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Information about Debbie Allen

Debbie Allen (born Deborrah Kaye Allen on January 16, 1950 in Houston, Texas) is an American actor, choreographer, film director, television producer, and a member of the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities. She is best known for her role as Lydia Grant in the hit television series, Fame.

Allen earned a B.A. degree in classical Greek literature, speech, and theater from Howard University and holds honorary doctorates from both her alma mater and the North Carolina School for the Arts. She currently teaches young dancers at her Debbie Allen Dance Academy. She also taught choreography to former L.A. Laker dancer-turned singer, Paula Abdul. Her daughter, Vivian Nixon, played Kalimba in the Broadway production of Hot Feet.She graduated from Jack Yates Senior high school 1967.

She is the sister of Phylicia Rashād, and is married to former NBA player Norm Nixon.[1] She and Nixon have two children, Vivian (b. 1984) and Norm Jr (b. 1987).

Fame

Allen was first introduced as Lydia Grant in the 1980 movie Fame. Although her role in the film was relatively small, Lydia would become a central figure in the highly popular television adaptation, which ran from 1982 to 1987. During the opening montage of each episode, Ms. Grant told her students: "You've got big dreams? You want fame? Well, fame costs. And right here is where you start paying ... in sweat." Allen was also lead choreographer for the film and television series, winning two Emmy Awards and one Golden Globe Award. She then spun-off the Fame franchise into a reality show in 2003 but it was met only with limited success.

A Different World

In an article from the Museum of Broadcast Communications, the Hollywood Reporter commented on Debbie Allen's impact as the producer-director of the popular television series, A Different World. The show dealt with the life of students at the fictional historically black college, Hillman, and ran for six seasons on NBC.

[Allen], a graduate of historically black Howard University--drew from her college experiences in an effort to accurately reflect in the show the social and political life on black campuses. Moreover, Allen instituted a yearly spring trip to Atlanta where series writers visited two of the nation's leading black colleges, Morehouse and Spelman. During these visits, ideas for several of the episodes emerged from meetings with students and faculty" [1].


Debbie Allen was also selected to debut in the critically acclaimed Roots by Alex Haley where she plays the wife of Alex Haley in this film.

Some of Debbie's Work

Actor

Guest appearances

Choreographer

  • The Academy Awards Show for five consecutive years
  • Carrie, the notorious Broadway Musical (which ran for only 5 performances)
  • Molly Doodle, she played the roll of Molly Doodle, in Mallway

Director

Producer

Writer

  • movmnt magazine, regular columnist since 2006

Honors

In 2001, Debbie Allen was appointed by President George W. Bush as a member of the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities.

Notes

1. ^ BASN's Hometown Hero, by Peter Vecsey; published on Mar 13, 2007

External links

January 16 is the 1st day of the year (2nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 0 days remaining.

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City of Houston

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Nickname: Space City
Location in the state of Texas
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Country United States of America
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Motto
"In God We Trust"   (since 1956)
"E Pluribus Unum"   ("From Many, One"; Latin, traditional)
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actor, actress, or player (see terminology) is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity.
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Choreography (literally "dance-writing", also known as "dance composition"), is the art of making structures in which movement occurs. The term composition may also refer to the navigation or connection of these movement structures.
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film director is a person who directs the making of a film.[1] A film director visualizes the script, controlling a film's artistic and dramatic aspects, while guiding the technical crew and actors in the fulfillment of his or her vision.
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The primary role of a television producer is to coordinate and control all aspects of production, ranging from show idea development and cast hiring to shoot supervision and fact-checking.
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The President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities was established in Washington, DC in 1982 by an Executive Order from President Ronald Reagan. The Committee's role is to identify issues and develop initiatives in the arts and the humanities that the President and Committee
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Fame is an American television series that ran from 1982 to 1987. The show was based on the 1980 motion picture of the same name that tells the stories of the students and faculty at the "New York City High School for the Performing Arts.
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Greek literature refers to those writings autochthonic to the areas of Greeks|Greek]influence, typically though not necessarily in one of the Greek dialects, throughout the whole period in which the Greeks|Greek-speaking peoples have existed.
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Howard University is a university located in Washington, D.C., USA. A historically black university, Howard was established in 1867 by congressional order and named for Oliver O. Howard. Howard University is the number one producer of African American Ph.D.s in the United States.
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Paula Julie Abdul (born June 19, 1962) is an American multi-platinum selling Grammy Award-winning singer, dancer, television personality, jewelry designer, and Emmy Award-winning choreographer.
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Vivian Nixon (born in 1984 in Miami, Florida) is a dancer who recently made her debut on Broadway (theatre) as Kalimba in Hot Feet. She is one of two children of former NBA star Norm Nixon and dancer/choreographer/producer/director/actress Debbie Allen.
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Hot Feet
'

Music Earth, Wind & Fire
Lyrics Earth, Wind & Fire

Based upon The Red Shoes, fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen
Productions 2006 Broadway Hot Feet
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Norman Ellard Nixon (born October 11 1955 in Macon, Georgia, USA) is a retired American professional basketball player for the NBA, who spent ten seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers and the San Diego/Los Angeles Clippers.
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Fame is an American television series that ran from 1982 to 1987. The show was based on the 1980 motion picture of the same name that tells the stories of the students and faculty at the "New York City High School for the Performing Arts.
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Emmy Award

Emmy Award
Awarded for Excellence in television
Presented by ATAS/NATAS
Country  United States
First awarded 1949
“Emmy” redirects here.

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Golden Globe Award

The Golden Globe Award
Awarded for Best in film and television programs
Presented by Hollywood Foreign Press Association
Country  United States
First awarded 1944
Official website
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Fame ran on NBC in the summer of 2003. The show was essentially NBC's attempt to duplicate the success of mega-hit American Idol, right down to their selection of judges.
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A Different World can be:

Television

  • A Different World (TV series), a television sitcom from the 1980s and 1990s

Music

  • A Different World (song), a country song by Bucky Covington from the album Bucky.

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Historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) are institutions of higher education in the United States that were established before 1964 with the intention of serving the African American community. They are often liberal arts colleges or universities.
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National Broadcasting Company

Type Broadcast television network
Country  United States
Availability    United States, also distributed in Canada, Mexico, Bermuda and the Caribbean
Founder David Sarnoff
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Howard University is a university located in Washington, D.C., USA. A historically black university, Howard was established in 1867 by congressional order and named for Oliver O. Howard. Howard University is the number one producer of African American Ph.D.s in the United States.
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Morehouse College is a private, four-year, all-male, historically black liberal arts college in Atlanta, Georgia. The school is largely Christian and of the Baptist denomination, but no official religion is declared by the institution.
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Spelman College is a four-year liberal arts woman's college in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1881 by Harriet E. Giles and Sophia B. Packard, the historically black institution began as the Atlanta Baptist Female Seminary, was renamed Spelman Seminary
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