Hello to “The Real Dirty Dancing”
Hello,
Well since we last spoke, I’ve literally been tripping the light fantastic in a Channel 4 show called ‘The Real Dirty Dancing’ it’s thoroughly feel-good TV presented by comedian Keith Lemon (Nicest chap in showbiz) and insane dancer Ashley Roberts, all shot during two hot weeks last Summer.
Based around the 80’s box office hit ‘Dirty Dancing’ starring Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey ten hapless celebrities re-enact iconic scenes channelling, from deep within themselves, the lead characters of Baby and Johnny. Set in 1963 Baby, if you remember, was an innocent 18-year-old on holiday with her family at Kellermans holiday camp and Johnny was the sexy dance instructor. But this version is a television show so it must have that vital ingredient of competition to keep people on the edge of their seats for eight episodes and in this case, it was to seek out the best Baby and Johnny – the two that had that special Swayze/Grey connection.
You, quite rightly, are saying Turner, turn around, walk away, you are the same age Jennifer Grey is now!! It’s a stretch to play the role of ‘Baby’ when you are old enough to be her mum (!), you hate high waisted jeans, and you are going to look (in the words of Del Trotter) a complete plonker. I won’t bore you with the conversations I had about it, but you can imagine most of them, and they ended with me mentally shutting the door on TRDD – but maybe not completely. I’m a Gemini, so my modus operandi is ‘keep that door ajar’ and what’s the point of having a mind if you can’t change it? So, there I was on the first day of filming knowing, if I was to survive this, I just had to jump in and enjoy the ride with this amazing bunch of young people.
And my life lesson? We haven’t got time to let fear control our lives, every day counts and enjoying yourself is not a crime. Sometimes you just have to say ‘yes’ even if it means being dragged out of your comfort zone.
Have you ever stood in front of a poster advertising dancing classes and thought I’d love to do that, then, talked yourself out of it because the fear monster has entered our head, told you you’d look stupid, won’t know anyone, haven’t got the right shoes, don’t have the time?, Yet if you fought the monster and won, you’d meet new people, your enjoyment would influence your friends to join in and you would buy those new shoes and probably look quite fabulous in them! The fear monster never goes away. I have fights with mine on a regular basis and I don’t always win. But the battle that plunged me headfirst into the fountain of youth that is Fritton Lake, Norfolk was one of my best and I honestly had, in the words of the famous theme tune, ‘the time of my life’.