![]() The Real Dirty Dancing elides the gender and racial issues by focusing simply on learning the intimate dance moves. In the first iconic dirty dancing party scene, Baby is shocked to see the Kellerman’s staff grinding and twisting against each other.īaby (Jennifer Grey) and Lisa (Jane Brucker) represented two different models of 1980s Jewish femininity. These after-hours parties are coded as fun and illicit - with dancing too erotic for tight-laced holidaymakers. ![]() The lower-class resort workers partake in “dirty” dancing. ![]() In the film, Johnny teaches upper-class Jewish-American families “classical” dances: the foxtrot and the waltz. Black bodies and black music is repeatedly presented as sexualised, exotic and erotic in much American media, even today. There were (and continue to be) issues of cultural appropriation when white musicians performed covers of songs by black artists. This changed as white fans starting listening to African-American music in the 1950s and 1960s.įats Domino: rock'n'roll's quiet rebel who defied US segregation In the early 20th century, music by black artists was specifically marketed towards African-American audiences with its own record companies, radio stations and music stores. ![]() The premise of the film – “dirty” dancing – is unavoidably tied to black culture and the history of “ race music.” The reality show emphasises authenticity through locations, costumes and choreography – but by isolating the musical numbers, the film’s complex politics are erased. But the 1987 film has a lot to say about Jewish identity, class stratification, shifting gender expectations, and the importance of access to legal and safe abortions. ![]()
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