Norm Nixon Opens Up About Running The Debbie Allen Dance Academy During The Pandemic

This article is sponsored by Wells Fargo.

As its Chief Financial Officer and Co-Founder, Norm Nixon recently opened up about what shifts the Debbie Allen Dance Academy — based in Los Angeles — has made amidst the COVID-19 pandemic in order to continue serving its students and community on a more global scale.

Highlighted this month in Madame Noire’s “Small, but Mighty” series, which amplifies Black business-owners, Nixon emphasized that the Debbie Allen Dance Academy, also known as DADA, is an important and foundational staple in the dance industry. Regardless of a student’s financial standing, “it’s a spot where all those kids can come and have an opportunity to train with some of the best masters in the world.”

As a two-time all-star NBA player and the husband of Debbie Allen, Nixon shared that the inspiration for the academy came from Allen’s inability to take formal dance classes as a Black student growing up in the segregated South.

“Debbie always talked about [how] at some point she wanted to create an academy where all kids are welcome — regardless of economic background, ethnicity, social standings,” Nixon noted. “She wanted a place for kids to dance if they wanted to dance.”

Having its doors open for over two decades, the former NBA player said the strategies implemented at DADA to keep them remaining successful include being a team player, listening to their employees, and listening to their customers. “It’s not about you, it’s about your team — you take care of them. And I think when you have a team that works together, that supports each other, that’s the first part of being successful.”

Another element that’s proven to be particularly important is being adaptable. When the pandemic hit, Nixon said it was crucial that the DADA team figured out a way to continue doing business after they had to stop their in-person training.

“At that particular time we shifted to virtual,” he noted. “Once we went virtual, we had kids from all over the world coming to these same classes. I always said in the middle of adversity there’s always a piece of light you can find.”

Regardless of where the students are based, he sincerely shared that the academy’s success “is measured by the participation we get not only from the kids, but the community and the families that have children in the academy.”