Westport Library Announces Honoree For 27th 'BOOKED For The Evening' Event

WESTPORT, CT — The Westport Library will honor Debbie Allen at the 27th edition of its BOOKED for the evening fundraising event on Oct. 28 in the Library’s Trefz Forum.

Allen is an Emmy Award-winning director, choreographer, producer, actress, educator and United States Cultural Ambassador of Dance. She will be recognized during the event.

Tickets will go on sale to the public Aug. 18 at 10 a.m. Sponsorship opportunities are available through the event page or by contacting Development Director Robin Powell.

"Debbie Allen has done something rare. She hasn't just excelled across disciplines — she has used every one of them in service of something larger," said Bill Harmer, the Library’s executive director. "Throughout her career, she has consistently asked what art can do for a community and for a culture. We couldn’t be more delighted to honor her and welcome her to the vibrant arts community of Westport."

BOOKED for the evening annually honors an individual whose work reflects the Library’s mission of nurturing a love of learning and enhancing understanding of the world.

Previous honorees have included Sarah Jessica Parker, Billie Jean King, Tom Brokaw, E.L. Doctorow, Calvin Trillin, Wendy Wasserstein, Pete Hamill, Martin Scorsese, Arthur Mitchell, Doris Kearns Goodwin, David Halberstam, Oscar Hijuelos, Adam Gopnik, Will Shortz, Patti Smith, Barry Levinson, Jon Meacham, Nile Rodgers, Lynsey Addario, Ron Chernow, Alan Alda, Justin Paul, Frederic Chiu, Itzhak Perlman, Shonda Rhimes and Laura Linney.

Allen is known for her role as dance instructor Lydia Grant in the 1982 television series "Fame," where she also served as principal choreographer.

Her honors include three Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe, five NAACP Image Awards, a Drama Desk Award, the first Astaire Award for Best Dancer, four honorary doctorates and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Allen has choreographed the Academy Awards 10 times and has directed and produced episodes of television series including "Grey’s Anatomy," "Scandal," "How to Get Away with Murder," "Empire," "Insecure," "Jane the Virgin" and "A Different World." She also served as a creative force behind Steven Spielberg’s Oscar-nominated film "Amistad."

President George W. Bush appointed Allen as a United States Cultural Ambassador of Dance. She has also spent more than 15 years as an artist-in-residence at the Kennedy Center, where she has written and directed productions including "Pepito’s Story," "Brothers of the Knight," "Dreams," "Alex in Wonderland" and "Freeze Frame... Stop the Madness."

In 2001, Allen and her husband, former NBA All-Star Norman Nixon, founded the nonprofit Debbie Allen Dance Academy in Los Angeles. The academy provides arts training for young people. Her work with young artists is also the subject of the Netflix documentary “Dance Dreams: Hot Chocolate Nutcracker.”