Debbie Allen

On her childhood and early influences; on the influence that TV had upon her at a young age, including The Ed Sullivan Show; on her first professional job as a dancer; on moving to New York; on her Tony nomination for "West Side Story"; on winning a Drama Desk Award

On her education at Howard University; on her first television role on Good Times; on working on children's show, Captain Kangaroo; on being cast as "Nan" in Roots: The Next Generations; on her role in the movie Fame; on the transition to her role on the TV show of the same name; on her character "Lydia Grant" in Fame; on how the TV show version of Fame differed from the film; on the craft of choreography for television, stage and film; on doing the choreography for the TV show, Fame; on the shooting schedule and locations for the show

On a typical week filming Fame; on juggling her various roles on the show; on the dance numbers in Fame each week; on challenging episodes of Fame; on the various talents of the cast of Fame; on the link between the shows Fame and Glee; on how her life changed as Fame became more popular; on restrictions and taboo subjects on Fame; on subjects covered on Fame including the "60's" episode and the homage to Hair

On when she started directing Fame for the episode "Lisa's Ghost"; on being the first African-American woman to direct scripted prime time television; on dealing with discrimination and sexism working as a choreographer and director; on becoming co-executive producer on Fame; on why the show ended; on the impact of the show; on the reality show based on Fame; on her role and impressions of the re-make of the film Fame; on why Fame still resonates with people three decades later; on her influence over arts programs in schools and the creation of performing arts schools around the world

On becoming a producer and director of A Different World; on how she made the show relevant to the times

On the original premise of A Different World; on the changes she made to the show; on why Lisa Bonet left A Different World; on working with Bill Cosby behind-the-scenes on A Different World; on being the first TV show to broach the subject of AIDS; on how television has changed over the years; on obstacles she had to overcome regarding story lines for the show

On approaching serious topics with humor on A Different World; on how the actors responded to the changes on A Different World; on the collaboration she facilitated between the actors and writers; on the groundbreaking nature of A Different World; on research for the show; on the theme song for the show; on how Carsey and Werner responded to the changes implemented on the show

On specific episodes of A Different World that addressed controversial issues; on the guest stars and popular characters on A Different World; on shooting the final episode of A Different World; on the lasting impact of A Different World

On directing episodes of Family Ties, the pilot for The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air, and episodes of Everybody Hates Chris; on Grey's Anatomy; on choreographing the Academy Awards ten times; on her Emmy win for Motown 30, What's Going On? for choreographing "African American Odyssey"; on her work on Amistad; on the popularity of dance shows like Dancing With the Stars and So You Think You Can Dance; on working with her sister Phylicia Rashad on Polly and Old Settler

On advice she would give to someone aspiring to be a director or choreographer; on how she would like to be remembered