Photos: First Look at DIRTY DANCING: THE MUSICAL North American Tour

The tour launches at the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts and will make stops in Detroit, Boston, Toronto, and Washington, DC.

By: Chloe Rabinowitz Aug. 12, 2026

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You can now get a first look at the North American Tour of Dirty Dancing: The Musical — a new stage production based on the beloved film Dirty Dancing.

The tour launches at the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts in Saint Paul, MN today and will continue across North America, making stops in cities including Detroit, Boston, Toronto, and Washington, DC.

Leading the company are Annalese Starzec as Frances “Baby” Houseman and Blake Zelesnikar as Johnny Castle, Baby’s dance instructor-turned-love interest. They will be joined at Kellerman’s by Olivia Cece as Penny Johnson; Bryan Fenkart as Jake Houseman; Dan Klimko as Neil Kellerman; Ashley LaLonde as Elizabeth; Gina Lamparella as Marjorie Houseman; Loren Lester as Max Kellerman; Ethan Peterson as Billy Kostecki; and Erick Pinnick as Tito Suarez. Rounding out the company are Emma Jade Branson, Marcus Anthony Byers, Jr., Jonas Cohen, Sarah Ellis, Aria Christina Evans, Anthony J. Gasbarre III, Lily Kren, Zoe Edan Lemelman, Francesca Mancuso, Brett Rawlings, Jason Richards, Antony Sanchez, Grace Sautter, Neil Starkenberg, Fisher Lane Stewart, John Swapshire and Carmella Taitt.

Set against the unforgettable summer of 1963, Dirty Dancing: The Musical follows Frances “Baby” Houseman as she discovers love, passion, and independence through her relationship with charismatic dance instructor Johnny Castle. With live music from the original film, Dirty Dancing: The Musical is the feel-good escape audiences have been craving, alive with the pulse of electrified dancing, the thrill of secret encounters, and the allure of forbidden romance.

Dirty Dancing: The Musical is directed by Tony Award nominee, Obie Award winner, and two-time Emmy Award winner Lonny Price (Sunset Boulevard, Sweeney Todd), who played Neil Kellerman in the original Dirty Dancing film, with choreography by Darrell Grand Moultrie (Fat Ham, Beyonce’s World Tour). Bringing to the stage the celebrated story from Eleanor Bergstein — the original screenwriter of the film — the musical captures the pulse, romance, and youthful urgency that have defined Dirty Dancing for nearly four decades.

With a fresh creative approach to the timeless love story, this new production will tour North America with an aim to reconnect audiences with the heart, heat, and rebellious spirit that made Dirty Dancing a worldwide sensation.

Photo credit: Matthew Murphy