TLDR: Cissy King wasn’t looking for a spot on national television when she met Bobby Burgess. She just happened to be a lifting expert at exactly the moment he needed one, and that chance meeting turned into eleven years as one of the most popular acts on The Lawrence Welk Show.
Cissy King, born Claire Yvonne King on January 3, 1946, in Trinidad, Colorado, grew up in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where she trained at Joseph H. Vandapool’s School of Dance and became a known figure in the city’s competitive ballroom scene.
She Got the Job by Fixing a Stranger’s Technique
King had watched Bobby Burgess perform for years, first on The Mickey Mouse Club and then on Welk’s show, when the two crossed paths at a competition.
She helped improve his pivot technique, and Burgess mentioned that his partner at the time, Barbara Boylan, was afraid of lifts, a skill King happened to specialize in from her Albuquerque training.
“I said, Bobby, you’re a big strong guy, you can do this,” King recalled telling him, before teaching him eight to ten lifts on the spot.
Burgess, already familiar with the Albuquerque ballroom scene from competitions he’d watched, called her a few months later and asked her to guest on the show in February 1967, while Boylan took a short break to get married.
She Became a Permanent Fixture for the Next Decade
After Boylan left the show for good, Burgess invited King back as his regular partner, and her first dance as a permanent cast member was a Charleston routine choreographed by fellow Albuquerque dancer Mike Haley. “I was like, jumping through the sky,” she remembered of the moment.
King remained Burgess’s partner for eleven years, longer than either of his other two partners, and was honored with a Dance Masters of America award in 1974 for her contributions to the field.
An Earthquake Sent Her to Hawaii
After leaving the show in late 1978, King built a real choreography career, working on productions for Six Flags theme parks and forming her own touring nightclub act, Cissy King & Two Fellas.
She also took on acting roles, including a run in the touring production of Always… Patsy Cline.
She lived in Los Angeles until the 1994 Northridge earthquake prompted a move to Hawaii, before eventually returning to Albuquerque, where she continues to dance and develop new shows for venues across New Mexico today.
Cissy King, Frequently Asked Questions
How did Cissy King become Bobby Burgess’s dance partner?
She helped correct his pivot technique at a competition and taught him lifts, a skill his previous partner lacked. Burgess later invited her to guest on the show in February 1967, and she became his permanent partner later that year.
How long was Cissy King on Lawrence Welk?
She was Bobby Burgess’s dance partner from 1967 until late 1978, eleven years, longer than either of his other two partners.
What did Cissy King do after leaving the show?
She choreographed shows for Six Flags theme parks, formed her own touring act called Cissy King & Two Fellas, and took on acting roles including Always… Patsy Cline, before eventually returning to Albuquerque.
