Watch the ballerina spin — Gottlieb’s 1966 Dancing Lady is an electromechanical four-player wrapped in a graceful theme of ballet and nightlife, and it comes from the dream team of designer Ed Krynski and artist Art Stenholm. Its signature charm is a piece of mechanical backbox animation: a ballerina who spins whenever the motor turns, a delightful bit of kinetic theater that brings the dancing theme to life. With reel scoring and a confirmed run of 2,675, it’s a lovely mid-’60s woodrail gem.
The playfield is a busy, engaging spread for its era: two flippers, four pop bumpers, a pair of slingshots, four standup targets, two kick-out holes, and — the distinctive feature — five carousel roto-targets, those spinning drum targets that add unique mechanical variety and a satisfying visual flourish to the action. That combination of roto-targets, bumpers, and standups gives a player plenty to work through, all while the ballerina pirouettes up top and the reels tick over. It’s the kind of animated, characterful design that made Gottlieb machines of this era so magical.
Dancing Lady is a wonderful showcase of Krynski and Stenholm’s craft, pairing an elegant theme with genuinely charming mechanical animation. The spinning ballerina is exactly the sort of delightful touch that gives these classic machines their soul, turning a game of pinball into a little stage show. For the collector who loves the animated wonders of the electromechanical age, it’s a graceful and rewarding find. Work those roto-targets, ride the bumpers, and let the lady dance. Some machines just have a magic to them, and this pirouetting Gottlieb beauty is one of them. Take a bow.