Stacey Q - Early Life

Early Life

Stacey Swain was born on November 30, 1958 in Fullerton, California. She is the youngest of three children. Her mother, Joyce Swain, was a dog breeder whose Cardigan Welsh Corgis have appeared in various Hollywood films and television series. Swain once stated in a 1989 interview that she had asked for dance lessons as early as age three, but her mother "made me wait until I was five". By 1963, Swain was studying classical ballet and aspired to become a ballerina. In 1969, at age ten, Swain became the youngest member of the Dance Theater of Orange County, a local company that performed at benefit shows in Anaheim. She spent a total of eleven years studying ballet and flamenco dancing.

In 1970 Swain became an entertainer at Disneyland while completing dance training at the Wilshire Theater of Arts in Los Angeles. For three years, Swain participated in the Fantasy on Parade, an annual event scheduled every Christmas at the theme park. She performed in costume as the "Dutch Puppet", a name she used as a publishing alias during her early recording career. After graduating from Anaheim High School in 1976, Swain auditioned for and won a position in the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus, where she performed her first year as a showgirl and her second year as an elephant rider. Her first singing project began on Los Angeles radio, where she would introduce and announce programs impersonating members of The Go-Go's.