Youth at the Greek to Showcase Performers

The Los Angeles Unified School District Honor Marching Band and about 300 other student musicians, actors and dancers will perform at the fourth annual Youth at the Greek music festival Wednesday at the Greek Theatre.

Valley performers include Chatsworth elementary student Julian Yhee, 10, on the violin; Agoura Hills tap-dancing sisters Ashley, 13, and Rebecca Feinsinger, 10; Pacoima’s Stephanie Zuniga, 14, doing a modern jazz dance solo; Northridge’s jazz dance ensemble Kid Power and the tap-dancing pair of Emily Jones, 8, and 7-year-old Oscar Duran of Canoga Park Lutheran School doing a rendition of “Grease.”

In all, 20 acts will be presented, featuring students from kindergarten to high school.

According to Marilyn Bush, festival chairwoman, judges agonized over selecting the finalists from 215 group and solo applications.

Organizers expect the event to draw a near sellout crowd of 5,000 parents, students and fine-arts enthusiasts.

Youth at the Greek was created in 1992 after the Los Angeles riots in an effort to bring children together citywide to promote healing and unification.

According to Bush, children in the audience get as much out of the event as do the performers.

“The real importance of the experience,” she said, “is the appreciation the children have for not only their own ethnic or racial group, but for others . . . and hopefully treating each other differently afterward as they go about their lives. That’s what this is all about.”

Wednesday’s event will run from 7:30 to 10 p.m. at the Greek Theatre, 2700 N. Vermont Ave., in Griffith Park. Tickets are $8.

For more information, call (213) 480-3232.