Biography
Rusty Frank is a Tap Dancer and Lindy Hopper, producer, choreographer, writer, and dance preservationist. She is the author of the critically acclaimed book TAP! The Greatest Tap Dance Stars and Their Stories 1900-1955, the producer and choreographer of the stage revues "Swingin' The Century - The Big Band Show" and "Jazz Tap." Rusty is the producer of the in-production documentary, "TAP! Tempo of America" (recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts Grant).
Rusty began dancing at age six and entered the dance profession in her early 20s. She has taught and performed in twenty-three countries around the world and performed at such locales as Broadway's 42nd Street, The Hollywood Bowl, Disneyland, and the Derby.
She has the longest running Lindy Hop program in Los Angeles: Since 1998, Rusty's "Lindy By The Sea" dance school (El Segundo, California) has been offering group and private classes in Swing Dance, Lindy Hop, Balboa, Collegiate Shag, and Charleston, and Rusty's "Rhythm Club" weekly swing dance in Playa Del Rey, California, is one of the few clubs in the nation featuring an evening of dancing to live bands.
Honors : As a result of her on-going dance preservation work, Rusty Frank is the recipient of "The Tap Dance Preservation Award" from New York's American Tap Dance Foundation (2008), Tradition In Tap's award for Outstanding Achievements and Significant Contribution to the Art and Tradition of Tap Dance (2007), The Historic Preservation Award from The Art Deco Society of California (2002), The Soul of Shipley Award from the National Association of Dance & Affiliated Artists (1992), and "Dance In Action" award for Contribution in Dance (1991). In 2008 & 2015, Rusty received the two highest honors possible in the Swing Dance world when she was inducted into The California Swing Dance Hall of Fame (2008), where her name now resides among such luminaries as Jean Veloz, Hal Takier, Irene Thomas, and Ray Hirsch, and in 2015 when she was inducted into the Camp Hollywood Hall of Fame. (Rusty pictured with Jean Veloz holding their Hall of Fame pendants.)
Dance Preservationist : Rusty is part of the Smithsonian Institute's Jazz Oral History project, a contributing author in the Encyclopaedia Britannica, the Oxford Encyclopedia of Dance, the Danish National Encyclopedia, Jazz: The First Century, Discover Jazz, and The American National Biography.
Documentaries : Rusty has appeared in many dance documentaries, including the BBC's "Fascinating Rhythms - The Story of Tap," Warner Home Video's Astaire and Rogers: Partners in Rhythm (2006) Box Set documentary, Bravo's This Joint Is Jumpin' (2000), and the 2016 swing dance documentary, Alive and Kicking (2016).
Tap Dancer : Rusty began her dancing career at the tender age of six, when she saw her first Shirley Temple movie ("I wanna do that!"). She started with tap dancing, studying with many of the great tap masters, including her mentor, Louis Da Pron, as well as Fayard Nicholas, Brenda Bufalino, Steve Condos, Gene Nelson, Miriam Nelson, LaVaughn Robinson, Robert Scheerer, Lou Wills Jr., Leonard Reed, Dorothy Toy, Glenn Turnbull, Katherine Hopkins Nicholas, and Jon Zerby. She has tap danced professionally over the years with The San Francisco Tap Troupe, Six Feet (Wayne Doba, Rodney Price), Pedal Extremities (Walter Freeman, Mark Mendonca, Michael Rainey), Tapology (Patti Meagher), The Rhythm Rascals (Walter Freeman), Mulligan and Whitmore "Tops in Taps" (Chester Whitmore), The Rhythm Pals (Alfred Desio), and Greg Gast.
Musical Theatre : Rusty has appeared in featured roles in many musical theater productions, including "42nd Street," "Babes In Arms," "Dames at Sea," "Stepping Out," "5, 6, 7, 8," and "Mack & Mabel"
Lindy Hopper : In 1996, Rusty added another great American dance to her repertoire -- Lindy Hop, also known as Jitterbug or Swing Dance when she saw The Jiving Lindy Hoppers ("I wanna do that!"). She moved to the United Kingdom for two years and partnered with world-renowned English Lindy Hopper Simon Selmon, together making numerous television, movie, radio, festival, and special event appearances. The highlight for the team included a fifty-one city European tour as the specialty dance act for the big band stage show "In The Mood - A Tribute to Glenn Miller," featuring The Herb Miller Orchestra (Glenn's younger brother!) Rusty returned to the United States in 1998, making her home in Southern California. She teamed up with Peter Flahiff, in the act "Swing Shift" from 1998-2002, founding the swing dance school, "Lindy by the Sea," and the weekly dance, "The Rhythm Club."
Rusty's Rhythm Club & Lindy by the Sea In 2003, the club was renamed "Rusty's Rhythm Club" (upon Peter's retirement), and Lindy By The Sea teachers have since included Ron Campbell (2003-present), Giovanni Quintero (2003-2014), and Ted Stanley (2014-present).
Producer/Choreographer : In 1989, 1990, and 1991, Rusty produced, directed, and appeared in the sellout all-star tap revue "Jazz Tap"! featuring the Nicholas Brothers, Savion Glover, Jeni LeGon, Arthur Duncan, and Brenda Bufalino. In 2000, Rusty, together with composer, arranger, band leader Bill Elliott, produced the stage musical revue "Swingin' The Century - The Big Band Show" featuring the Bill Elliott Swing Orchestra and Rusty's performance team "The Jitterbugs". The sell-out show was restaged in 2001. Her choreography credits include productions on stage, film, and niteclubs. She choreographed swing dance sequences for the Fox television show "Quintuplets"'s episode "Swing Swing Swing." Her associated choreographies to "Jeep Jockey Jump" and "Shout and Feel It" have entered into the staples of swing dancer routines throughout the world along with the historic Shim Sham, Lindy Chorus, and California Routine. In 2016, Rusty was featured with legendary 1940s Lindy Hopper, Jean Veloz, and Steve Conrad on The Bachelorette; The three choreographed a swing dance "date."
Dance Instructor : Rusty is a highly sought after teacher of Tap, Lindy Hop, Balboa, Collegiate Shag, and Charleston at international dance camps, including the Herrang Dance Camp, Sweden; Boogie Baren's, Germany; Perth Hullabaloo, Australia, Dance Explosion, Norway; Russia's first Lindy Hop Festival, London Lindy Hop Festival, England; Mainz Dance Camp, Germany; International Tap Dance Camp, Finland; Tappin', in Scotland & SEAJam in Thailand, and special workshops in China, Norway, and Belgium; and nationally at Swing Camp Catalina, California; Harvest Moon Swing Out, California; Flying Home; Washington, DC; Detroit Tap Festival; the St. Louis Tap Festival; Tap City and Tradition In Tap, New York; The Groovie Movie Weekend, Washington D.C.: Swing Dance U.S. A., Florida, and The Roaring Twenties Street Jam, California; Tap for Joy, Washinton; Tap In, Berkeley, California..
Event Producer : Rusty has produced three major events in Los Angeles: Her "Decade of Dance" (celebrating the 10-year anniversary of her Lindy by the Sea school and Rusty's Rhythm Club dances), A Night at the Hollywood Canteen, and, along with Hilary Alexander, "A Tribute to the Groovie Movie, 2010" (pictured below with the then three surviving dancers from the 1944 short film).
Recording Artist One of Rusty's dreams came true, when she joined the legion of tap dancers to record. Rusty's taps and background singing can be found on the Jive Aces' "Singin' In The Rain."
Professional Dancers Society : Rusty is on the Board of Directors for The Professional Dancers Society (with a mission statement "Dancers helping Dancers"), and emeritus board member of the Academy of Dance on Film.
On Tap - Instructional Tap Dance and Lindy Hop : Rusty owns and operates On Tap! through which she promotes dance productions, offers special dance workshops, presents historical programs, and markets dance supplies. Rusty is the creator and producer of the "Tapping With The Masters" instructional tap dance DVD series, which includes "Leonard Reed's Shim Sham Shimmy" and "Eddie Brown's B.S. Chorus." She is also the producer of a line of instructional swing dance Lindy Hop DVDs, including "Lindy Hop Levels 1, 2, & 3", "The Track Series" (with Ron Campbell), and "Legends of Swing Jean Veloz & Ray Phelps." You may find information on her products at On Tap.
Rosie! In 2014, Rusty appeared as Rosie The Riveter in the Opening Ceremonies of the Rose Parade, watched by 400,000,000 people around the world. Who knew that was on her Bucket List; apparently so!
Education : Rusty received Double Honors in Environmental Studies and Public Policy from UC Santa Cruz, and a graduate degree from The University of San Francisco in Public Administration.
