Patrick Swayze Performing The First Televised Dance With His Wife Of 34 Years

Jun 15, 2021

Although their first televised dance took place more than 25 years ago now, their performance will always remain as timeless as the love Patrick Swayze and Lisa Niemi shared. It is wonderful to look back on the life of these two soulmates, and especially to re-watch this tender performance, which despite taking place in front of a large audience, feels as though it was only the two of them in the room.

In 1994, the World Music Awards paid tribute to Grammy Award-winning superstar Whitney Houston and several stars performed for the show. That night, the audience was treated to a very special once-in-a-lifetime surprise when Swayze and Niemi danced together for the first time ever on a television show.

Anyone who has ever seen them perform together can say that it was a breath-taking display. They danced to a very special song: Whitney Houston's hit "All The Man That I Need." Swayze and the love of his life spun across the floor in perfect synchronicity. They wowed the audience with their grace, and the love the two had for each other was obvious when Swayze took Niemi in his arms lifted her in the air. This is something he’s no stranger to doing, as everyone will know his iconic lift in the movie "Dirty Dancing," which has been attempted by many in the dancing world. Their performance together showcased their never-ending love for each other and their undying passion for dance.

The glitzy event took place in Monte Carlo, Monaco, and was a true red-carpet affair. The dance was choreographed especially for the occasion. The performance is even more emotional looking at it today, as Whitney Houston sadly passed away in February 2012 at the age of 48. She holds the record for the most WMAs won in a single year, winning five awards at the 6th World Music Awards in 1994.

It is safe to assume that anyone over the age of 30 knows who Patrick Swayze is and that he was one of the greatest and most legendary dancers of his generation, if not of all time. He was born on August 18, 1952, in Houston, Texas. In 1972, he decided to move to New York City to complete his formal dance training at the Harkness Ballet and Joffrey Ballet schools. Swayze was best known for his iconic roles in the films "Dirty Dancing," which was released in 1987, and "Ghost," which was released in 1990. The hit movie "Dirty Dancing" showcased not only Swayze's amazing dancing abilities but also his talent as an actor. Many of Patrick Swayze's adoring fans will know that he was married to professional dancer Lisa Niemi for an incredible 34 years, according to Good Housekeeping. 

It seems only fitting that Swayze and Niemi took to the stage to dance together for this tribute as dance is actually what brought them together. The pair fell in love at Swayze’s parents’ dance studio, the Houston Ballet Company where Swayze’s father was the owner and director and Swayze’s mom Patsy taught there. Niemi was taking classes there at the time.

Swayze and Niemi’s love story is a true fairy tale romance. They were childhood sweethearts; Niemi was only 14 years old when she and 18-year-old Swayze met for the first time. They didn’t start dating until Niemi was 19, however. According to Direct Expose, they married on June 12, 1975, in the backyard of Niemi’s Houston home and had the wedding reception at Patsy’s dance studio, where they first met. They had one of the happiest and supportive celebrity marriages we’ve ever witnessed.

Sadly, Patrick Swayze passed away on September 14, 2009, after a brave battle with pancreatic cancer. After being diagnosed in 2007, he fought courageously for 22 months before he passed away. His wife spoke of the pain of losing her husband, expressing her heartbreak by saying that when you lose someone you've given your heart and life to, you never stop loving that person. She expressed how the relationship undergoes changes. It continues on, but in a different way. She shared with ET that she still talks to her husband every single day as if he was still right by her side.

“It’s the worst thing in the world to go through.” She continued, “You spend every day fighting for that person’s life. I know that he spent every day fighting for his own…He survived 22 months, which was miraculous with the diagnosis that he received.”

Niemi also penned a memoir of her own called "Worth Fighting For," which was published in 2011. In it, she revealed intimate details about her life with Swayze, including the last words they ever said to each other before he died. Beautifully, their last exchange was “I love you.”

"My last words to Patrick? ‘I love you,’ and those were his last words to me. After I brought him home, things went very fast," she wrote. "I cherished our time alone, holding his hand, listening to music, sleeping with my arm around him, my head on his shoulder, wordlessly."

Sadly Swayze slipped into a coma soon after going back home from the hospital. She went on to say: "In the quiet of Monday morning, September 14, I looked at his face and listened to the tiny sips of air he was taking. There was something delicate, childlike about it. I knew it was time." Niemi opened up about the heavy toll her husband’s death took on her, saying, “After he died, a girlfriend said [to me], ‘You’re a pretty woman but one that looks like she’s been hit by a truck.'” Niemi later confessed that that is exactly how she felt at that moment in time.

Despite sharing how much they cared about each other every day, Niemi still has some regrets. Speaking at a Women’s Conference in California shortly after his death, Niemi confessed that she wishes she told Swayze she loved him more.

“We told each other we loved each other over and over again. I never left the room without telling him. My regret is that I didn’t tell him that I loved him enough over that entire 34 years,” she said. She continued by describing the pain that she had gone through after he died, saying, “I thought during the 22 months of my husband’s illness that it gave me time to get used to the idea of losing him. The actual loss–it’s like an animal all on its own.”

Sadly, for Niemi, it wasn’t the first time she had experienced loss. She and Swayze received some devastating news at the height of his career. Niemi has a miscarriage which resulted in the couple having no children. At the peak of his career, and around the same time that Swayze was nominated for a Golden Globe for "Ghost," he and his wife Niemi were grieving the loss of their unborn child.

In his own memoir, “The Time of My Life,” which his wife helped him write, Swayze revealed: “I couldn’t wait to become a dad, to have a child with this woman I loved so dearly… And I wanted to be the best father I could be – the kind of father my dad had been to me.” “We figured we had plenty more years ahead of us. Eventually, we did start trying again, hoping Lisa would get pregnant,” he continued. “But, she never did.”

There were also some bumps in the road when Swayze succumbed to his alcohol addiction. In his memoir, he recounts how the couple needed outside help to repair their relationship in 2003 after the damage it suffered due to Swayze’s addiction.

A new documentary also aired to commemorate the 10th anniversary of Swayze’s death. "I Am Patrick Swayze" explores the actor's life in detail and features many prominent names who come together to remember the late actor. “You’re only on this planet for so long,” says Swayze at the start of the trailer. “Go for it now.” Which gives the viewer a great idea of how the actor lived his life. He certainly took every opportunity he got, and never looked back.

The actor’s co-stars Sam Elliott, Demi Moore, Rob Lowe, C. Thomas Howell, Kelly Lynch, and director Roland Joffe also appear in the documentary, as well as Niemi and his brother Don Swayze. “Patrick had something about him that was very rugged, but that also had that beautiful, gentle, sensuous ability to move,” says Moore, who starred in "Ghost" with Swayze.

In 2019 Niemi reminisced about her first meeting with Swayze in an interview with Entertainment Tonight. She opened up about what life was like with the handsome dancer. Lisa said, "the first time Buddy [her nickname for Patrick] and I danced together was at a school exhibition. We walked out on stage. I looked in his eyes, it was like everything came alive." "When you lose someone, you never stop loving them and it's ... I feel like I have a different relationship with him now. It's just, he's not physically present, you know what I mean?" she continued. It was certainly a loss for his family and the film world when Swayze passed away, but his legacy lives on through his iconic films which continue to be classics even today.

The video of Patrick Swayze and Lisa Niemi's first televised dance as husband and wife will take your breath away. You will find yourself watching it over and over again. Tell your friends and family members about it so that they can enjoy the magical moment as well. And let us know what you think: What's your favorite Patrick Swayze performance?