Millions of women who loved the 1980s classic Dirty Dancing dreamed of stepping into the shoes made famous by Jennifer Grey, as she performed THOSE moves with the late, great Patrick Swayze. Yet Jill Winternitz, who plays the role in a new production, coming to Kent this week, hadn’t even seen the film before she auditioned. Kathryn Tye reports.

If she wasn’t sure before, Jill Winternitz got an inkling of Dirty Dancing’s popularity when she started practising for her audition with a friend – who knew all the lines before she said them.

“I couldn’t believe it,” said Jill, 26. “It was quite an eye-opener. The movie was filmed the year I was born and I had obviously heard of it and knew the songs, but I had never actually seen it. But when I mentioned that I was auditioning for the part of Baby in the stage version, all my girlfriends were just so excited! I never realised how much people love the movie and how important it is to them.”

Set in 1963, Dirty Dancing tells the story of 17-year-old Frances ‘Baby’ Houseman, whose world is changed when she meets older dance instructor Johnny Castle while on summer holiday with her family.

The film, starring Jennifer Grey and Patrick Swayze, was released in 1987 and almost three decades later remains a much-loved classic, demonstrated by the enthusiasm with which fans greeted the stage show. Before Dirty Dancing: The Classic Story On Stage even opened in London in October 2006 it had sold out for the first six months, and as a result of its success, is being taken on a national tour. Jill said: “I think Dirty Dancing is so popular because it is a beautiful love story which people connect to. It is also an underdog story. Baby could have easily given into what other people wanted her to do, but she believed in herself and refused to let others judge her. She has a really positive attitude and I think people relate to that.”

Auditioning was a long and gruelling process, involving six auditions – three dance, three acting – which were then filmed and sent to producers in America.

She was not quite as confident when it came to the dancing side of things as the acting. She said: “I had done some historical and flamenco dancing, but not really partner dancing, and certainly nothing like the moves in Dirty Dancing! But I did a crash course at Pineapple before auditioning and I am really lucky as my co-star Paul-Michael Jones is a solid dancer. He comes from a dancing background while I’m from an acting background, so we are a good team. And I really trust him.”

Trust is definitely an essential element when performing the iconic move at the end of the show, as Baby runs to Johnny and is lifted high into the air.

Jill said: “The lift actually came fairly easy to us, as Michael had done the show for a year before I joined, so he knew exactly what he was doing. Also, I have been doing yoga all my life and the pose in the lift is actually very similar to a yoga position, so it was quite familiar.

“The audience reaction to the lift is always amazing. It is just wild to see how excited people get. There is such an energy coming from them.”

Other key moments in the show guaranteed to provoke a reaction include Baby’s line “I carried a watermelon”, spoken early in the show when she is still unsure of herself around Johnny.

Jill said: “Normally the audience actually say it with me! It is such a kooky line, but also so truthful, as we all can relate to saying something stupid when we are nervous.

“Everywhere we go, the reaction has been amazing. I have never experienced anything like the energy you get from an audience at Dirty Dancing. It really is something special.”

Dirty Dancing opens at Canterbury’s Marlowe Theatre on Tuesday, April 2 and runs until Saturday, April 20. Tickets from £29. Call 01227 787787.

• Think you're a die-hard Dirty Dancing fan? See this week's What's On to test your knowledge with our film trivia facts