It Takes Dough to Tango
The neon tango dancers that have been in a state of suspended animation (above Sahara Grill at Bidwell) for far too long will soon be re-illuminated. There was a time when people who thought of Elmwood thought of the neon dancers (and blue neon strips) that have long since flickered out.
"It’s been broken for as long as I can remember,” Justin Azzarella, Director of the Elmwood Association, told me. “Barbra Kavanaugh of the Buffalo Argentine Tango Society spearheaded this project. She called me and asked who owned them. Then she got involved and brought a group of tango dancers in from NYC. The show was a fundraiser that raised money to repair the neon. Then North District Councilmember Joseph Golembek matched the sum of money (and even exceeded it) needed to fix it. I would think that the dancers will be working very soon. All of the blue neon and the tango dancers were, I believe, part of a public art project back in the late 70's or early 80's. We’ve been finding out that many blue neon strips that we thought were broken were just turned off. Like Michael and David from ‘room’ just discovered that their neon was just switched off. Now it’s back on.”
Sandy Hertel, from Elmwood Village Fabrics remembers the tango dancers well. I remember when they were first lit up. I was in college. I worked for the company (Litelab) that created the lighting control when it first went up. It’s a great icon for the area. Cool! The whole block will be excited.
Coincidentally, Sue Morfino, proprietor of ShoeFly on Elmwood, is in the works to tentatively spearhead an effort that would restore much of the blue neon strips that don the building facades between Bidwell and Forest. The restoration of these tango dancers and the possible repair of the blue neon lighting would definitely go a long way toward re-energizing the old ‘neon strip’.
On September 15th there will be another tango workshop that will raise even more funds for the neon dancers and their future upkeep. For additional information on that event to be held at the Niagara Frontier Legion Post on Amherst Street, just click here.
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TheWhyNotGuy
Newell's too modest to mention it, but the idea to restore the neon tango dancers was his, and it originated right here on BRO.
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dpbflo
awesome.. everytime i drove by i wondered who owned it and if it would ever be fixed.. COOL!
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rickyrick
More neon lights and creative ads would be nice to see all over the city.
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davvid
bring back green lightning!
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NBJOHN
Not sure - It would be great to see the tango dancers fixed and neon adds quite a bit of pizzazz (green red white on Hertel would be neat), but in a city strapped for cash, with people strapped for cash....things that require a ton of maintenance and upkeep maybe should have a hard look taken at them
Just my opinion
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sally
Great news about the Tango dancers, now what about their companion piece the rising moons?
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42nate
Yay, Barbra, yay Joe, yay Newell! Big pats on the back all around!
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skarnath
Nice follow-up by both Newell & Barbara! Congratulations! This piece of public art is still captivating, even half lit. "Tango Dancers rising again" is a wonderful little example of art imitating life in Buffalo. Perhaps Buffalo Rising could do a post on the artist - Laura Rankin - a 1970 graduate of Iroquois, who is now a noted children's book author and illustrator living in Maine.
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luluofnorth
Those dancers were there in the mid-70's. Will be nice to see them dancing again...
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mac1234
I remember that sign lit up and dancing when i was a kid, im glad this is happening
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queenseyes
Sally, what a flashback. What year was that?
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Martin
I remember when it all first lit up, I was in college in lived on Bidwell. Elmwood looked great. Since Buffalo is the "City of Light" I would love to see all the neon back up and running, including the "Rising Moon". In fact more around the city would look awesome.
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ljcolucci
Thanks to Newell for re-lighting Elmwood!
Joe Aliotta (original owner of Mr. Goodbar) was the force behind the Tango Dancers and the Blue Neon back in the late 1970's! Community Development Block Grant money with help from Joseph E. Ryan of the City's Citizens' Advisory Committee was tapped to finance the project that went from Forest down to Bryant Street.
To this day the City of Buffalo receives close to $20,000,000 million per year to finance various 'community' projects'. Part of the application process says: there MUST BE Community Involvement as to How this Money is Spent? We must ask ourselves: are we inviolved in how public funding is spent? Have we been participating as to how $20,000,000 million per year of Community Development Revenue Sharing is being spent?' Should Elmwood and other commercial areas in the City of Buffalo be receiving help to improve their areas or should millions be spent to develop new shopping areas on the waterfront and elsewhere? And should any of the millions be spent for 'Administrative' expenses? WE MUST GET INVOLVED (so wrong decisions do not continue)!
We must think about backing Newell to run for Mayor!
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Perry
Good news...those dancers and the blue lights are part of the Elmwood experience. As for Green Lightning, Simon Griffis told me a the story of how the piece was built over at the Essex Arts Center - and how the artist was unwavering in his vision...and then the piece was demolished by non-art lover, Mayor Jimmy Griffin almost immediately.
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SkaJack
I believe that sign was first lit up in the fall of 1982 - Making this the 25th anniversary
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SkaJack
Green Lightning was not destroyed - it was plowed in by Mayor Griffin shortly after it was lit up.
The real blame for the PR catastrophe lies at the feet of David More, who got his City Hall job through his mother. He was in charge of approving art installations. The artist, Billy Lawless, brought slides of his "dancing milk bones" to the meeting in More's office. And raather then go through the aggrevation of having to actually turn on the slide projector - More held the sldes up to the light, closed one eye, and approved of the piece. At the wineter unveiling, the lights went on, and the "dancing milk bones: were immediatly recognizable as "dancing penises" It lives today in Chicago.
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300miles
Great News. Friends from out-of-town always asked me about the sign, even though it's not entirely working now. It will be great to see it the way it's meant to look. I don't think I've ever seen it completely lit!
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BuffedOut
I well remember those signs. They were representative of the area and especially appropriate because the project was down the street from the Albright Knox. But, alas, like so much in Buffalo, the project was left to die. I wonder if the same artistic spirit still lives.
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BuffaloItalianGuy
There used to be some interactive blue neon lighting at Lafayette Square. I remember when it was brand new back in the 1980's. There were sensors built into the metal railings that would turn the lights on and off as you'd walk past them. When I walked through Lafayette Square on a recent night, I noticed none of that lighting works anymore. Isn't Buffalo Place responsible for it's upkeep?
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eliz
All the neon, including the moon and tango dancers, was installed in 1982, as part of a community development grant through the city. I don't see why the city shouldn't help restore it.
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DanielSack
Joe Aliotta had nothing to do with the neon project. I’m not criticizing Joe - perhaps he worked to get the City to spend money on Elmwood - but I know first hand that he did not work on the neon project.
Larry Quinn (then Commissioner of Community Development) asked me if I could present some design ideas to the Office of Economic Revitalization (under Susan O’Connor), perhaps using lights. The Department tried to have period lamp posts installed but received no cooperation from Niagara Mohawk. Ralph Cammarata, the late Elmwood Avenue Director of Economic Revitalization, had the tough job of convincing building and business owners to accept the project. He got 59 of 60 businesses between Forest and West Delavan to participate.
I hired artist Laura Rankin and film maker Andy Ferullo to work with me on concepts and designs for the project. The project was ostensibly for “economic revitalization” - I’ll leave it to others to judge its success.
The project could have continued south but two business owners thought neon had no place on “tasteful” Elmwood Avenue and they asked Mayor Griffin to have the neon removed. I argued that neon is no more to blame for ugly neon signs than paint is to blame for ugly painted signs.
The “Moonrise” mural on the north side of Half and Half was painted over for and ArtVoice ad.
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barbrakav
I am so happy this project has generated so much buzz! Along with Dan, Justin and Newell whose support was so important to making this happen, spreading the word, and providing support, history, contacts and suggestions, I want to also thank CouncilmemberJoe Golombek. who was instantly on board when I called his office. Now I hope folks will come to the Sept. 15 dinner-dance - you don't have to dance, but there will be a beginner lesson and willing partners for those who want to try it....last time, about 1/2 of the folks didn't dance, but they loved the perforamnces, demonstrations, music, dinner - this time, we have a theme "The Golden Age of Tango" and folks are being invited (not required) to dress accordingly (think 1920s, 30s, 40s). But I do need to know by Monday - for information - e-mail buffmilonguera@aol.com...
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salamooch
Those dancers DEFINE Buffalo! They ARE Buffalo!! First came the dancers THEN came Buffalo!
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