Timothy Bish Gets Dirty (Dancing, That is)

As a professional dancer and choreographer, Timothy Bish is used to showing off his moves in front of an adoring audience. But tonight, he has special plans to hit a different kind of dance floor.

"I'll be making my way to... Club Caf?, is it?" says Bish, speaking by phone. The Pittsburgh native/NYC transplant is already becoming intimately familiar with Boston - and yes, its most popular gay nightspot - during his nine-week engagement with "Dirty Dancing - The Classic Story on Stage," currently bumping and grinding at the Boston Opera House through April 12. The beloved flick about the emotional and sexual blossoming of a teenage girl (originally played by Jennifer Grey) through the nurturing, naughty dance moves of a studly summer resort entertainer (Patrick Swayze), was originally adapted for the stage in 2004; it has since shook and shimmied its way through Australia, Toronto, and Chicago, and after it wraps in Boston will move on to Los Angeles and Broadway.

"I love my temporary home here," says Bish of his time in the city. "Though I'm still learning my way around a bit."

There's one piece of geography that Bish knows like the back of his hand, though: the stage of "Dirty Dancing." He first joined the production for the Chicago run, and currently serves as dance captain and a swing. That means it's his responsibility to know the show's full choreography and be able to jump in at a moment's notice. He's also entrusted with maintaining the integrity of the original choreography, giving notes to other cast members, reigning things in the minute a step goes astray, and training replacement cast members if they are added."An actor doesn't give another actor notes, but a dance captain does [to other dancers]," explains Bish. "We have an extraordinary group of people [in the show]. But when you're doing something eight times a week, it becomes about the tiny little details: exactly where you grab the girl on the hip, things like that."

Not to mention, "Dirty Dancing" incorporates a whole slew of dance styles: foxtrot, samba, waltz, tango, and of course, a hefty dose of bumping and grinding. Dancers have to switch gears as fast as their feet can manage. "Sometimes they don't realize something has altered a bit," says Bish of his dance captain duties. "So it's just about giving a friendly reminder."

Friendly reminders, of course, are what this is all about. And Bish admits that he has his own associations with "Dirty Dancing," a film, soundtrack, and now theatrical production that has ridden a wave of '80s nostalgia to become a bona fide pop cultural phenomenon. "Nobody puts baby in a corner!" may well be the "Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close-up," of its respective generation.

"As a young gay man, that scene with Patrick Swayze where he's teaching her... he has his shirt off and his back was moving... he was such a talented dancer, but so masculine and so sexy."

"I have numerous memories of the film," says Bish. "Of course, I thought it was very sexy and loved all the music."

"But as a young gay man, that scene with Patrick Swayze where he's teaching her... he has his shirt off and his back was moving... he was such a talented dancer, but so masculine and so sexy. And at that time it was very enticing!"

And though Bish says "Dirty Dancing" may not have been singlehandedly responsible for inspiring a career in dance, his fondness for Swayze's sweaty backside wasn't the only interest blossoming.

"When he and Baby clear the floor and they're out there looking great, it made me want to be able to do that," he explains. "At the time I didn't make the leap to think of it is as a career, but the fantasies were there."

When it comes to "Dirty Dancing," fantasies are half the fun.

Dirty Dancing - The Classic Story on Stage is currently playing through April 12 at the Boston Opera House (539 Washington St., Boston). For more info on the show, visit dirtydancingamerica.com, and for tickets visit ticketmaster.com or call 1.800.982.2787.