RECREATING the iconic Dirty Dancing lift would be the time of their lives on their wedding day . . . they hoped.
But bride-and-groom-to-be Sharon Price and Andy Price ended up in casualty after their disastrous rehearsal of Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey’s famed scene from the 1987 film.
Images of unconscious Andy, 51, and 52-year-old Sharon lying winded beside him, went viral this week and the couple are now rethinking their first dance.
The pair from Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, are not alone.
Groom Mike Snell, 36, needed a knee reconstruction after his wedding attempt in 2015.
He also missed his honeymoon to Jamaica and nearly died from blood poisoning after picking up an infection in hospital.
In the same year Scotsman Gary Mackay, 28, broke his leg in a bar when he and a woman tried the move.
MOST READ IN LIVING
Actress Jennifer, who played Baby in the film, said in an interview: “I don’t know how all these people who re-enact it have the guts to throw themselves into the arms of anyone other than Patrick Swayze. It’s insane.”
So to help avoid any future injuries, we have enlisted the help of professional dancer and dance teacher Pip Amer, 24, from Chiswick, West London, to show us how it should be done . . .
Step 1
COUPLE should be separated with enough distance between them for the female to run towards the male dancer.
It helps for the female to be elevated on a platform but it is not necessary.
Step 2
AS the female runs towards the male, she must go at speed. She who hesitates is lost.
Step 3
THEN the male will squat and grab hold of the onrushing woman’s pelvis to ensure he holds her with stability.
The woman must be straight and have a stiff posture, engaging her abdominal muscles.
Step 4
TO complete, the male will then return to standing position and the female will extend arms to side and cross legs for balance. The lift should be held for a few seconds.
Finally the male will lower into a squat position with the female lowering her legs to the floor.
He will then release her.
The verdict
BRAVE couple Joel Stribley and Samantha Fisher from Basingstoke, Hants, who have been together for 18 months, volunteered to follow Pip’s instructions under careful supervision.
Road worker and dancer Joel, 25, says: “It was challenging. I’m sure if we had a few drinks in a pub it could end badly as you really have to concentrate.”
Model and dancer Samantha, 25, says: “You really have to trust your partner.
“I was definitely nervous.”
What the expert says about that viral pics...
PRO dancer and dance teacher Pip Amer offers her take on the ill-fated rehearsal, saying:
Andy and Sharon in the pictures went wrong in a number of ways. First of all, both their postures were hunched therefore providing no strength for lift or engaging their abs.
Andy grabs Sharon by her armpits so they are totally off balance.
When Andy executes the lift he must be braced. Holding his core together with a lunging stance will help to lift Sharon.
The couple must have complete trust in one another.
“The key to this lift is confidence. Dancers have amazing physiques and they are trained to engage their muscles at the right times in the right places.
“This lift normally lends itself to a man with a bigger-built upper body and a woman whose frame is small and muscular, as she will be easier to lift.”