{{short description|American dancer and singer (born 1941)|bot=PearBOT 5}} {{Use mdy dates|date=December 2019}} {{BLP sources|date=March 2011}} {{Infobox person | name = Bobby Burgess | image = Bobby Burgess 1969 (cropped).JPG | alt = Burgess in 1969 | caption = Burgess in 1969 | birth_name = Robert Wilkie Burgess | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1941|05|19|mf=y}} | birth_place = Long Beach, California, U.S. | death_date = | death_place = | spouse = {{Marriage|Kristie Floren|1971}} | children = 4 | occupation = Singer, dancer}}
'''Robert Wilkie Burgess''' (born May 19, 1941) is an American dancer and singer. He was one of the original Mouseketeers.<ref name="HollisEhrbar2006">{{cite book|last1=Hollis|first1=Tim|last2=Ehrbar|first2=Greg|title=Mouse tracks: the story of Walt Disney Records|year=2006|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rw-Rffdqb1IC&pg=PA13|access-date=July 10, 2010|publisher=Univ. Press of Mississippi|isbn=978-1-57806-849-4|page=13}}</ref> Later, he was a regular on ''The Lawrence Welk Show''.<ref name="NewcombCommunications2004">{{cite book|last1=Newcomb|first1=Horace|last2=Communications|first2=Museum of Broadcast|title=Encyclopedia of television|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CFXgj7a55agC&pg=PA1329|access-date=July 10, 2010|year=2004|publisher=CRC Press|isbn=978-1-57958-411-5|page=1329}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-03-01-ca-2223-story.html|title=Lawrence Welk Dancer Taps into Nostalgia : Champagne Music: Bobby Burgess, who danced with the show for 20 years, will perform in two TV specials|website=Los Angeles Times |date=March 1991}}</ref>
==Early life== Growing up in Southern California, Burgess started performing at age five, which included dancing, singing and playing the accordion. At the age of 13, in 1955, he was selected as one of the original Mouseketeers by Walt Disney to appear on his new ABC television series, ''The Mickey Mouse Club'', giving young Burgess his first taste of celebrity.<ref>Perello, Paul; September 18, 2014 "An Interview With Bobby Burgess" Ret. July 13, 2019 17:07 CST. https://www.laughingplace.com/w/articles/2014/09/18/an-interview-with-bobby-burgess/</ref> He also guest starred on ''The Donna Reed Show'' as a suitor of Mary Stone (Shelley Fabares). Burgess attended Southern California Military Academy in Long Beach for his elementary and junior high school. By the time Burgess turned 11, he had appeared in at least 75 television programs.<ref>Corres. Stahl, Scarlett; August 16, 2014. "Ears and Bubbles: The Story of Mouseketeer Bobby Burgess". URL Ret. July 13, 2019 16:57 CST. https://www.micechat.com/77564-ear-bubbles-the-story-of-mouseketeer-bobby-burgess/</ref><ref>Burgess, Bobby "Ears & Bubbles: Dancing My Way from The Mickey Mouse Club to The Lawrence Welk Show" Theme Park Press, 2014. Pp. 1–160. {{ISBN|978-1941500071}}</ref>
==After Disney== When the series ended in 1959, Burgess returned to a normal teenager's life, and graduated from Long Beach Polytechnic High School.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Ruhl |first1=Ashleigh |title=Local Dancer Bobby Burgess Pens "Ears & Bubbles" |url=https://www.gazettes.com/lifestyle/local-dancer-bobby-burgess-pens-ears-bubbles/article_dc7c2492-4425-11e4-ae5d-47534307ab6a.html |work=www.Gazettes.com |language=en}}</ref> He then began attending Long Beach State University where he became a member of Sigma Pi fraternity. While there, he and his childhood friend (and dancing partner) Barbara Boylan entered a ''Calcutta'' dance contest held by Lawrence Welk and his orchestra based on the hit song of the same name. They won the contest and first prize was an appearance on ''The Lawrence Welk Show'', which appeared on ABC.<ref name = Emerald>{{cite magazine|date=Summer 1988|volume=75|number=2|magazine=The Emerald of Sigma Pi|title=Alumni Feature: Bobby Burgess|pages=4–6|url=http://www.enivation.com/SigmaPi/Archive/Emerald/Other/SP_EMERALD_VOL_75_NO_2.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160809213222/http://www.enivation.com/SigmaPi/Archive/Emerald/Other/SP_EMERALD_VOL_75_NO_2.pdf|url-status=usurped|archive-date=August 9, 2016}}</ref>
After their initial appearance, Burgess and Boylan continued to guest on Welk's show for the next few weeks, either dancing to ''Calcutta'' or to the orchestra's next hit song ''Yellow Bird''. The positive fan response led to Welk hiring the dance couple as permanent members of the show, which was described by the bandleader as having created a job for themselves. Over the course of the show's run, first on ABC and later in syndication; Burgess had three dance partners: Barbara Boylan from 1961 to 1967, who was also a temporary fill-in for a few shows in 1979, Cissy King (1967–78), and Elaine Balden (1979–82). He did song-and-dance numbers with Arthur Duncan and Jack Imel and co-hosted, with Mary Lou Metzger, wraparound segments on ''The Lawrence Welk Show's'' PBS reruns in 2010.<ref>[http://www.welkshow.org/burgess.html Bobby Burgess profile], welkshow.org. Retrieved July 10, 2015.</ref>
==Later life== Burgess still dances when he is touring with Elaine Balden, and at his own dance studio, where he instructs young students.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.dailybreeze.com/social-affairs/20140105/about-town-former-mouseketeer-makes-learning-social-graces-fun-at-miraleste-intermediate-cotillion|title = About Town: Former Mouseketeer makes learning social graces fun at Miraleste Intermediate cotillion|date = January 5, 2014}}</ref>
==Personal life== Burgess married Kristie Floren, the daughter of Welk accordionist Myron Floren, on Valentine's Day (February 14, 1971). The couple live in Hollywood Hills and are parents to four children.<ref name = Emerald/>
==References== {{Reflist}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Burgess, Bobby}} Category:1941 births Category:Living people Category:American male dancers Category:Musicians from Long Beach, California Category:Mouseketeers Category:Lawrence Welk Category:Dancers from California Category:American accordionists Category:Musicians from Los Angeles Category:Long Beach Polytechnic High School alumni Category:Sigma Pi members