why "dirty dancing" is awesome

Dirty Dancing is an all around great movie. It's one of my favorites, and it has earned a spot in my heart. Here are four reasons why I love Dirty Dancing. If you haven't watched it yet, stop and do that right this second!

THE MUSIC: They have a plethora of amazing sixties tunes to fill the summer days at Kellerman's, but the melodies that outshine the others are "I've Had the Time of my Life" and to me, "She's like the Wind." The former one provides a happy, finale song that simultaneously wraps up Johnny and Baby's story and also springs into the happy beginning of their relationship. The finality of the song works well as the background music when they spotlight Johnny and Baby's infamous "The Lift" move. ​

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​HOW JOHNNY TEACHES: The details of this movie, including how Johnny becomes a teacher to Baby is a great part of this movie. How he says "spaghetti arms" and feeling the beat of the music by associating it to the humanness of a beating heart- "gu-gunn, gu-gunn." This makes Johnny less closed off and rugged, and it shows how affectionate and mortal he is. He doesn't have a lot, and has worked for what he's gotten. He appreciates the little things. 

​THE THEMES: In the movie, Baby sometimes has tiny quips about her aspirations in the world, and how she hopes to make a difference in poverty-stricken areas. These make Baby as a character especially likable, and they show who she is as a person, whether that is an advocate for women's rights or a motivational speaker. She does both in a minor way during the film. When she rejects Neil, the snobby, self-righteous son of Kellerman, she is standing up for herself. He thinks that just because he is rich and goes to an ivy league school (he's going to be in the business of hotel management, how irresistible....) he can just do whatever he wants. Baby puts him in his place. She helps others, including Johnny, find that they can do whatever it is that they want, and that facing fears is sometimes the greatest thing you can do.

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​THE DEVELOPMENT OF LISA AND BABY'S RELATIONSHIP: In the beginning of the movie, you can see that Baby and her sister, Lisa, are polar opposites, and while they don't hate each other, they definitely don't see eye to eye on many topics. This leads them to believe that neither one cares for the other. They shouldn't love each other more than the bare minimum for siblings. They never get a chance to test their love for each other until Baby realizes that Lisa is in actual danger by becoming friends with Robbie, another holier-than-thou snob. Lisa refuses to listen to Baby's warnings, and chalks her sister's claims up to jealousy. When she ends up hurt, Lisa realizes that she really does have a well meaning sister. This makes Lisa a more warm person when she comforts her sister when Johnny leaves. By the end of the movie, they both show love and support to each other.

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