Get ready for the time of your life all over again

Organised by Milton Keynes Theatre, the exclusive session for students at Milton Keynes College was an opportunity to meet the show’s producer, choreographer and dancers before the new UK tour starts.

Unfortunately the Dirty Dancing hotpants I bought when I first saw the West End show as a teenager were not an option for the workshop, but undeterred, I put on my dancing shoes and got ready to attempt the famous lift.

Associate choreographer Glenn Wilkinson led the class with dancers including tour dance captain James Bennett. Sadly, despite their expert teaching and endless energy, I managed little more than a haphazard shuffle.

They say you should never meet your heroes, and based on my experience it seems you should never try to dance like them either – at least not in public.

I would have been better off standing at the back of the room carrying a watermelon.

The dance students had a great time though and the famous soundtrack put a smile on everyone’s faces.

The show’s producer Karl Sydow gave us a fascinating talk about how he re-created the iconic film scene-for-scene on the stage and by the end of the session everyone was very excited to see the show in October at Milton Keynes.