THE HISTORY OF WEST COST SWING DANCES AT FRANKLIN PARK
The original Chicago Rebels Swing Dance Club was established in 1996 under the leadership of Yvonne Antonacci with board members Carmen Passi, Richard Cooper, Kathleen Sauser, Danny Gallichio, Joanie Gallichio, and Arthur Johnson, becoming the first dance club in the Chicagoland area to focus on West Coast Swing. In 2004, a new board—led by Glen Miller, Nancy Tuzzolino, Carlos Garcia, Mark Madia & Jimmy Mulligan continued to expand the West Coast Swing community and promote dancing throughout the region. In 2022, the Chicago Rebels came under the direction of Glen Miller, but the club’s mission has remained the same: to share the joy of West Coast Swing dancing with as many people as possible.
Glen Miller sadly passed away in May of 2025. The legacy of dances at Franklin Park will continue under the new direction of April Prince with an advisory board of Elizabeth Gutzwiler, Beth Niedoborski, Tanya Wells-Cranshaw, and Brad Wendt.