BV Entertainment Newswire May 8

Like Mother, Like Daughter

This year, Black Hollywood power player Debbie Allen is officially passing the torch to her only daughter Vivian Nixon, who is making a splash on Broadway with a debut in the dance-driven musical 'Hot Feet.'

"I'm so happy for Vivian and all that she is still yet to be," Allen told Black Voices. "She's a little flower that's just growing up and blossoming."

Starring as the lead role of Kalimba in the Maurice Hines-conceived production -- an urban re-telling of the Hans Christian Andersen-fable 'The Red Shoes' with the music of legendary R&B band Earth, Wind & Fire, Nixon has garnered high marks from theater critics, industry bigwigs and many patrons.

"It's exciting, it's scary, it's a dream come true. It's just a little bit of everything…I cant even put it into words," the 22-year old classically trained dancer told Black Voices, during a break between shows. "It's what I wanted all my life… to just be on Broadway. It's more than I could ever ask for."

With the agile and graceful Nixon, the apple didn’t fall too far from the tree. She is the middle child to the longtime power couple, Allen and former NBA star, ‘Stormin’ Norm Nixon. Throw in professional training from Washington D.C.'s Kirov Academy of Ballet, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and her mother's own Culver City-based dance school and you have someone who truly epitomizes the term 'hot feet.'

"What gift?" Nixon asked, shrugging off any notion that she's special. "I don’t think it's really gift. I think this is a skill that I'm still honing and constantly working on."

However, her 56-year-old mom --a Houston native who has starred in a number of critically acclaimed Broadway shows (‘Purlie,' 'Raisin,' 'West Side Story,' and 'Sweet Charity) -- recognized early on her "baby girl's” exceptional talents.

"She's grown up understanding that the discipline is the greatest gift to artistry -- the discipline, the focus, the work," Allen added.

While the reported $8 million production of 'Hot Feet' has taken a thrashing from Broadway theater critics, Nixon has shined brightly and generated positive buzz. 'New York Times' critic Charles Isherwood wrote: "Ms. Nixon… is a beautifully proportioned, well-trained dancer with sharp, exciting technique. (The genes came through, spectacularly.) She deserves a far better showcase than Mr. Hines's elaborate but aimless, often punishing routines. The exuberance of her performance is at once exciting, touching and sad: rarely can so much energy have been expended on a Broadway stage to such dubious ends."

Hines, a dancer of some note himself, said Nixon is "absolutely wonderful and as you can see there is nothing she can't do." The multiple Tony Award nominee added: "She's one of the great dancers that I've ever worked with… she's got the magic. You can do everything but if you don't have the magic, you have nothing. She's not only beautiful, but she has that thing that's also elusive. She has her own light."

Allen, who says she's had her fair share of bad reviews, noted that Nixon has seen the good and the bad. "I've choreographed the Oscars for 10 years. I remember when I started and after I did it for a while, it was like 'Well why is she still there?', 'Honey, why are they dancing on the Oscars?'" She continued, "we are the only culture in the world that doesn’t understand that music and dance belong in every celebration, but that’s another conversation.

"You have to understand that reviews are what they are," Allen noted. "These are people's opinions that see a lot of theater, they see a lot of things and they may be predisposed one way or the other. It's hard to second guess anything, but all I know is that in the world of theater, there is the power of the audience makes a show. I was there when 'The Wiz' got terrible reviews, and it went on to win seven Tony Awards. I played Anita in West Side Story and [director] Jerome Robbins told me that when they opened, they had terrible reviews and they are the quintessential musical."

Remaining focused on the work, Nixon isn’t fazed by the hype. She says a lot of her mother's wisdom was instilled in her early on. "It's really amazing what my mother has accomplished and how talented she is,” she said.” It’s extraordinary. I've taken on this role and I have to act a little bit and sing but my mother can do everything! She's phenomenal in everything she does, she's not just mediocre at everything, she's phenomenal! She can do everything and I respect her so much for that."

The mother and daughter bond is very tight with the duo, who also share lineage with another Broadway star-- Tony Award winning actress Phylicia Rashad. But Nixon is quick to note that she is not a recipient of what can be perceived as nepotism. "That’s something that I've dealt with all of my life and almost struggled with a little bit because people always look at me and compare me and think that everything comes so easy for me," she revealed, adding, "but I've worked hard to get here.

"My mother has nudged me in the right direction and encouraged me to do things for myself but it’s been a lot of hard work for me."

Born in Miami, three months premature, Nixon calls her mother her best friend. "She will annoy the crap out of me and she can drive me crazy but she's the closest person to me, and I love her … more than anything."