Brooklyn's Dancing Tower: Exhibit description from Brooklyn's Historical Society, Brooklyn NY
Our exhibition, “The Giglio: Brooklyn’s Dancing Tower,” celebrates what is probably the metropolitan area’s most spectacular religious procession. Indeed, the annual dancing of the giglio qualifies as one of the most dramatic outdoor events of any kind to be staged on a recurring basis in our city. Each year, during what is invariably the hottest part of the summer, the magnificent 3,000 pound giglio is lifted and danced before awestruck and enthusiastic crowds. The ritual pays homage to a patron saint, and it confirms the heritage and traditional values of the Italian community of Williamsburg.
The Brooklyn Historical Society is indebted to the members of that community. Nearly all of the objects in our exhibition have been loaned or donated by Italian residents of Williamsburg, people whose families have in most cases resided in the neighborhood for generations. We thank them for making this exhibition possible.
We would also like to thank the members of the Community Advisory Committee who provided guidance and assistance during the planning of the exhibition. The members were Sam Cangiano, Monsignor David L. Cassato, Ralph “Chi Chi” Galasso, Philip Manna, Salvatore “Sarge” Mirando, and Joseph Peluso, Jr.
Guest curators Dr. I. Sheldon Posen and Joseph Sciorra located and assembled the objects and photographs included in the exhibition. Drawing upon years of their own research and working closely with community members, they traced the history of the gigliio since it was first danced in America in Brooklyn in 1903. Dr. Posen and Mr. Sciorra were assisted by two academic consultants, Anna Lomax Chairetakis and Dr. Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett.
Keith Ragone designed the exhibition. The accompanying video was produced for the Society by Lyn Tiefenbacher and David Pentecost. A series of contemporary color photographs in the exhibition, courtesy of Citylore, Inc., were taken by New York City photographer Martha Cooper. Mary Ann Demos, the Society’s Curator of Exhibitions, coordinated the efforts of all those who contributed to the exhibition.
The exhibition was made possible by a major planning grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities and by additional support from the NewYork Council on the Humanities and the New York State Council on the Arts. The exhibition opened on November 17, 1989 and will run through the Spring of 1990.
David Kahn
Executive Director
The Brooklyn Historical Society
