HANKINS – Here’s one thing Boomers, Gen X and Gen Z can all agree on—Dirty Dancing was a great movie. Not least because the film boasts a soundtrack packed with 60’s pop favorites and the #1 single “Time of My Life.” For those lucky enough to spend time in the Catskills, the movie also connects us to our region’s history of live entertainment and summer fun. This summer, the Dirty Dancing Concert returns to Sullivan County with two shows celebrating the film’s soundtrack and the magic of summer in the Western Catskills.

This summer, the Dirty Dancing Concert is back with two shows in Sullivan County—one at an outdoor barbecue and one at a beautiful ballroom theatre. These distinct settings celebrate two visual aspects of the movie—the great Catskills outdoors and the beautiful ballroom theatre of the movie’s finale. A live band plays your favorite songs from the 1987 movie starring Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey on two nights:

Sat. Aug. 22nd, 7:30 PM at Pelkey’s Tavern, 553 Co. Rd 94, Hankins, NY. Pre-sale $25. Includes Summer BBQ dinner. Info and tickets at Pelkey’s Tavern’s Facebook Event and davekeener.com.

Lawn chairs recommended.

Sun. Sept. 6, 7:30 PM at the Delaware Valley Opera, Huntington Hall, 6692 State Route 52, Lake Huntington, NY. Pre-sale $20. Info and tickets at myrivertickets.com and davekeener.com.

The Dirty Dancing Concert is a live musical performance with comedy that invites people to dress up, sing along and dance. The show runs about two hours and includes 22 hits from the Drifters, Frankie Vallie & the Four Seasons, Otis Redding, the Ronettes and many more. Favorites include “Time of My Life,” “Love is Strange,” “Some Kind of Wonderful” and “Will You Love Me Tomorrow?” The band is led by guitarist Dave Keener and includes established and touring musicians who perform these classics live with bass, drums, keyboards, saxophone and lead and backup vocals.

Here in the Catskills, the film links us to our region’s history of shared summer fun and entertainment in these beautiful mountains. The film is set in the fictional Kellermann’s hotel, a stand-in for real-life Grossinger’s and places like it which served and employed generations over decades of summers. Our show continues this tradition.