Rob & Patty Walsh
Swing Dancing Performances & Lessons
Tribute Shows: Buddy Holly, Shania Twain, Johnny & June, Sonny & Cher

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Bio: Rob   -   Bio: Patty   -   Prior Venues Rob and Patty met on the dance floor on Patty's birthday in July 2003, and it was instant magic. They were on stage together within weeks, and have been making beautiful music together ever since. They were married on March 31, 2006. Rob & Patty are both elementary public school teachers. Patty & Rob are familiar faces to any local fan of Big Band, 50s, Dixieland, and Rockabilly music. They have performed at many local venues, including public libraries, car shows, private parties, charity events, fairs and festivals, retirement communities and nursing homes, dinner dances, and local playhouses. They were awarded first prize at Lincoln Center's 2007 Midsummer Night Swing dance contest. Their goal is to celebrate the music itself -- "Dressing the part" helps to make the show more entertaining, but they are not impersonators. A lot of research has gone into the tributes: In addition to performing the music, they also share background information about the original artists. Please see the Details & Pricing link to your left for a description of shows & services currently offered by Rob & Patty. For Rob Walsh, two brief dance experiences in elementary school planted a seed that waited many years to germinate. First, In sixth grade a friend taught him a dance routine that won them third prize at a school dance. This earned Rob the nickname "Boogie Walsh," which was to last through high school (only to be revived by dance friends in '99 when he told them about it!) He next danced in seventh grade, when his Humanities teacher taught the class how to Lindy. Although he loved these two experiences, nothing more happened until 1998, when he started learning swing dancing through a combination of group dance lessons, videos, learning moves from friends, and a few private lessons. It was an instant passion that consumed 5 or 6 nights of the week, and he developed his own unique style very quickly. Showing up everywhere possible just to dance for fun, eventually offers came in to perform. At 50s events, repeated cries of "You look like Buddy Holly!" led Rob to look deeper into Buddy's music. The more he heard, the more he loved it. Rob began figuring out how to play Buddy's songs -- and so the Buddy Holly Tribute was born. Rob and Patty currently perform over 50 songs from Buddy's repertoire. Interestly enough, although there is no relation to Buddy, Rob's maternal family name is Holly! Although Rob has performed original music in the past, he has no formal background in music, and is a self-taught guitar player. Personal note from Rob: Special heartfelt thanks to: My parents, who have always been enormously supportive in every arena of life, and are two of the best people you could hope to know. Jerry and Kathy Cardone, who have helped and advised me in matters on and offstage, to a degree one would normally expect to find only in close relatives. (Don't miss Jerry's Sinatra Tribute!) My beautiful wife, Patty. xoxo Swing Dance Long Island, which provided a wonderful, friendly atmosphere in which to learn. Patty Curto Walsh’s musical background began with classical piano training at the age of nine. She then took up the clarinet and played both instruments in her school’s concert and jazz bands. Patty has always loved to sing and has sung in musical theatre, a church choir, and karaoke shows over the years. Her former dance experience includes ballet and tap.   When Patty met Rob in July 2003, she only knew swing dancing basics, but she picked up quickly on the learning curve and is now sporting her fancy footwork with Rob all over the tri-state area. Also, having written the harmonies to several Buddy Holly tunes, her voice is the perfect complement to Rob’s vocals in their Buddy Holly Tribute. (Buddy did not have harmonies on many of the songs Rob & Patty perform.) Last year Patty also began learning guitar; now she accompanies Rob on guitar/vocal duets in both the Buddy Holly and Shania Twain shows. Prior Performance Venues / Clients: Towns, Arts Councils, Civic Associations: Artists in Partnership, Babylon Citizens Council on the Arts (BACCA), Hampton Bays Beautification Association, Huntington Historical Society, Islip Arts Council, Town of Hempstead, Town of Oyster Bay Clubs, Community Organizations: Back in Time Cruisers, The Beach Club (Belle Harbor), Bretton Woods, Deepdale Gardens, Manhasset Condo Complex,Plattduetsche Home Society, Tarrytown Boat Club, Tarrytown Antique Car Club, Towers Country Club, Towne House at Lido Beach. Other venues: Bellmore Movie Theatre, Bellport United Methodist Church, Brookhaven Amphitheatre at Bald Hill , Gateway Playhouse, Jean Rimsky Theatre, Patchogue Theatre, West Islip Town Hall, private parties, corporate events. Public Libraries: Amityville, Bayport-Blue Point, Brentwood, Bryant (Roslyn), Comsewogue, Connetquot, Copiague, East Islip, Garden City, Half Hollow Hills, Hampton Bays, Hauppauge, Hicksville, Islip, Levittown, Lindenhurst, Long Beach, Longwood, Mastics-Moriches-Shirley, Merrick, Mineola, Northport-East Northport, North Merrick, North Shore, Plainedge, Port Jefferson, Port Washington, Sachem, Seaford, Shelter Rock, South Huntington, West Islip, West Babylon, and others. Back to the top   -   Back to our Home Page