You worked with Gene Kelly on Xanadu and said he was a great mentor. What’s the most valuable advice he’s ever given you?
A quick story. We were working together on the movie, and he had invited me to his home, and we had a little dinner, just us two in his living room — I think we even watched football that night. And he started to talking to me, and he used the French phrase raison d’etre, the reason for being. And I’d never heard of the expression. And he was saying, ''What is the raison d’etre of your idea?'' And I remember leaving, just feeling so dumb, like, ''What does he mean?'' And I called my best friend Greg, who studied French, and he explained the phrase. What is the reason to do your piece in the first place? I would say that was one of the great things that Gene taught me. And also, the difference between designing choreography for the stage and designing choreography for the camera. Gene was instrumental in showing me the way and the difference, which has become enormously helpful in my life.
Do you have a favorite dance scene from your work in Dirty Dancing?
I always loved the moment where Jennifer Grey comes into the clubhouse for the very first time, and moves through this sea of bodies, and then ultimately ends up on the other side as Johnny Castle comes into the room and does this great dance with Cynthia Rhodes to the song ''Do You Love Me?'' I always loved that sort of moment where we’re introducing dance from the other side of the world to the main character — and to have the dance almost touching her and coming alive all around her.
Who would you say has been your most improved star on the dance floor?
[Long pause] Improved? Gosh, back in the day, I remember working with Matthew Broderick, who came to me in a cold sweat and said, ''I’ve never danced in my life.'' And he was somewhat panicked. And he ended up just loving it! He danced on the float in the parade scene in Ferris Beuller’s Day Off. That was a tremendous breakthrough for him.
More recently, it’s watching the way [HSM star] Zac [Efron] has grown. Zac isn’t formally trained. And yet he can get in the mirror with all these kids who come out of real formal training, and hang with them. You know, sheer will. During breaks he doesn’t leave the mirror — he’ll grab someone, and say, Review that with me. He puts the work into it. And the guy next to him, Corbin Bleu, has been studying with Debbie Allen his whole life — and this doesn’t intimidate Zac; it inspires him and excites him. I’m really impressed with Zac on so many levels. Remarkable kid.
What’s the latest regarding HSM3?
We’re in development right now — which would be for a feature. We’re hoping for sometime next year, if we stay on a soft schedule that’s been put to us. Peter Barsocchini, our writer, is right now, developing that story. I believe that Disney is in negotiations with all of our original cast, and I’m hoping that we’re all going to reunite to bring this to the big screen.
What else is next for you?
I’m working on a Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus and Jonas Brothers arena tour, which is going to start in late October. And I’m also in development for a live dance-driven production that doesn’t have a title yet. And I’m in development of some independent features for later down the line. Even working with Paramount in a development of a new Footloose — which is both on Zac’s and my list as a possible film for the future. It’s all really exciting.
