What Ever Happened To: Lucinda Dickey

When is someone officially an actor, and when are they just a person who has appeared in a few films?

Lucinda Dickey may fit into the latter category. She only made five films, and only four of them featured any acting.

She was primarily a dancer. She is said to have been a dancer on SOLID GOLD, so briefly that fans of the show don’t even remember her. But, even when she moved on to films, she never really stopped dancing.

Her first film appearance was one I wasn’t even aware of before writing this. I had seen her well over 100 times, yet never knew it was her.


Yes, that is her in the front (I believe). She was a dancer, and background player in GREASE 2. She can be seen in several sequences.

Then, she was essentially adopted by Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus and the Cannon Group, appearing in three of their films.


First, there was BREAKIN, where she played the rich girl, jazz dancer, who teams up with the great breakdancers, Adolpho “Shabba-Doo” Quinones and Michael “Boogaloo Shrimp” Chambers (the greatest name in film history!!), for a big dance competition. How can you not love this movie?


Interesting note, her boyfriend in BREAKIN was played by Christopher McDonald, Goose from GREASE 2. (The screengrab above is of them both in GREASE 2. Bet they didn't know they were about to make BREAKIN together.)


So confident were the filmmakers in the success of the first BREAKIN film, it ends with an ad for the sequel, BREAKIN 2: ELECTRIC BOOGALOO. The gang is back, and this time, they team up to save a community center. Like GODFATHER 2, this is better than the original. A must see film, if only for the big dance down the street scene, where everyone they pass ends up joining in.


She didn’t dance in NINJA 3, a rare sequel that makes you wonder “There were NINJA’s 1 & 2?”. In certain circles, NINJA 3 was even more popular than the BREAKIN films. Not for me, though. The BREAKIN films are her masterpieces.

She would co-star in CHEERLEADER CAMP with Betsy Russell, who also didn’t make it out of the 80’s. Lucinda used her dancing in that film, acting as choreographer.

The IMDB lists an uncredited role in a PERRY MASON TV movie a few years later. Not having seen it, I don’t know if that is accurate. Why would she go from starring in popular films to uncredited roles in TV movies?

And, that was it.


So, what ever happened to her?

She ended up marrying one of her CHEERLEADER CAMP co-stars. He didn’t stay an actor for long (and no other acting credits are on his filmography). He would go on to become a reality TV producer, co-executive producing a little TV show called SURVIVOR.

Yes, the girl from BREAKIN is now married to one of the producers of SURVIVOR!! He also created and is one of the producers of AMERICAN CHOPPER! Also, very cool.

Was Lucinda a great actress who, if she continued, would have been one of the major actresses of today? Probably not. From her film choices, it is clear that dancing was the most important thing to her. The films may just have been the best ways to express that.

While there haven’t been any known sighting in recent years, it looks like she is just happy being a wife and mom.

Maybe she can team up with Boogaloo Shrimp and Shabba-Doo for a reunion film one of these days.

(EDIT 6-17-08): Apparently Lucinda Dickey is back!!

As mentioned in the comment section, she appears as a guest judge on the new TLC series MASTER OF DANCE.


From TLC's website:

In addition to Lawrence offering guidance, a panel of judges will critique the performers as well: Lucinda Dickey has been dancing since the age of 4, and studied with the prestigious Roland DuPree Dance Academy. She has appeared onstage and on-screen as a dancer in hits like Solid Gold, Breakin' and Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo.

I will have to tune in. It airs Monday nights.