The dancing makes this movie the fabulous classic that it is. I could watch a million times, and still be in love with it

Rating: 10/10 (19 November 2012)

It could be the summer atmosphere, or the time frame of simpler days, or maybe it's the forbidden love between the ultimate bad boy and daddy's little girl, and the music that perfectly sets the mood for each scene; but what I think what makes the movie, Dirty Dancing, so intriguing is simply the dancing itself. We've all seen those movies where we leave the theater thinking we can sing any song, or move to any beat that comes our way, and this is one of those movies. The dancing is different from any other movie, because although it takes place in the sixties, the dancing is so much more risqué than anything movie watchers were accustomed to seeing at that point in time. While using older songs combined with young, sensual dancing the movie is able to reach out to an audience with a variety of ages.
The movie introduces its unique dancing early on, automatically intriguing the viewers to question things like "Did people really dance like that?" and "Could I learn how?" The movie is able to reach out to these common people by having the main character, Baby Houseman, witness the dancing for the very first time and shows her utter shock, but also her desire to know more. As the plot continues and the characters become more developed the dancing becomes not only a sight to see, but also it leaves a window for inferences to be made. As Baby is trained to dance by bad-boy Johnny the viewers begin to wonder if their sensual dancing will ever lead to something more? This movie is able to take the typical idea of "boy meets girl, boy and girl fall in love" and completely make it new, unique, and fascinating all through the use of dance.
As Baby and Johnny get to know each other better throughout their training process, the movement of their dancing goes from simply following the motions, and transitions to actually feeling the music and even expressing their inner feelings for one another. As their love affair grows so does the viewers love and desire to see more and more dancing. The movie does a great job creating the idea that the characters are their truest selves in dancing scenes more than any other.
I think so many people enjoy the movie because it doesn't just tell a love story, but shows one. It is able to show a love story not by the characters words but by their choreography. Before Baby or Johnny even declares their feelings for one another it is seen in the way their dancing morphs over time, from impersonal to all consuming. To the characters in the movie, their raunchy dancing is a way to rebel against the expectations of the generations above them, and through this the movie gives the audience a sense of defiance and the idea that they should be proud to do what they love, no matter what society may think.
Over all it is so difficult to pin-point what makes Dirty Dancing the wonderful, cliché classic that it is, but the dancing aspect I feel is what ties the intriguing plot, the charismatic characters, the music, and the beautiful setting all together to create something more than a romantic drama. Dirty Dancing is one of those movies I could watch time after time and only grow more in love with it. It has the perfect amount of drama, romance, conflict, and cheesy monologues to satisfy all my desires when watching a movie. Because of this movie the song Time of My Life will always strike a chord in my heart and dancing will never be quite as great unless it's Dirty Dancing.