Who Is Debbie Allen on ‘Dance Moms’?

Nia, Kalani, Holly and Debbie Allen (far right) on Dance Moms (Lifetime)

In the Dance Moms episode “Dance & Chat,” when Abby Lee Miller gets overwhelmed with her legal woes (she’s facing 20 charges of fraud for not being upfront with the IRS), the dance instructor kicks her students out of the studio. Luckily, a more stable dance instructor named Debbie Allen comes to the rescue. She invites the girls to rehearse in her studio, the Debbie Allen Dance Academy in Los Angeles.

Debbie Allen is a legend in the dance world. The dancer/choreographer is also an actress. She’s best known for her roles on the TV shows Fame (dance teacher Lydia Grant), the mini-series Roots: The Next Generations (Haley’s wife), and more recently Grey’s Anatomy (Catherine Avery). P.S. Allen’s big sister is Phylicia Rashad of The Cosby Show. Dance Moms airs Tuesdays at 8pm on Lifetime.