Phillips: Dancing nachos belong to the ages

By By Michael Phillips (Contact)

Tuesday, December 6, 2005

This semester, from football to basketball and volleyball in between, there has been plenty to talk about. But today, in the final “Dancing Nachos” of the semester, I’d like to deal with another important topic: dancing nachos.

I am referring to the animation that was part of the old, Lite-Brite style scoreboard and has been transferred to the new Allen Fieldhouse videoboard.

The animation consists of a few tortilla chips that conga line onto the screen, their chip bodies supported by toothpick legs and flailing arms. After a few seconds of dancing, the nachos fall into a bowl, with the word “cheese” floating above them that melts onto the nachos in a way only primitive animation techniques could allow.

The dancing nachos were on the brink of extinction last spring when David Pedersen saved them.

“Two of us went and set a camera up and shot all the different stuff that came up,” Pedersen, assistant director of video services, said.

The intention was to save them in the event of a “retro” theme night, but Pedersen had another reason to document history.

“We just had certain things there that were so good and so a part of Allen Fieldhouse we really wanted to keep them,” he said.

The nachos did not have to wait long to make their first appearance on the video board when KU students and brothers Derek Weber and Taylor Hart came to a game dressed as the energetic edibles.

Weber, a Lawrence senior, was able to convince his brother to go along with the idea.

“We went to Hobby Lobby about two hours before the game,” Hart, Lawrence junior, said. “It only took us half an hour to make them.

The nachos were well-received by the brothers’ camping group, and Pedersen took notice as well.

“When those guys were there we realized we needed to get it out,” he said.

Weber and Hart are also contemplating a re-creation of another classic: the referee who blows on a bubble-gum whistle to musically announce fouls. Hart said that feat would be harder. Pedersen said other vintage animations may also get some face time this season, but he does not hesitate when asked what his favorite is.

“Dancing nachos. Hands down,” he said.

After entertaining generations of concession connoisseurs, the animation continues to find a home in the Fieldhouse.

Retired University employee Dick Bennett assisted with the old scoreboard operations. He said the animation came packaged with the scoreboard, sold by Fair-Play, Inc. It is the classic story of an underdog that fought its way onto Lawrence’s biggest stage.

“Dancing Nachos” will continue to run in the Kansan next semester, but the dancing nachos do not belong to me. They do not belong to Weber and Hart. They do not even belong to Fair-Play, Inc.

No, the dancing nachos belong to the ages.

Phillips is a Wichita junior in journalism.

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