Growing Up, Part 2: Dirty Dancing – GTGC #274

Our lives keep changing as the summer progresses. That’s right, our Growing up in Summer marathon continues this week with the 80s classic, Dirty Dancing—which takes place in the summer of ’63. Dirty Dancing offers quite a few differences to Stand by Me. It’s never as nostalgic, it features a strong female lead who comes from money. While class is a part of Stand by Me, it drives the narrative of Dirty Dancing.

Cutting in with Dirty Dancing

Set in the Catskills at a high class summer resort, Dirty Dancing focuses on Baby. Baby (Jennifer Grey) is 17 years old and has the whole world in front of her. It’s never verbally spoken, but it is expected that Baby should be schmoozing a young suitor who will have the money to sustain her lifestyle. But, that’s not exactly what Baby wants. She wants to make a difference in the world, and to help those who need help. In doing so, she gets drawn into the world of the camp staff. Enter, Johnny Castle (Patrick Swayze). Johnny is the camp’s dance instructor. He’s got some sick moves. Baby soon finds herself filling a need among the staffers, and as she does she and Johnny embark on a summer romance. By the end of the film, well, we find out that nobody puts Baby in a corner.

In this week’s episode, we do our best to keep in step with the film. We discuss Baby as a character and ponder her place amongst strong 80s female leads. Sexual awakening also comes up, as does masculinity. The film’s discussion of class is central to the plot and reminds us of the upstairs/downstairs trope. Finally, we discuss the arc of Penny and how the film addresses her situation. But, before all of that, we play a game—our favorite dance numbers.

Looks like they’ve cued the music…

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