About

Mission Statement

The Debbie Allen Dance Academy (DADA) is a non-profit organization committed to expanding the reach of dance and theater arts for young people in the greater Los Angeles area, and the world, enriching, inspiring and transforming their lives.

The principles of DADA are simple and clear.  Arts education empowers and defines self-esteem, discipline, creativity and self-confidence. This refers to character education, a by-product of training in the arts. These principles will become a part of each student whether they pursue a professional career or not.  This is for LIFE.

History

In 2001, Debbie Allen and Norman Nixon founded The Debbie Allen Dance Academy (DADA) to fill a void for the young people of the Greater Los Angeles Area who had an interest in learning the language of Dance.  Ms. Allen sent her own daughter away to train at the Kirov Ballet at the ripe age of 13 because there was no “Academy” that had the kind of training she needed.  When DADA opened its doors, hundreds of young people and their parents lined up around the corner to enroll.  It took DADA 8 months to get its non-profit status, and so, Debbie Allen and Norman Nixon footed the entire deficit bill for that first year.

This was the beginning.  In 10 years, DADA has become world renowned for its Faculty, for its commitment to furthering the Art of Dance, and for the incredible young artists who have emerged.  If you look at the DADA Alumni, you will find them on Broadway, Film and Television – Choreographing, Dancing, Creating.  You will also see young people who, through the character education of Dance, are excelling in science, technology, and most importantly, in life.