Tradition in Tap Award to Rusty Frank November 10th 2007

Read by Germaine Salsberg on behalf of Avi Miller, Ofer Ben, Germaine Salsberg and the entire advisory board of Tradition in Tap

There is someone here whose tremendous passion for tap dance and its great masters has propelled her into making a huge contribution to the field. And today we would like to honor this person.

Rusty Frank, though I only met her in person yesterday, has been a name that, to me, as an educator, I know well. Her book Tap - the Greatest Tap Dance Stars and Their Stories 1900-1955 is such an incredible resource of history, information and knowledge that, as far as I know, is unparalleled. It sets the standard for further books by a new generation of tap historians .

Her DVDs of the masters give us not only steps and routines, but interviews and background on the person that is so full of love and respect that we feel we actually know the person after viewing the DVD.

Rusty is also an accomplished performer in reviews and shows, as well as a producer of many stage revues and television specials featuring tap dancers such as Savion Glover, Jeni Le Gon, the Nicholas Brothers, Arthur Duncan, and Brenda Bufalino. Also in 1996 Rusty decided to add Lindy hop to her repertoire, and has since established herself as a leading performer and teacher in that idiom as well.

As a result of her huge contribution to tap dance, she has been the recipient of multiple awards including the American Tap Dance Foundation's Tap Dance Preservation Award, and the Historic Preservation Award from the Art Deco Society of California. And now we are adding to that by honoring her with the Tradition in Tap Award for Outstanding Achievements Significant Contributions to the Art and Tradition of Tap Dance.

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