Bobby Catalano: The Man Behind The Shades
He almost never took the sunglasses off — and that was exactly the point. On Dance Party USA, Bobby Catalano turned a pair of black shades into one of the most recognizable looks in 1980s teen television.
▶ Watch Classic Dance Party USA — 24/7 The retro broadcast is playing right now on WatchParty USA. No sign-up, just hit play.If you grew up with Dance Party USA on the USA Network, you knew Bobby before you knew his last name. He was the regular in the middle of the floor, dark shades locked on, moving like the camera wasn't there. Fans called him "The Man Behind The Shades" — a nickname he still uses today.
The sunglasses that made him
The look started on day one. In his own telling, Catalano wore the sunglasses the very first time he danced on the show, right in the center of the studio floor. He has described them as "like my Batman mask" — a way to dance loose and unguarded before anyone knew who he was.
The mask stuck. As the show's reach grew, the shades became his signature, and taking them off became an event in itself — something he saved for rare on-air moments rather than an everyday reveal. The mystery was the appeal.
A teen idol of the USA Network era
Catalano didn't come up through an audition. As he tells it, he was out dancing at a club when producers from Philadelphia's Dancin' On Air spotted him and handed him a pass — the door into local dance television that fed straight into the national Dance Party USA phenomenon. He appeared on both, and was featured in teen publications like Flip magazine.
The fan response was the kind that only 1980s appointment television produced. By period accounts, Bobby was pulling more than a thousand letters a week — gifts, notes, and the occasional stunt from admirers who only knew him as the guy in the shades. He has recalled being recognized through a car window by a busload of students who spotted the sunglasses and went, in his words, "crazy."
On screen, his calling card beyond the look was his "lightning lip-syncs" — the fast, camera-ready song numbers that were a staple of the Dance Party USA format.
He didn't stay on the dance floor, either. From 1989 to 1991, Catalano moved to the front of the show as a co-host, sharing hosting duties with Heather "Princess" Day — the guy in the shades now running the party he'd started out dancing in.
▶ Catch the era in motion Classic Dance Party USA is streaming now on WatchParty USA →After the show
Bobby Catalano lives in Las Vegas today with his wife, Lizeth, and their son, Leonardo. He's stayed close to the era that made him — working as a podcaster and entrepreneur, and writing an autobiography titled Bobby Catalano: The Man Behind The Shades.
You can find him at his own throwback project, WeekendWithBob.com, and on his official page, Bobby Catalano — The Man Behind The Shades on Facebook.
Facts here draw only on Bobby's own published accounts and public-record interviews.
More from the Dance Party USA archive
Bobby wasn't the only regular who became a familiar face. Read about Kelly Ripa's Dance Party USA years, or browse the full Dance Party USA archive.
Frequently asked
Who was Bobby Catalano on Dance Party USA?
Bobby Catalano was one of the most recognizable regulars on Dance Party USA — first on the air in 1985 — known as "The Man Behind The Shades" for the black sunglasses he almost always wore on camera. He became a teen idol of the USA Network's 1980s dance-show era.
Why did Bobby Catalano always wear sunglasses?
He put them on his first day dancing on the show and described them as being "like my Batman mask" — a way to perform freely before he was recognized. The shades became his signature, and keeping them on became part of his mystique.
What was Bobby Catalano known for on the show?
Beyond the sunglasses, he was known for his "lightning lip-syncs" and center-floor dancing, plus the heavy fan mail that came with teen-idol status during the show's peak.
What does Bobby Catalano do now?
He lives in Las Vegas with his family, runs a nostalgia podcast and other ventures, and is writing an autobiography, Bobby Catalano: The Man Behind The Shades. His projects live at WeekendWithBob.com and on his Facebook page.
Where can I watch Dance Party USA today?
Classic Dance Party USA plays around the clock on WatchParty USA — a free 24/7 retro broadcast. Just open the page and it's already running.