How to do the lift from dirty dancing

Follow our step-by-step guide to recreate the classic Dirty Dancing scene without ending up in hospital

RECREATING the iconic Dirty Dancing lift would be the time of their lives on their wedding day . . . they hoped.

But bride-and-groom-to-be Sharon Price and Andy Price ended up in casualty after their disastrous rehearsal of Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey’s famed scene from the 1987 film.

This is the moment bride and groom to be try to recreate the iconic Dirty Dancing lift but both ending up in A&E insteadCredit: SWNS:South West News Service

The dancing couple - Sharon Price and groom-to-be Andy PriceCredit: SWNS:South West News Service

Images of unconscious Andy, 51, and 52-year-old Sharon lying winded beside him, went viral this week and the couple are now rethinking their first dance.

The pair from Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, are not alone.

Groom Mike Snell, 36, needed a knee reconstruction after his wedding attempt in 2015.

He also missed his honeymoon to Jamaica and nearly died from blood poisoning after picking up an infection in hospital.

In the same year Scotsman Gary Mackay, 28, broke his leg in a bar when he and a woman tried the move.

MOST READ IN LIVING

MAKEUP MISHAPS

I’m a makeup artist, these two mistakes are making you look older

HOT TO TROT

I’m fat - trolls always put me down but I love dressing up in hot outfits

TOO HOT

I'm too attractive for my job, people can never guess it because I look so young

HO HO NO

Lady reveals her list of gifts NO woman wants - and everyone's praising her

Actress Jennifer, who played Baby in the film, said in an interview: “I don’t know how all these people who re-enact it have the guts to throw themselves into the arms of anyone other than Patrick Swayze. It’s insane.”

So to help avoid any future injuries, we have enlisted the help of professional dancer and dance teacher Pip Amer, 24, from Chiswick, West London, to show us how it should be done . . .

Step 1

Step 1 - The couple needs to be separated with enough distance in betweenCredit: Oliver Dixon

COUPLE should be separated with enough distance between them for the female to run towards the male dancer.

It helps for the female to be elevated on a platform but it is not necessary.

Step 2

Step 2 - The female must run with speed and no hesitationCredit: Oliver Dixon

AS the female runs towards the male, she must go at speed. She who hesitates is lost.

Step 3

Step 3 - The woman must have a stiff posture and engaging her abdominal musclesCredit: Oliver Dixon

THEN the male will squat and grab hold of the onrushing woman’s pelvis to ensure he holds her with stability.

The woman must be straight and have a stiff posture, engaging her abdominal muscles.

Step 4

Step 4 - The iconic life should be held for a few secondsCredit: Oliver Dixon

TO complete, the male will then return to standing position and the female will extend arms to side and cross legs for balance. The lift should be held for a few seconds.

Finally the male will lower into a squat position with the female lowering her legs to the floor.

He will then release her.

The male will then return to standing position and the female will extend arms to side and cross legs for balanceCredit: Oliver Dixon

Finally the male will lower into a squat position with the female lowering her legs to the floorCredit: Oliver Dixon

The verdict

BRAVE couple Joel Stribley and Samantha Fisher from Basingstoke, Hants, who have been together for 18 months, volunteered to follow Pip’s instructions under careful supervision.

Road worker and dancer Joel, 25, says: “It was challenging. I’m sure if we had a few drinks in a pub it could end badly as you really have to concentrate.”

Model and dancer Samantha, 25, says: “You really have to trust your partner.

“I was definitely nervous.”

What the expert says about that viral pics...

PRO dancer and dance teacher Pip Amer offers her take on the ill-fated rehearsal, saying:

Andy and Sharon in the pictures went wrong in a number of ways. First of all, both their postures were hunched therefore providing no strength for lift or engaging their abs.

Andy grabs Sharon by her armpits so they are totally off balance.

When Andy executes the lift he must be braced. Holding his core together with a lunging stance will help to lift Sharon.

The couple must have complete trust in one another.

“The key to this lift is confidence. Dancers have amazing physiques and they are trained to engage their muscles at the right times in the right places.

"This lift normally lends itself to a man with a bigger-built upper body and a woman whose frame is small and muscular, as she will be easier to lift."

I've set the goal of doing the "Dirty Dancing Lift" with my girlfriend by my birthday. She is a ballet dancer, I am not. What should I know? : BALLET

Looks like you're using new Reddit on an old browser. The site may not work properly if you don't update your browser ! If you do not update your browser, we suggest you visit old reddit .

Press J to jump to the feed. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts

Search all of Reddit

Found the internet!

Feeds

Popular

Topics

ValheimGenshin ImpactMinecraftPokimaneHalo InfiniteCall of Duty: WarzonePath of ExileHollow Knight: SilksongEscape from TarkovWatch Dogs: Legion

NFLNBAMegan AndersonAtlanta HawksLos Angeles LakersBoston CelticsArsenal F.C.Philadelphia 76ersPremier LeagueUFC

GameStopModernaPfizerJohnson & JohnsonAstraZenecaWalgreensBest BuyNovavaxSpaceXTesla

CardanoDogecoinAlgorandBitcoinLitecoinBasic Attention TokenBitcoin Cash

The Real Housewives of AtlantaThe BachelorSister Wives90 Day FianceWife SwapThe Amazing Race AustraliaMarried at First SightThe Real Housewives of DallasMy 600-lb LifeLast Week Tonight with John Oliver

Kim KardashianDoja CatIggy AzaleaAnya Taylor-JoyJamie Lee CurtisNatalie PortmanHenry CavillMillie Bobby BrownTom HiddlestonKeanu Reeves

Animals and PetsAnimeArtCars and Motor VehiclesCrafts and DIYCulture, Race, and EthnicityEthics and PhilosophyFashionFood and DrinkHistoryHobbiesLawLearning and EducationMilitaryMoviesMusicPlacePodcasts and StreamersPoliticsProgrammingReading, Writing, and LiteratureReligion and SpiritualityScienceTabletop GamesTechnologyTravel

Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations.

BALLET

r/BALLET

About Community

r/BALLET

A community for ballet dancers and enthusiasts. On mobile check out the about section to access the Side 'Barre ' and learn more

Created Apr 25, 2010

31.8k

Dancers

122

At the barre

Dirty Dancing: Dance to the Heartbeat

Dirty Dancing is a 1987 cult American melodrama starring Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey. social dances.

This is how sparingly and uncomplicatedly Wikipedia describes the film, after which the name of Patrick Swayze became the catalyst for red cheeks and stupid giggles among young ladies. Watched it in the late 80s and early 90's only in the circle of close friends and friends, hiding from their parents as far as possible. Now times have changed, but the goosebumps from Dirty Dancing continue to tickle your back.

Baby and Johnny are in the center of the audience's attention. Baby is a girl from a wealthy family of a doctor who personifies the American dream. Johnny is just Johnny. A free dancer who earns a living by entertaining the public.

What is Dirty Dancing?

Dirty dances in the film are dances performed at a service staff party in a small American boarding house where the main character is resting. There, Baby is faced with the other side of her own life: people who plow until they pass out during the day, and in the evening splash out emotions in dances. Half-naked, tart, very intimate. There she meets Johnny, who will become her partner, first in dancing, and then in life.

“Yes, I am afraid of everything, I am afraid that I will leave this room and not feel what I feel now. Dance with Me.

— Here?

- Yes.

In fact, classic dirty dancing is shown in only one scene - just at the very party in the boarding house. They are not tied to any of the styles, although they have much in common with Latin American genres. They were performed spontaneously, many movements were invented directly in front of the camera.

Everything that starts after the party - training and performance - is a Cuban mambo with a splash of salsa and other Latin American revelations.

Mambo in Dirty Dancing

Mambo is a Latin American dance brought to the New World by African-American black slaves. It was performed in stuffy rooms to rhythmic music (4 by 4) after a hard day's work. In the middle of the 20th century, it also spread among the white population, but until the end of the era of racism in America, it was customary to hide its social origin.

The name of the dance comes from the name of the militant deity "mambo", and some of the movements are references to the ancient ritual dance.

Dirty Dancing staging

Baby and Johnny's performances were choreographed by Kenny Ortego, the most famous Hollywood choreographer, who became famous not only for Dirty Dancing, but also for staging Michael Jackson's show tours.

The film's final dance, which is especially complex and especially intimate, used unique supports that are used in modern. These supports became the highlights of the production. The frame is rhythmic steps, rotations, hugs, characteristic of mambo, rumba, salsa.

Today the final dance was dismantled every second and put together again to be staged at weddings, festivals, dance studios. It is complex, but its beauty is worth working on yourself and your movements.

However, it is easy to create your own "dirty dance": it is enough to get acquainted with Latin American programs a little and memorize a couple of movements. Dirty Dancing is only possible when it comes from the heart.

Author:

Movies about dance that change everything in life

December 11, 2021

Kristina Ukolova

To get to know yourself, challenge others, feel the taste for life and get out of the quagmire of despair, sometimes you just need to dance. Details - in the new collection of "Rambler".

Photo: Shot from the movie Hold the Beat Shot from the movie Keep the Beat

Easy Virtue

Video of the Day

An exquisite and witty melodrama about the conflict of a young American woman with the prim family of her new English husband in the twenties in the scenery years. Larita (Jessica Biel) and John (Ben Barnes) met in Monte Carlo, where the American won the Monaco Grand Prix. The Briton fell in love with an uninhibited widow who is fond of racing and got married. The newlyweds arrive in England, where Larita will have to experience the burden of all the unwritten rules of conduct adopted among the British aristocracy. Their personification is her mother-in-law, Mrs. Whittaker (Kristin Scott Thomas), who openly disapproves of her son's marriage. Moreover, she had chosen a bride for him a long time ago. Soon Larita realizes that John is giving in to his mother, and her willfulness begins to annoy him. But she unexpectedly finds understanding and support from her father-in-law, the reclusive World War I veteran James Whittaker (Colin Firth). The scandalous tango at a high-society reception puts all the dots in the tangled relationships of the characters.

Still from the movie Easy Virtue

Dirty Dancing

A low-budget box office hit that made young Patrick Swayze a star. His character Johnny entertains the boarding house guests with dances paired with Penny (Cynthia Rhodes). Their performance is seen by one of the guests - the daughter of wealthy parents, Francis, nicknamed Baby (Jennifer Grey). She accidentally learns that Penny is pregnant from the waiter and cannot dance. Then Francis offers to replace her until Penny solves the problem and even begs her father for money for her. Baby begins to study with Johnny, young people fall in love with each other, but Johnny's reputation is deliberately spoiled by one of the hotel's clients. It culminates in the couple's famous final dance, which is considered one of the most recognizable dance scenes in world cinema.

"Let's Dance"

An old-fashioned and cozy melodrama about a workaholic lawyer who, in an attempt to overcome his midlife crisis, starts dancing. John (Richard Gere) gives in to an impulse and enrolls in a ballroom dance studio. His teacher Pauline (Jennifer Lopez) is attracted to John, although the woman keeps her distance. Meanwhile, his wife Beverly (Susan Sarandon) suspects her husband of infidelity and even hires a private detective. But having found out where he disappears in the evenings, she decides to leave everything as it is and even comes to amateur competitions, in which her husband participates in a pair with the beautiful Polina. Dancing helps John figure out who he truly loves and what he wants from life.

A still from the film "Dirty Dancing"

"Keep the Beat"

The film tells the true story of professional dancer Pierre Dulain, who becomes a teacher at a regular school for inveterate hooligans. Young people are passionate about hip-hop and do not want to know anything about the classics. But Pierre, performed by the magnificent Antonio Banderas, does not give up and creates a unique style especially for them, mixing ballroom classics with hip-hop elements. The film is worth watching if only for the incredibly sensual tango of Antonio Banderas and Katya Virshilas.

"Scent of a Woman"

This famous film with the brilliant Al Pacino in the role of the blind Lieutenant Colonel Frank Slade has long been included in the golden fund of world cinema. But no less legendary was the tango scene from this picture. In an expensive restaurant, Frank meets and with the help of his assistant Charlie (Chris O'Donnell) communicates with a girl named Donna (Gabrielle Anwar), who is waiting for her companion. Frank invites Donna to a gentle and sad dance. Not being a climax, this episode will later turn out to be important for the hero.

A shot from the film Scent of a Woman

Burlesque

Ali (Christina Aguilera) dreams of singing, dancing and performing on stage in general, especially since she has nothing to keep her in her hometown, because she was left an orphan.