Performer and choreographer (and Grey’s Anatomy recurring star, director, and executive producer) Debbie Allen will teach a free dance class March 18 through her Instagram (@officialdadance). Tune in at 4PM ET.
Allen may be best known for her portrayal of dance teacher Lydia Grant in the original Fame TV series from the ’80s. She earned three Golden Globe nominations in total for her work on Fame, though she won right out of the gate with her first nomination in 1983.
She made her Broadway debut in 1970’s Purlie as a replacement dancer before starring as Beneatha in Raisin, the musical adaptation of A Raisin in the Sun. Next, she appeared in Truckload and then Ain’t Misbehavin’ before starring as Anita in the 1980 revival of West Side Story, for which she earned her first Tony nomination and won the Drama Desk Award. She played the title role in the 1986 revival of Sweet Charity, earning her a second Tony nomination. (Fosse/Verdon fans may remember a young Debbie Allen, played by Kelcy Griffin, learning from Michelle Williams’ Gwen Verdon.) She returned to Broadway as a choreographer, staging Carrie, before making her Broadway directorial debut with 2008’s Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, starring James Early Jones, Terrence Howard, and her sister Phylicia Rashad.
Allen is a 14-time Emmy nominee, having won three for Outstanding Achievement in Choreography (Fame, Motown 30: What’s Goin’ On). Her star was placed on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1991.
Though her most recent performances have been on screen (Grey’s Anatomy, Grace and Frankie), Allen remains the leader of the famous Debbie Allen Dance Academy, a non-profit dance school teaching students ages four and up. She continues to be a champion for causes like World AIDS Day and has been working on the new show FREEZE FRAME, which she wrote, directed, and choreographed.
