Jennifer Grey Will Never Do the Dirty Dancing 'Lift' Again

The classic 80's film Dirty Dancing starred Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey.

Not only did it mark one of the best on-screen appearances of Swayze's abs, it also marked the moment when acting all sexy while trying to balloom dance became considerably acceptable.

The 'Dirty Dancing 'lift is one of the most iconic scenes in movie history. It was in the last scene of the movie, where it began with Johnny(played by Patrick Swayze) dance instructor pulls the starry-eyed character of Jennifer Grey on stage and the two of them performed a perfectly choreographed routine set to the infectious "(I've Had) the Time of My Life."

The scene ends with "the lift", with Grey getting a running start as she jumps into Swayze's arms and he hoists her above his head to the excited cheer of the crowd.

It was a dance move her character struggled to perfect throughout the 1987 film, however, Grey revealed that in real life she never got to even practice it. 

Grey, who's now 52, confessed, "I'd never done the lift before I did the lift at the end of the movie. I would refuse to rehearse it because I was so scared. The only time I've ever done it was when the cameras were rolling. I didn't even do a rehearsal of it. I was terrified. I just didn't have any choice. I had to do it. They were like, 'You gotta do it.' I'm like, 'No!'" It was that kind of a situation."

Grey, who's currently starring in Amazon's new comedy Red Oaks - told The Guardian, when asked if she'd ever done the lift in the years since the movie's release,  "God, no! I only did it on the day I shot it. Never rehearsed it, never done it since. 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!" 

The  actress got emotional as she recalled her time with Patrick, who passed away on September 14, 2009, at the age 57-year-old , 20 months after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

Swayze's had died of pancreatic cancer. He was cremated, and his ashes scattered over his New Mexico ranch. He was survived by his wife Lisa Niemi, his mother Patsy Swayze, and three siblings.

"It took me back in a time capsule, and I was with Patrick. I just missed him," she said on DWTS. "He was, like, young and gorgeous."

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