workshop Tent.

11:15 a.m.--David Prather: storytelling Pavilion Green Room.

11:45 a.m.--The Troyans: “Brown Bag Circus” with Russian clowns, Plaza Fountain Stage.

Noon--Michael Hackett: costuming demonstration, Pavilion Grand Hall.

12:30 p.m.--Ellen Schulze: puppet-making, Plaza Workshop Tent.

1 p.m.-- Will & Company in Homer’s “The Odyssey,” Plaza Fountain Stage.

1 p.m.--Joffrey Ballet: a master class, Pavilion Main Stage.

1 p.m.--L.A. Opera wigmaster and maskmaker Becky Kravetz: stage makeup demonstration, Pavilion Grand Hall.

1 p.m.--We Tell Stories: children’s theater, Pavilion Green Room.

1 p.m.--Bob Baker Marionettes, Central Library KLOS Story Theatre.

1:45 p.m.--Rosalie Ortega: set design workshop, Plaza Workshop Tent.

2 p.m.--Los Angeles Music Center Opera, Pavilion Grand Hall.

2:15 p.m.--Jim Gamble Puppets in “Tales of the Ashanti,” Plaza Fountain Stage.

FRIDAY: “Ritual: Ceremonies and Celebrations” 10:30 a.m.--Joffrey Ballet: master class with Music Center Spotlight Award dance recipients, Pavilion Main Stage.

11:15 a.m.--Gabrielino Indian ceremonial blessing and Aztec dance, Plaza Main Stage.

11:15 a.m.--Milbre Burch: storytelling, Pavilion Green Room.

11:15 a.m.--Mark Mendez: Chumash Indian crafts workshop, Plaza Workshop Tent.

Noon--Kayamanan Ng Lahi: Filipino dance and music, Plaza Fountain Stage.

12:15 p.m.--Brasil Brasil: Capoeira dance demonstration, Pavilion Grand Hall.

12:30 p.m.--David Lara Orozco: assemblage “Dreamcatcher” workshop, Plaza Workshop Tent.

1 p.m.--Korean Classical Music and Dance Company, Plaza Fountain Stage.

1 p.m.--Diane Ferlatte: storytelling, Pavilion Green Groom.

1:30 p.m.--Sweetly Scented Rain: Balinese Gamelan music, Pavilion Grand Hall.

1:45 p.m.--Rosalie Ortega: creating Huichol Indian prayer sticks, Plaza Workshop Tent.

2 p.m.--Ballet Folclorico do Brasil, Plaza Fountain Stage.

2:30 p.m.--Inaugural procession of the completed Winter Dragon, Center Plaza.

* “Festival for Families,” Music Center, 135 N. Grand Ave., and Central Public Library KLOS Story Theatre, 630 W. 5th St., Tuesday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Free. Transportation to the Music Center from Robinsons-May stores provided at 11 a.m. at Crenshaw Plaza, Baldwin Hills, Montebello Town Center, Eagle Rock Plaza, Valencia Town Center and West Covina Plaza. Music Center parking: $6. Information: (213) 972-7595.