Debbie Allen and the Debbie Allen Dance Academy (DADA) continue to harness the power of dance to uplift and unite the community.
In January, the Academy honored Martin Luther King Jr. Day by reigniting their transformative initiative, Dancing in the Light: Healing with the Arts. The program extends Dr. King’s legacy of service, justice, and community through the unifying power of dance.
The event supported children and families affected by last year’s devastating wildfires in Los Angeles. Families from Altadena, Pasadena, the Palisades, and beyond were welcomed into a space where everyone—whether seasoned performer or first-time mover—found solace through rhythm and shared experience.
Dancing in the Light: Healing with the Arts was created as a free community program that offers joyful movement to help rebuild and strengthen connections. Each gathering emphasizes the idea that dance and artistic expression can serve as a pathway to emotional recovery—a place where grief, fear, and uncertainty are met with creativity, community, and care.
DADA’s offerings include themed programs, open classes, intensive workshops, and summer camps for dancers of all skill levels. Young dancers may discover their first pirouette, while elders reconnect with a lifelong love of music and dance.
Past events in the series have featured master classes led by internationally renowned choreographers and educators, including Marguerite Derricks, Fatima Robinson, Jason Samuels Smith, JaQuel Knight, Laurieann Gibson, Phil Wright, Timo Nuñez, Jana Tompkins, and the electrifying Syncopated Ladies. These instructors bring expertise usually seen on global stages and iconic screens, offering their artistry to support community healing.
Allen’s legacy in dance and music extends far beyond her award-winning roles in West Side Story and Sweet Charity, or her history-making work on the TV series Fame, which earned her multiple Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Choreography. She also became the first Black woman to win a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy.
The Black Wall Street Times sat down with Allen to discuss the Academy’s expanding work and how these programs go beyond training dancers—they are about building resilient, creative communities.
The Black Wall Street Times: Dancing in the Light: Healing with the Arts emerged in response to the devastation of the Los Angeles wildfires. What inspired you to use dance and the arts as tools for community healing during that time?
Debbie Allen: When last year’s wildfires devastated Los Angeles, we saw a lot of loss, but there was also so much hope, and we watched as the community came together for healing and help. I wanted to add to the community that means so much to me by providing them with space to breathe, to feel, and to reconnect with themselves and one another. Dance has always been a language of survival for our people. It holds grief, joy, memory, and resilience all at once. I didn’t want to create something that asked people to explain their pain, but rather to invite them to move through it. Dancing in the Light was born from that instinct, to offer the arts as a place of refuge where healing could begin without words.
You’ve described the arts as “transformative strength.” What does healing through movement look like to you, both personally and collectively?
DA: Healing through movement is about remembering who you are in your body. Personally, movement has always been how I process life. It is how I ground myself, release, and connect. Collectively, healing through movement looks like people standing side by side, moving in rhythm, breathing together, and realizing they are not alone. There is strength in that openness and shared experience. When we move together, we soften, we listen, and we rebuild trust, not just in each other, but in ourselves.
This year, the program honored Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day this year. How does Dr. King’s legacy of unity and resilience influence the vision behind this initiative?
DA: Dr. King understood the connection between justice and humanity, and that community is built through shared responsibility and shared care. His work reminds us that healing is not passive. It is an active commitment to one another. When a person heals, they are also healing their community. When the community heals together, expansion and meaningful growth are made possible. Dancing in the Light reflects that belief. It is about unity, dignity, and collective restoration. Dr. King believed in meeting people where they are, and that is what the initiative does. It opens the doors, removes barriers, and invites people into a space where they are seen, valued, and supported through creativity.
The event showcases dance styles rooted in the African diaspora. Why was it important for you to ground this healing journey in those traditions?
DA: The African diaspora carries ancestral knowledge in the body. These forms of dance aren’t only about performance, but are also about survival, communication, ceremony, and resistance. They have always been tools for healing, and we should continue to incorporate them today. Grounding this healing journey in those traditions honors where we come from and reminds us that healing isn’t something that’s new to us; it’s passed generationally. These traditions allow us to reconnect through history and rhythm.
You’ve brought together extraordinary artists — dancers, visual artists, and educators. How do you curate these collaborations so that each element—movement, live art, conversation—speaks to the broader theme of healing?
DA: They come from the heart and from the lived experiences of each artist. I work with artists who understand that their art is more beautiful; it’s about service. Everyone DADA has worked with on this effortlessly weaves intention into their work. Movement, visual art, and conversation are different languages that say the same thing in different ways. You are allowed to feel, to express, and to heal. When you marry them, they become a beautiful, holistic experience. Each element supports the other.
“Conversations in Clay,” featuring artist Chukes, adds a visual arts dimension to the event. How do you see movement and sculpture intertwining as languages of expression and restoration?
DA: Movement and sculpture are both about shaping experience and providing the artist’s interpretation through their work. Dance shapes energy in space. Sculpture shapes emotion in form. What Chukes does is incredibly powerful because he makes the healing process visible.
One of your ongoing missions with DADA has been to expand access to world-class arts education in historically underserved communities. How has Dancing in the Light evolved that mission?
DA: Dancing in the Light takes DADA’s mission beyond the classroom and into the community. It says that world-class art is not exclusive. It is a right. Healing should never be limited by access.
You’ve built generations of dancers and storytellers through the Debbie Allen Dance Academy. When you look at today’s cultural and social climate, what role do you believe art—and dance in particular—plays in rebuilding communities and spirits?
DA: Art is how we remember our humanity. In times of division, uncertainty, and mental fatigue, dance brings us back to the body. The body tells the truth about what we feel and what we need. Dance restores connection and reminds us that joy isn’t useless, but necessary. When communities can move, create, and dream together again, they can heal. That has always been the work.
Anything else you’d like to share about DADA and how one may get involved?
DA: Each year, more than 15,000 community members benefit from DADA’s outreach, including therapeutic programs, support for displaced families, and arts education in underserved schools. This work continues thanks to the steadfast support of partners such as the Rhimes Foundation, the Annenberg Foundation, United Way, and the Perenchio Foundation. Dancing in the Light is a continuation of DADA’s ongoing commitment to creating spaces where art, healing, and community can continue to meet throughout the year. While this installment has passed, its message remains strong in future installments and other programming we’re excited to share in the months ahead. One such moment that reflects this commitment is Reach for the Stars: The Art of Basketball’s Golden Era, a photography exhibit opening February 15 at the Rhimes Performing Arts Center. The exhibit celebrates culture, history and storytelling through rare images that capture a pivotal era in sports and Black cultural life, with proceeds benefiting the scholarship and outreach programs of the Debbie Allen Dance Academy. For more information, please visit Debbieallendanceacademy.com/shop-art.
