RIP Patrick Swayze

Before I actually do what this blog is supposed to be for and comment on the first two episodes of SYTYCD, I have to acknowledge the passing of actor and dancer Patrick Swayze.

Like most kids of the 80's, I have very strong memories of the movie Dirty Dancing. I'd always liked movies with music and dancing in them, but this one seemed a little different, in great part because by the age I saw it, I was starting to "get" the boy-meets-girl content of the shows and movies I was seeing. And of course, I have never failed to be thoroughly impressed by the dancing in the film.

On two separate occasions, I had the opportunity to step into Swayze's Cuban-heeled shoes and do what I'm sure so many other ballroom dancers have had the idea to try: re-create the iconic "(I've Had) The Time of My Life" routine from the end of Dirty Dancing. The first time was for my senior year in college, for a performance themed to Hollywood and the movies, so taking on the number was my first idea. I remember sitting in my apartment, winding and rewinding the tape (no DVDs in 1998, kids!) to tackle the choreography. Let me tell you, folks, that music is fast. But eventually I got it down, taught it to my partner, and took it on stage. The moment when that audience full of students our same age recognized that first lift of the girl's arm and exploded into screams remains one of my favorite memories of my college dancing career.

About four years later, for a similarly-themed event at the dance studio where we were both teaching, I brought back that routine and danced it with my wife. Once again, it took a lot of sweat, eyestrain and rewinding to get it right. But the reaction from those students was worth every bit of work. They burst into applause, hooted and hollered and clapped along. For the year more that I was at the studio, I would occasionally have it mentioned to me by students who were there.

Patrick Swayze lived his life doing the things that he loved. While he never enjoyed the same success as he did in his early career, he seemed to me to always maintain a grace and class about himself that many of those who have followed in Hollywood could learn from. He'll be missed.