Synopsis

In November 1958, American teenager Katey Miller moves with her family to Havana, where she feels alienated from the privileged expatriate community. She forms an unexpected friendship with Javier, a Cuban waiter and gifted dancer. As he teaches her the rhythms of Cuban dance, their partnership grows into romance and leads them toward a major dance competition amid the rising tensions of revolution.

Factoids & Trivia

• The story is loosely based on producer JoAnn Fregalette Jansen's experience of living in Cuba as a teenager in 1958 and 1959. This real-life connection inspired the film's "Based on True Events" designation.

• The screenplay began as an original story by Peter Sagal rather than as a planned continuation of the 1987 film. It was later reshaped as a new entry in the "Dirty Dancing" series.

• Neither lead performer had professional dance training before production. They reportedly spent about ten weeks in Puerto Rico practicing for as many as eight hours a day with dancers and choreographers.

• Puerto Rico doubled for Havana during filming, allowing the production to recreate the period setting without shooting in Cuba.

• Miranda Garrison, who was an assistant choreographer on this film, had appeared in the original "Dirty Dancing" as Vivian Pressman. Patrick Swayze also returned to the series in a cameo as a dance instructor.

• The film combines its coming-of-age romance with the political upheaval surrounding the Cuban Revolution, which forms the historical backdrop for the story.

• The movie was released in 2004 under alternate titles including "Dirty Dancing 2" and "Dirty Dancing 2: Havana Nights" in some markets.