Cissy King

Cissy King
King with dance partner Bobby Burgess and Lawrence Welk, 1969.
Born	Claire Yvonne King (1946-01-03) January 3, 1946 (age 71) Trinidad, Colorado
Occupation	Singer Dancer

Claire Yvonne “Cissy” King (born January 3, 1946) is an American-born singer and dancer best known as a featured performer on The Lawrence Welk Show television program.

King was born in Trinidad, Colorado. Her father was a geologist employed by an oil company. The family relocated to Albuquerque, New Mexico when Cissy was three.

An accomplished dancer since she was a toddler, Cissy, along with her brother John, won first place at the National Ballroom Dancing Championships in San Francisco, California when she was fourteen. They captured first place two more times and were also named U.S Ballroom Couple Of The Year. Later, when attending the University of New Mexico, she majored in recreation and physical education and was a cheerleader, gymnast, and was on the synchronized swim team. She continued to dance, in various ballroom competitions and on stage such as the Six Flags Over Texas campus revue.

In 1967, Cissy became Bobby Burgess' dance partner on The Lawrence Welk Show when his first partner, Barbara Boylan left to get married. For the next dozen years, she became one of the most popular performers on the show with her vivacious personality, singing talents and her natural dance moves. In 1974, she was honored with the Dance Masters of America award for outstanding contributions to the field of dance.