Starting at the age of 10 months, whenever she heard music, Patti D’Beck couldn’t stop moving. She bounced in her crib. She bounced in her highchair. She bounced in her stroller. Her mother immediately recognized her uncanny sense of rhythm and whisked her off to dance class at the age of three.

Most young girls spend their childhood days playing with dolls. Not Patti. At the tender age of 9, she put together her own dance act and toured the mid-Atlantic region performing at Lions, Kiwanis, and Rotary clubs. She performed at army bases, 4H clubs, and even a country fair where she danced in the middle of a calf-roping contest. 

Fast forward to high school. Patti went on to win the highly competitive national dance competition in her junior year. She was crowned Miss Dance of America. 

Shortly after giving up her crown and graduating from high school, Patti moved to New York City where she went on to land a steady gig at the world-famous night club The Latin Quarter. Patti's talents then took her to another iconic nightclub of the 60’s - The Copacabana. At the “Copa” Patti opened for countless celebrities from Peggy Lee to Bobby Darin to Martha and the Vandellas. 

Then Broadway came calling. Before most kids her age graduate from college, Patti was performing in the musical Applause with Lauren Bacall and Bonnie Franklin. Other Broadway credits followed including A Chorus Line, Seesaw, Pippin, Evita, and many more.

Over the next 40+ years, with many side gigs including performing on the Ed Sullivan show, in Las Vegas and on cruise ships, Patti went back to college and graduated with her Master's Degree from New York University. She taught at NYU and Pace University and retired from the Department of Theatre at Virginia Commonwealth University.

Patti has directed and choreographed dozens of musicals such as Jersey Boys, A Chorus Line, Ain't Misbehavin', Guys and Dolls, and many more - in theatres, performing arts centers and cruise lines. She has also coached many stars of theatre, TV, and film, including Liza Minnelli, Reba McEntire, Bernadette Peters, Twiggy, Sandy Duncan, Lucy Lawless, Chubby Checker, Mickey Rooney, and many others.

When she's not giving presentations with her husband David, Patti teaches doctors how to communicate with compassion, empathy, and awareness at the Virginia Commonwealth University Medical School.

Patti would like to express her gratitude to the following people who mentored, taught, and/or inspired her during her life: Alice & Charles Duerbeck, Eloise & Joe Tinker, Rita Miller, George Libby, Johnny Argo, Helen Hobbs Jordan, Michael Bennett, Tommy Tune, and Jeff Calhoun.