While Orlando ballroom professional Patty Holden is most often linked with the name Paradise Ballroom (the name of her dance studio from 1999-2006, located in Kissimmee, FL.), she also has links to the University of Central Florida and the world of music and entertainment. Patty (legally named Patsy) began organ lessons at the age of 5 and piano lessons at the age of 7, and continued until the age of 17. In middle school, she became a drum major and learned to play the alto saxaphone and trumpet while participating in the school band program. By high school, she had become a mellophone player in the Pride of Broken Arrow high school marching band, a nationally recognized organization that has been featured in a documentary about high-level marching bands. Additionally, she was the pianist in the school Jazz band and played French horn in the school orchestra.
After graduating high school, Patty auditioned for and was hired into a country music show in Branson, MO. During the show, Patty played keyboards, saxaphone, and was a featured vocalist. When the season ended, Patty turned her focus to ballroom dancing. By the age of 21, she had become an associate dance director for the Fred Astaire Dance Studio in Winter Park, FL and was competing in both International Latin and the Cabaret divisions.
In 1999, Patty opened her own studio, the Paradise Ballroom, in Kissimmee, FL. In 2001, she began competing in the Rising Star and Open American Rhythm divisions with Herb Vasquez, of West Palm Beach. In their first year, Vasquez and Holden placed in the top-ten in the Rising Star nationals and 12th at the Open nationals, and were winners or runners-up at most regional and state competitions. It was also in 2001 that Patty started taking community college classes. She was listed on the President's list and was inducted into the Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society in 2003. By 2004, Patty had transferred to the University of Central Florida and was later accepted into the Burnett Honor College. She closed her studio in 2006 and went on to graduate with her BA in Humanities in 2007 and her MA in Anthropology in 2009.
Patty has returned to the Kissimmee/St Cloud area to teach dance at the same location of the former Paradise Ballroom, which is at 2131 Partin Settlement Road. She is a free-lance writer for an online publication and covers two topics, ballroom dancing in the Orlando area and the ancient Maya. More about Patty can be found at her website, and she is also on Facebook.
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