Dirty Dancing and Improv: 5 Things They Have in Common

Dirty Dancing to me is one of those films so woven into my existence that I can’t have any kind of objective opinion on it, it’s just part of who I am. As is improv. So I suppose it was only a matter of time before my brain decided to spit out a Dirty Dancing-themed improv blog.

For those of you who don’t know it, here’s the plot of Dirty Dancing: The Haussman family go to the holiday camp called Kellerman’s. The youngest daughter, who everyone calls Baby, goes on a voyage of self-discovery which involves ballroom dancing, lying to her upstanding doctor father, and, of course, doing the nasty with Patrick Swayze. Add in some plot around theft, illegal abortion, and class conflict, and you’ve got yourself an ’80s classic. Plus it has a great soundtrack.

The actual “Dirty Dancing,” which you could argue is either an amazing or terrible title, is the type of dancing the teenagers do off the main family ballroom floor, in the staff club. As you can imagine, it involves a lot more grinding than your average quick-step.

Anyway, what does all this have to do with improv, I hear you cry? Well, let me tell you. Here are five things I think improv and Dirty Dancing have in common.

1. It’s an Underground Art Form

In the famous “I carried a watermelon” scene, we are introduced to the kind of dancing the staff do in the basement. Baby is shocked and asks where they learn to do it.

“Kids are doing it in basements back home,” replies cousin Billy. He also comments, “Can you imagine dancing like this on the main floor? Home of the family foxtrot.”

This reminds me of improv and improvisation because of the punk-rock ethos and underground vibe. If theatre is the ballroom, then improv is Dirty Dancing—a place where people get to experiment, try things out, and discover things without having to do it the traditional way. We improvisers are indeed the kids in the basement back home.

2. You Have to Know the Form to Break the Form

Despite initial appearances, the staff dancers are all incredibly trained. Penny, Johnny Castle’s dance partner, used to be a Rockette, and they all teach dance to make a living as well as perform (sound familiar?).

Their unofficial dancing reminds me of improv: you have to be incredibly skilled to make it look easy. You need to know the rules before you can bend them. In fact, here’s one of our recent blogs about just that. Baby learns this when a plot twist means she has to learn ballroom dancing in less than a week. Cue the 2 minutes 13-second montage.

3. Anyone Can Do It

Dirty Dancing has a lot of themes of class. The villain, Robbie, is a waiter saving up for medical school and is also a bullying womaniser who betrays Baby’s older sister. Johnny Castle, the hero, is poor and turns to dance rather than painting and decorating with his father.

Improv, like dirty dancing, is an art form that’s accessible to anyone. You don’t need props, costumes, or even a traditional theatre space. While you can train in it, you can do it for free or at low cost. Improv also benefits from a diverse set of ages, backgrounds, and perspectives, helping to create original “art by committee.”

4. Improv Brings Self-Discovery and Expression

In the end (spoiler alert!) Baby learns to dance her own way, but the dancing has been a vehicle for her awakening, changing her relationship to her family, the world around her, and herself.

Many people take improv classes not because they have a natural affinity for it, but because it’s unlike anything they’ve done before. Improv can have transformational effects, not necessarily to create professional performers, but to give people space to express themselves, explore their own style, and find their own artistic point of view.

5. Nobody Puts Baby in a Corner

Both Dirty Dancing and improv remind us that self-expression matters. You get to dance, experiment, fail, succeed, and ultimately find your own rhythm, whether it’s on a stage or in a basement. After all, nobody puts Baby in a corner.