On Wednesday night I posted a comment to facebook about how we don't spend enough time celebrating the dancer in the trademark "Stop Sign" shorts from the Young MC video for "Bust a Move". I was about 14 when this song was big, and I knew enough then to know that the bassist in the video was Flea from the California-based Red Hot Chili Peppers (who might be a thing one day).
The video is below. You can find the dancer in question around the 1:05 mark.
Well, in 1989-ish, you couldn't not hear this song, and from 1989 until the end of time, you couldn't not like the song. It's a staple of Gen X music consumption that was sort of universally beloved, kind of like the work of Tone Loc (also written by Young MC) and "The Humpty Dance" by Digital Underground.
It was a different time.
Lets just say that the performer left an impression, enough so that in 2013, if you say "Stop Sign Shorts", I know exactly what you're talking about.
But who was the woman behind the shorts? (so to speak)
Turns out her name is Cindyana Santangelo. This is some minor league Google search wizardry, and you can thank me later.
What I didn't know is that she's also the voice from the beginning of the 1990 Jane's Addiction album, Ritual de lo Habitual. And if you were a sulky kid in 1990, chances are, you know exactly what I'm talking about.
Just watch the first part of the video and it'll come back to you here 23 years on.
Well, I assure you that video seemed relevant at the time.
LA must have been a bit smaller of a town than I realized back then, what with all the Jane's Addiction/ Chili Peppers/ Young MC cross-pollination going on. Oddly, I feel less awkward watching a Young MC video today than I do remembering being really, really into Jane's Addiction from about 1989-1993.
I'm shocked to learn that the two were so close together as, in my mind, they seem incredibly separated, but I'd moved and made the passage to being a bit older and more sullen by the time I was anticipating new Jane's Addiction albums, I guess. But, dang, we all still loved Young MC! Everyone find a way to send Young MC a dollar on paypal.
Anyway, point is: After imprinting herself heavily upon my malleable 14 year old psyche, I now know who this person is (Cindyana Santangelo!) and a wee bit about her. Because she's got a website. She's an actress!
Look here.
She's apparently been on CSI and appeared on a reality show as a client on Million Dollar Listing and was on a show that didn't get picked up about Housewives of Malibu.
She also appears to run something called "Mermaid Cove Sober Living" in Malibu.
So, wherever you are Cindyana, we salute you.
29 comments:
You know, I had never seen that video for Stop.
I also still dig Janes Addiction...saw them live a couple years back, and even with a broken foot Perry put on a great show.
Jane's Addiction hardly ever got video play back in the day, which I always found odd. They were kind of huge in their market.
Saw them once in Austin circa Spring of 1991 and at the first Lollapalooza in Dallas that same year, I guess.
Never saw Young MC.
I'm not sure what it would be like to try to see Jane's Addiction again now. We've both changed a bit.
Seems like Been Caught Stealin' was played quite a bit, but maybe that's just how I'm remembering it. It is a pretty amazing video.
I wish I would have seen them back in the day, but they didn't quite hit my radar until after they had imploded.
Minus the newer stuff (Theme song from Entourage...) I still like to throw JA on every not and then. I also dig Dave Navarro as a guitarist (Janes, RHCP album, Deconstruction, Solo...).
Jane's Addiction was a tribal band that was primarily meant to resonate with a wild eyed teenage/early 20's League. They did not write music for the scotch sippin', backyard grillin', 37.8 year old codger who now frequents Glenn Miller concerts and applauds polite manners in a listening audience!
Different times, different crimes, man.
But the "Stop Sign Hot Pants" are an evergreen concept.
Thank you, thank you, thank you! I searched and searched but could not find her name a few years ago. I had NO idea she was the same girl in the beginning of the Stop! video. My mystery crush of 25 years finally has a name.
Glad to help out. You know, this is, day in and day out, by far the most popular post on this blog. My traffic is minuscule, but this post has almost 7000 hits. If I never do another thing for humanity, giving a name to the girl in the stop sign shorts will have been enough for me.
She also goes by the name Cindy Lehre. She appears briefly in the movie The Adventures of Ford Fairlane as the character Lydia in the back of the hearse that Ford Fairlane is driving in the chase scene through the graveyard.
HOLY CATS! More info! This is terrific!
Great detective work finding who she is.
I have always been interested in who the other dancer in the video is also.
I am referring to to the woman with the sunglasses and the longer hair who is seen dancing on the stairs behind yound mc throughout the video.
I would LOVE to know who that dancer is, and I have no doubt that if I say the truth "I looked for her and couldn't figure it out, her digital footprint is just too small", then the answer will come floating in through the internet ether within days. So, I'll post as soon as I figure it out!
Someone on Youtube posted that the other dancer you are talking about died of a heroin overdose. I'd love to know more too.
Ya I read that too. The other one died of a heroin overdose. Sad.
I could have sworn that the girl dancing in the stop sign shorts was Miss Lady Kier singer in Dee Lite-sure looks like her, but I guess I was wrong- as I usually am.
Well, this is what my digging turned up, but I can honestly say that nothing would have brought be greater pleasure than to report that it was Lady Miss Kier in the stop sign shorts. I was a Deee-Lite fan back in the day. Now, I'm always open to evidence that suggests otherwise. But you can see the un-sunglassed face of the dancer elsewhere in the video, and while I may be wrong, I'm about 95% certain it's not her.
But let's give it up for Lady Miss Kier, anyway. She's pretty great.
I just find the video some weeks ago and since the first time I saw her I think "wow, she is really really hot" and try to search for my own until some days later I found this blog.
But its kinda a bittersweet discovery for me, when I google her to se how she looks like this days I feel bad that she put a of lot plastic surgery in her body, and more obvious in her face, those natural hot lips are gone, and her face look very diferent (thanks botox), and I mean, I know she is not in her 20s like she was in the 1980s, but she was a really gorgeous women, she didnt need to do that! Well, that is my entire opinion, anyway, she was, and she is a beautifull sexy woman, and I am happy that finally found her name.
Lol! I still have a crush on her, albeit, the woman of nearly thirty years ago.
Let’s have more info on the other girl on the steps
Hi Kevin
Since I posted this 5 years ago, I've made a few attempts to learn more, but I've turned up nothing. I'm not exactly an "inside showbiz" kind of guy, so beyond the power of Google, I don't really have enough tools to dig up more. And, believe me, I wish I could figure it out. I'll give it another go soon, and if I turn anything up, I'll let you know.
Google search "bust a move biker shorts dancer" brings up this article:
http://www.offbeat.com/articles/find-girl-robin-power-royal-prince/
Robin Power Royal
Images of her show a beauty mark on her right cheek. Playing the music video slo-mo show the dancer appearing to have the same beauty mark.
Just watch the video on MTV classic and had to take to the Internet here during quarantine 2020 and I gotta say much love to everybody who wrote a piece on this
Proud to be of service!
thanks
So many people claim "oh yeah, Jane's Addiction, that was for angry/angsty teens, I'm kind of embarrassed I liked them."
The music is phenomenal. Still.
It's more embarrassing to now be embarrassed that you "used" to like them!
Okay. But, like, am I not allowed to grow and change since I was 16? And maybe be aware that I am not that kid any more? I don't regret anything about liking them, seeing them play, etc... And maybe this is more about whatever persona I thought I needed in 1992 than it is about the band?
I’m going to see Young MC this Saturday (March 30, 2024) and I NEVER forgot about Cindyana. Thank you for finding her name. She left a mark in that video. I thought she was so cool the way she just turned around to show the stop signs on the back of her shorts. Love the song! Love the video! Great work uncovering her. You saved me a chunk of time. Thank you!😊
doing The Lord's work over here!
I was just thinking of her. She made an impression.
Her name is Cindyana Santangelo. Her IMDB is here.
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0499866/
I'm so jealous 😫
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