About Ruby

I left circus training to join the world of social dance in 2000. In 2001, I saw Frankie Manning tell the story of the battle of the bands between Chick Webb and Benny Goodman and his performance of the first air-steps. It was then that I realized that Swing Dance would last me for the rest of my life. After all, Frankie was 89 at the time and still going strong. During that fateful year, I immersed myself in dance classes, at one point taking 9 dance classes a week on a regular basis, including ballroom, latin, swing, break-dancing and tap.

Through Swing dancing I was invited to what at the time was an underground blues dance scene. By 2005 I was teaching and DJing at the first iterations of Friday Night Blues in San Francisco.

Not only a continual student of dance, I'm also a certified massage therapist and have studied other movement forms including Kung Fu, T'ai Chi and Iyengar Yoga.

    Significant Dance Activities
  • 2008 June: Debut Performance of the Lil' Smokies, a Jazz and Blues dance troupe at Down Home BluesShout in San Francisco. Group members included Aimee LeMaster and Rachel Singer for a smokin' hot performance of When The Lights Go Out by The Black Keys.
  • 2008 April: Began offering intermediate and beginning classes in Blues Dance in Chicago.
  • 2008 February-March: Five week teaching and performance tour in the UK for Ceroc with Lucky Skillen. This time we taught at Utopia, Swish, Storm and two specialist workshops focusing on Blues and Tango.
  • 2008 January: Began training with Breakbone Dance Company.
  • 2008 January: Re-formation of ChicagoSwingPractica, a weekly practice night for intermediate and advanced Swing and Blues dancers
  • 2007 September-November: Seven-week teaching and performing tour in England and Scotland with Lucky Skillen, teaching BLues and Swing for Ceroc, the international Modern Jive Organization. We taught at Bliss, Breeze, Blaze and Splash as well as two specialist workshops!
  • 2007 Attended the "Get Together" in Philadelphia - a dance retreat for instructors, hosted by Andrew Sutton, Brenda Collins and Friday Night Blues founder, Mihai Banlescu
  • 2007 Blues Summit in Denver: 2nd place, Jack & Jill with Stryder Crown
  • 2007 Blues-Shout in St. Louis: Jack & Jill Finalist with "Chocolate" Jeff Washington
  • 2007 Blues Rising in San Francisco: Jack & Jill Finalist
  • 2007 continued coordination of CUBE 07
  • 2006 co-created the first CUBE (Chicago Underground Blues Experience), a week-end of social dance focused around the Chicago Blues Festival
  • 2005 moved to Chicago, formed ChicagoSwingPractica - a regular Swing and Blues practice night
  • 2005 member of Friday Night Blues Council, regular instructor and DJ for Friday Night Blues
  • 2003 Member of SFBounce a flying Lindy-Hop Troupe
  • 2003 member of Hot Pink Feathers, a Samba Burlesque troupe
  • 2003 member of the Oaktown Alligators, a Balboa troupe coached by international champions, Steve Garrett and Heidi Salerno
  • 2001 President of San Francisco City College's West Coast Swing dance Club and member of its performance troupe
  • 1999-2000 Student at San Francisco School of Circus Arts, trained in Trapeze and Silk.
  • 1998 Choreographer and Performer in Miss Ooh La La's Cabaret, with choreographer, Krista DeNio
  • 1996-1998 Student at American Chinese Martial Arts Academy, including a year in the instructor training program.
  • 1995-1998 Regular Cabaret performer at "In Bed with Fairy Butch"

2007 All Rights Reserved by Ruby-Red Designs. Unless otherwise, noted photos by Rich Chang.