Urban Cowboy choreographer, Patsy Swayze, was beloved local dance teacher.

Patsy Swayze: 1927 – 2013 Swayze was known for her kindness.
An article from Molly Glentzer, states: She was the real urban cowgirl, a beloved personality during one of Houston’s most colorful eras. Patsy Swayze died Monday evening at home in Simi Valley, Cal., after suffering a massive stroke on September 8. She was 86. Swayze, who taught John Travolta the art of the smooth two-step, moved to California after the success of the 1980 film “Urban Cowboy”, www.imdb.com/title/tt0081696/, which she choreographed. But she was from Houston, where most of the film was shot, and she always considered herself a Texan, said her daughter-in-law Lisa Niemi Swayze, www.lisaniemiswayze.com/.
Travolta wasn’t her first famous student. In the 1960’s & 70’s, Swayze’s Bellaire dance studio was a rocking place for a little school of ballet, jazz and tap. By 1980, its front wall was plastered with black & white publicity photos of students who were making it big, including her son, the late actor & dancer Patrick Swayze; “Fame” director Debbie Allen: Broadway great Tommy Tune; & actors Jaclyn Smith and Randy Quaid.
“She was such a force & a gifted teacher who inspired so many students,” said Niemi Swayze, the star student who married Patrick Swayze. “She used to say that the ones who have all the talent aren’t necessarily the ones who succeed. It’s the ones who work hard. She was a firm believer in persistence and not settling for the destiny you think may have been handed to you.”
After “Urban Cowboy”, she also found more work in movies. She choreographed more than a half-dozen other films including “Liar’s Moon” (1982), “Hope Floats” (1998) & “One Last Dance” (2003). Susan Vogelfang, a line producer who first worked with Swayze on “Liar’s Moon” (she coached a young Matt Dillon in a gym scene for that one), lauded her kindness. “She went out of her way to do the right thing,” said Vogelfang, who moved to Los Angeles at about the same time as the Swayzes. Patsy Swayze invited her out of the blue for Thanksgiving dinner, knowing she’d be alone that year.
Two-Wheeler Will Do
Niemi Swayze also loved Swayze’s unassuming nature. Before the production company sent Swayze to Santa Barbara to coach Travolta for “Urban Cowboy,” she recalled, they asked her what kind of car she wanted them to rent for her. Swayze replied, “Oh, just anything, from a two-wheeler to an 18-wheeler.” She won them over long before anybody set foot in Houston,” Niemi Swayze said.
Swayze continued to teach until she was 80, operating the Dancer’s Studio of Simi Valley for more than 20 years. In 2011, Swayze told a Simi Valley reporter she was grateful for a wonderful life in film, TV & stage plays. “But you know, you’re not supposed to outlive your children.” Her friend Renee Jongebloed, a former student who became a dance teacher, was close to Swayze for 55 years. “I’m sure you’ve heard it from a million people, but she cared so much for each person. Really cared. She probably had more kids taking class from her who never paid a dime than anybody else I knew. Her soul was caring and she was honest.”

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