dance

Lately I've been in the mood for a little dancin', and my friend, on a dance movie kick. We're getting together for the weekend, so there's no telling what could happen. This morning it was requested that I remind another friend to bring along Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights. Definitely not on my list of movies I can't wait to watch again, though I did find it slightly better than the original Dirty Dancing - another movie I saw fit to only see once.

I can still recall the hype that surrounded that movie when it came out. Back then it was a big deal to have seen it, at least if you were a kid. Many parents forbade their young, impressionable daughters from watching, but then again, a lot of my friends' parents wouldn't let them see Goonies either. I, however, saw Dirty Dancing at a 3rd or 4th grade birthday party and it was the talk of the school for weeks. A friend's parent owned the town's video store so she could hook up birthday parties and sleepovers with practically any movie requested.

It was one of those movies that many girls loved still making it onto favorite movie lists everywhere. Patrick Swayze commanded a swoon factor for mothers and daughters alike, something I found more than a little disturbing. Shortly after the party, I confessed to my mom about watching it. I figured it would get back to her eventually and I wanted to clear my conscience. To my surprise, she didn't much care. I mean, she seemed to care that I told her about it but didn't seem concerned that I had seen it. Maybe she knew I was growing up and stuff like this was going to enter my world - one of those rare 'cool mom' moments for a kid. Come to think of it, she was cleaning her room at the time. Perhaps the furniture polish was getting to her and confusing her thoughts. I don't think I've watched it since, despite loving it so much the first time, but I have been to the place in Virginia where it was filmed - an experience I enjoyed far greater than watching the movie.

Rest assured, no dirty dancing is in store for the weekend ahead, but there are rumors of Thriller moves being performed. Kodak moments anticipated.