( ENSPIRE Entertainment ) Uncensored Docu-Series Shows Debbie Allen’s Life as a Director, Choreographer, and Dancer
ENSPIRE Contributor: Taylor Groft
TV One’s edgy docu-series UNCENSORED, which explores the private lives of some of today’s most notable personalities, highlights legendary actress and director Debbie Allen this Sunday, October 4 at 10 P.M. ET/9C followed by an encore presentation at 11 P.M. ET/10C. The episode will re-air on Wednesday, October 7 at 10 PM/9C. In this episode of UNCENSORED, Debbie Allen talks about her first big break as a dancer, choreographer, and director, her relationship with older sister, Phylicia Rashad, and the compelling reason why she has dedicated her life to teaching dance and the arts to youth from across the world.
Born in Houston, Texas to Vivan Ayers and Andrew Allen, Deborah Kaye Allen is the youngest of three kids. Her mom was a poet and art director, while her father was the town’s best orthodontist. After her parents split, her mom moved her and her siblings to Mexico to escape the blatant racism they experienced in Texas. Even though they thrived in Mexico, they missed home and mostly their dad. Upon returning to Texas, Debbie completed high school and attended Howard University, graduating cum laude. She then moved to New York to pursue acting and was cast in the musical Raisin. Branching into film and television, she landed the role of dance instructor in Fame, gaining three Emmy awards. Throughout her career, Debbie has held many leadership roles on many productions, such as A Different World, Amistad, All of Us, and Girlfriends. Currently, Debbie is still working various roles in entertainment, while running a very successful dance school, Debbie Allen Dance Academy. Inspired by her daughter, she started the school to motivate other kids and give them the opportunity she didn’t have as a child.
The auto-biographical series delves into the lives of luminaries as they reveal secrets to their success, obstacles they faced, and how they’ve navigated the perils of social media that helped – and sometimes haunted – their careers. This season continues with actor Omari Hardwick and actress/singer Jenifer Lewis. This season also includes five bonus episodes including UNCENSORED: Black Girl Magic, UNCENSORED: Scandals, UNCENSORED: Hip-Hop, UNCENSORED: Black Hollywood, and UNCENSORED: Big Break. Each week viewers get a glimpse into the lives of high-profile celebrities as they reveal their stories—in their own words.
“We’re excited for the return and talent line-up for this season of Uncensored, which is one of the network’s top-rated series,” said Executive Producer in Charge of Production Jason Ryan. “Viewers will get to experience the intimate revelations of some of their favorite celebrities.”
TV One will also launch a weekly digital series, Bossip Uncensored, featuring informative and humorous commentary from Danielle Canada and Janeé Bolden, two voices behind the popular Bossip.com headlines. Each Thursday, the hosts discuss the featured celebrity and provide sneak previews of the upcoming UNCENSORED episode. Each pre-show will be available on TV One’s YouTube channel.
UNCENSORED is produced for TV One by Eric Tomosunas (Executive Producer), Keith Neal (Executive Producer), Jay Allen (Co-Executive Producer) Paul Hall (Showrunner), and James Seppelfrick of Swirl Films. For TV One, Jason Ryan is Executive Producer in Charge of Production; Donyell Kennedy-McCullough is Senior Director of Talent & Casting; and Robyn Greene Arrington is Vice President of Original Programming and Production.For more information on UNCENSORED, visit TV One’s YouTube Channel and check out exclusive, behind-the-scenes content on www.tvone.tv. Viewers can also join the conversations by connecting via social media on TV One’s Twitter, Instagram and Facebook (@tvonetv) and the UNCENSORED Facebook and Instagram (@UncensoredTVOne) using the hashtag #UNCENSORED.
