Couple PerformDirty DancingDance Scene at Their Wedding, Complete with Lift (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

‘Dirty Dancing’ dance scene; Real couple recreates ‘Dirty Dancing’ dance scene.Photo:Vestron/Kobal/Shutterstock;Sen Studio

Vestron/Kobal/Shutterstock;Sen Studio

A bride and groom’s first dance turned dirty.

Lan and Chris Donais.Lan and Chris Donais.Lan and Chris Donais.Lan and Chris Donais.PHOTO:Sen StudioLan and Chris Donais.PHOTO:Sen StudioLan and Chris Donais.PHOTO:Sen Studio

Lan and Chris Donais.Lan and Chris Donais.Lan and Chris Donais.

Lan and Chris Donais.

Lan and Chris Donais.PHOTO:Sen StudioLan and Chris Donais.PHOTO:Sen StudioLan and Chris Donais.PHOTO:Sen Studio

Sen Studio

“Our guests couldn’t believe their eyes because for as long as they have known us, they couldn’t predict this performance and how it turned out. People were so impressed,” Lan tells PEOPLE.

Chris adds, “My friends continue to rave about the dance. They loved it. My older sister, who had a choreographed dance at her wedding, was also quite jealous, as she knew I had ‘topped hers.’ Certainly my favorite reaction!”

It all started when Chris suggested they try theDirty Dancinglift in their tiny living room. Despite Lan being “terrified of heights,” she agreed to try to pull off the dance for their wedding because of her personal connection to the movie.

Lan and Chris Donais.Sen Studio

For Lan, the dance was a “full circle” moment.

Because they didn’t have any professional dance experience, the couple worked with dance coachJan Ondriasover several months beginning in February.

Lan and Chris Donais.Lan and Chris Donais.Lan and Chris Donais.PHOTO:Sen StudioLan and Chris Donais.PHOTO:Sen Studio

Lan and Chris Donais.Lan and Chris Donais.

Lan and Chris Donais.PHOTO:Sen StudioLan and Chris Donais.PHOTO:Sen Studio

To get comfortable with dancing in front of an audience, they even practiced in public lobbies across the MIT campus.

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It was difficult for the newlyweds — who met in 2020 and began dating in 2022 — to overcome their shyness. But when their routine on their big day came, stage fright was the last thing on their minds.

“As soon as I walked out, I was almost shocked because of the loud cheers we received,” Lan recalls. “At some point, the cheers were so overwhelming that I forgot my steps and just froze. It was my first time ever freezing and forgetting my steps, but luckily Chris gently guided me along and I was able to laugh it off. I suspect no one noticed that moment, and luckily it happened relatively early in the routine, so I was able to tune it out and just focus on Chris and the music.”

“My main goal was to keep the beat, flow with the music, and just have fun with my newly minted wife. And I accomplished all of that,” says Chris, who proposed to Lan at the same Italian bakery where they shared their first kiss. “I was a bit nervous before because we had done a practice run which didn’t go perfectly, but I forgot all about that once the music started. At that point, it was just me, her, and the music.”

source: people.com