film by david vera
The Art of Living Forever
Taking noTes wiTh
Debbie allen
In 1980, a groundbreaking musical was released for audiences to experience a
new level of hope, heartache and healing. It depicted youths colliding with life,
struggling with sexuality and most importantly, learning balance in every sense
of the word. This year saw a remake of the performing arts saga that promised to
teach us to fly. Along with the spirit of the original, another essential ingredient
carried over from the classic Fame is the firm-but-elegant Debbie Allen. Irene
Cara’s thematic lyric of “living forever” has never rung truer.
From her childhood, during times of racial segregation, Allen’s love of dance
was plainly visible—so much so that Patricia Yvonne Helen (mother of the late
Patrick Swayze) noticed through the window of her dance studio that a young
Allen stood, entranced with the class. Patricia subsequently invited Allen in and
offered her tutelage. Having since portrayed many varied personas such as the
sweat-collecting instructor Lydia Grant in the first Fame, Allen now demands
even more of her on-screen disciples as Principal Angela Simms.
“The concept of fame in the 1980s and the concept of fame now are very
different,” said Allen. “There are many people who are famous and are not really
talented. They’re just courageous or outrageous or they’re beautiful. Fame back
then was about, ‘What is your real talent?’ ‘How do you inspire people?’ ‘What is
your art?’ Today, fame is very different.”
Unwittingly setting in motion a wildly popular and relatable phenomenon
that spanned multiple media, Allen recalls the feelings involved in filming the
original. “I don’t think any of us had any idea when we did the original movie that
it would become a Broadway show and it would become a television series and
be made again. We knew we were doing something very powerful. We knew we
were doing something that was fresh, that had not been done.”
Certainly some of the 1980 film’s themes formerly considered taboo are now
more commonplace—which could explain a rating of PG for the 2009 film in
contrast to the original’s R-rating. The latest rendering evokes more of a family
film impression.
“I hope that people will be energized, enthused and passionate about this
movie,” expressed, Allen. “I hope they’ll let go of the comparisons and enjoy this
movie for what it is in its rebirth. We don’t have Leroy, we don’t have Coco. But
there are new characters.”
New characters like the jubilant and adorable Paul McGill who plays Kevin, a
prominent gay dancer on the student roster.
With two stints portraying a no-nonsense performing arts educator under her
belt, you’d think Allen would feel right at home back on this particular stage. Well
it looks like she has much more first-hand experience than most realize.
“I run a school in real life, the Debbie Allen Dance Academy,” revealed Allen.
“And when you’re in charge, you have to have a set and a map, a game plan for
every child that walks through that door. And they have to know they have to go
through a system—you have to learn how to balance before you can turn—so it’s
my job in this movie just to let them know that these are the steps you must take
in order to do what we have to offer you. And if you don’t complete those steps, it
won’t work for you here.”
16 RAGE monthly | OctOber 2009
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