How Alex And Poppy’s Dance Scene In People We Meet On Vacation Pays Homage To Dirty Dancing And Charlie’s Angels

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The new movie adaptation of People We Meet On Vacation clearly takes a lot of inspiration from When Harry Met Sally, as the author, Emily Henry, has acknowledged. But it also nods to other classic films, particularly during a fantastic dance scene between the lead characters, Poppy and Alex. I recently spoke with the actors Tom Blyth and Emily Bader about these references.

I spoke with Emily Bader and Tom Blyth, the actors who play Poppy and Alex, and of course, I had to ask them about their dance scene in New Orleans. It’s a really important and sweet moment in the show, and it’s one of the few times we see Alex truly let go and have fun. Bader explained to TopMob how they developed the choreography.

We needed to plan out the movements because the video would be filmed from many angles, and everything had to match up seamlessly when edited. We worked with a fantastic choreographer in a church in New Orleans, brainstorming ideas. I contributed some, but you had a lot of great suggestions. She then helped us refine everything and put it all together in a way that felt natural and enjoyable.

This dance performance is already really enjoyable and full of energy, but it’s even more impressive because the choreography is inspired by famous dance scenes from two classic movies. Tom Blyth explained all the details to me, and here’s what he said:

We also wanted to include references to some beloved movies. For example, we attempted to incorporate a dance sequence inspired by ‘Dirty Dancing,’ and you were hoping to recreate a move from ‘Charlie’s Angels.’

I’m really enjoying the Easter eggs hidden in the movies! From the playful “Charlie’s Angels hip thrust” – that move Cameron Diaz and her partner did – to the cute robot dances in both films, everything just captures the fun, energetic vibe of Charlie’s Angels.

Okay, so they didn’t exactly recreate that famous lift from Dirty Dancing, but trust me, the movie definitely nodded to Jennifer Grey and Patrick Swayze’s iconic dance. Towards the end, when Poppy and Alex start dancing together, it was pure Dirty Dancing vibes – I was totally getting those feels!

I really enjoyed how Blyth, Bader, and the choreographer included nods to classic films. But what I appreciated even more was how those moments weren’t just for show – they actually moved the story forward and revealed more about the characters Poppy and Alex.

Like I said before, this scene reveals a playful side of Alex we don’t usually see. He’s typically quite quiet, but being with Poppy and on vacation allows him to relax and enjoy himself, and he really showed that when he started dancing.

I especially love this scene because it marks a real turning point for Alex and Poppy’s relationship. Though the movie doesn’t directly show it, the actors and I discussed how their connection began to change from friendly to romantic while filming in New Orleans. You can definitely feel that shift in the dance scene as they get closer, set to the song “Forever Your Girl.”

If you’d like to watch People We Meet On Vacation and enjoy all the movie references, you can stream it now with a Netflix subscription.

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2026-01-11 00:08