Request Fee & Availability

Debbie Allen

Debbie Allen was born in Houston, Texas, to Dr. Andrew Allen and the Pulitzer Prize-nominated poet, Vivian Ayers Allen. As a child, Allen studied dance privately with a former dancer from the Ballet Russes, later dancing with the Ballet Nacional de Mexico. In 1964, Allen became the first black dancer in the Houston Foundation for Ballet. In 1971, Allen graduated from Howard University and relocated to New York City, where she developed her talents as a dancer, actress, and singer. Allen's Broadway experience began in 1971 when she became a member of the chorus in "Purlie." The following year, Allen was the principal dancer in the Universal Dance Experience. By 1973, Allen returned to Broadway for two years to play the role of Beneatha Younger in "Raisin." Allen began receiving critical attention in 1980, when she played Anita in the Broadway revival of "West Side Story," which earned her a Tony Award nomination and a Drama Desk Award. The next year, she made her film debut in “Ragtime” and then appeared in the hit movie “Fame,” which was turned into a television series that Allen choreographed, starred in, and eventually directed and produced. During the 1980s, Allen starred in the television movie, “Women of San Quentin,” in the film “Jo Jo Dancer” and in the Broadway... Next

Back to Search Results