Watch 51 Black Dancers Slay Hard With Debbie Allen at White House Performance

By Clover Hope  |  February 9, 2016 | 8:20pm
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First Lady and lover of dance Michelle Obama invited the legend Debbie Allen and a phenomenal group of 51 black dancers to perform at the White House for Black History Month.

The event assembled a variety of black dance troupes who—remarkably—learned and rehearsed their respective routines that same day, in classes taught by Debbie Allen (African dance), choreographer Fatima Robinson (hip-hop) and an Alvin Ailey teacher (ballet). You can watch the African dance segment in the clip above.

In a touching intro, FLOTUS gives a “special shout-out” to the dancers while talking about her own relationship with dance and the significance of the Alvin Ailey school. “Today is a very special day at the White House and it’s pretty special for me, personally, because I absolutely love dance,” says Obama. “I think it’s probably my favorite art form.”

FLOTUS added, “As you know, I never pass up the opportunity to show some moves now and then.”

Debbie Allen (who teased the event on Instagram) not only introduced the dancers (while wearing the best pair of voluminous parachute pants on Earth) but also participated and led the dancers in nailing the moves.

The full nearly hour-long video of the performances:

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