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When I was very young, not quite 10, I had been forbidden by my father from watching a very particular movie that my mom and aunt seemed to be somewhat fond of. I was disappointed, but girl power ruled the house one week. My dad was out of down on business for a couple nights, so being very sneaky, my mom popped some popcorn and pushed a VHS copy of “Dirty Dancing” into our VCR. I was entirely excited – mostly because I felt like such a little rebel. I was not allowed to let dad know.

Since that night so many years ago, the timeless story of a young girl’s first taste of summer love at a resort in New York’s Catskill Mountains has become my essential ideal of romance. Francis “Baby” Houseman and her family spend three weeks at Kellerman’s, and Baby’s soon wrapped up in the dancing and excitement that takes place after hours in staff quarters. There she meets Johnny, a modern-day rebel without a pause who’s fast on his feet. Together they embark into a whirlwind love affair, one that neither of them expects nor are they really ready for.

Photo: Alliance Atlantis Films

In a fit of Diet Pepsi-induced sleeplessness, I popped the DVD into my portable DVD player last night, hoping 20 minutes or so would lull me into sleep. It didn’t, and I stayed awake right until the very end. I even watched the extra behind-the-scenes footage. Which, I might add, was incredibly exciting to watch as nearly the entire dance cast wore legwarmers in rehearsal – the girls and the guys.

It was probably the millionth time I saw the film because, as much as I watch it on DVD, I also can’t resist whenever it’s showing on TV. However, it wasn’t until last night that I finally understood how, in a huge way, I relate to the main character. Sure, every girl dreams of playing Baby, but I never before realized how much I’m quite like her. We’re both nurturers who like to fix a problem and save the day and make sure that everyone is okay. We’re both also the simple wallflower; the girl that (believe it or not) most people don’t look at twice, but really just want our moment to shine.

And, like all great 80s flicks, Dirty Dancing left behind in its legacy a whole dancefloor full of memorable quotes that you and I still use today (aside from that classic one-liner in the video above):

“Oh, come on, ladies. God wouldn’t have given you maracas if He didn’t want you to shake ‘em.”

“Look, spaghetti arms. This is my dance space. This is your dance space. I don’t go into yours, you don’t go into mine.”

“Most of all I’m scared of walking out of this room and never feeling the rest of my whole life the way I feel when I’m with you.”

“Nobody puts Baby in a corner.”

Stay tuned because you never know what I’ll dig out of Mr. Dressup’s Tickle Trunk next time.