Bindi Irwin Pays Tribute To Patrick Swayze With Phenomenal ‘Dirty Dancing’ Performance

Nov 03, 2022 by apost team

Bindi Irwin is well-known as the Crocodile Hunter's daughter, but did you know that she's also a talented dancer? She blew audiences away with a stunning “Dirty Dancing” tribute to Patrick Swayze on the 21st season of “Dancing with the Stars” back in 2015.

Bindi is a woman of many talents, much like her famous father, Steve Irwin. Lifelong wildlife lover Steve rose to fame with the show “The Crocodile Hunter” in 1996 as its host alongside his wife. His enthusiastic and energetic manner won him a legion of fans, and viewers returned episode after episode to catch up with his lively and animated presenting style. Consistently clad in his signature khakis, the show made Irwin a household name and introduced his catchphrase “Crikey!” to the wider world. The show ran for 11 years until 2007 and was the longest-running series on the Discovery Communications network.

Steve also picked up fans in the U.S. through his frequent appearances on “The Tonight Show With Jay Leno.” He was also a committed conservationist, launching the Steve Irwin Conservation Foundation, International Crocodile Rescue, the Lyn Irwin Memorial Fund and the Iron Bark Station Wildlife Rehabilitation Facility.

Steve married Terri in 1992 and welcomed Bindi in 1998 and their son Robert in 2003. But tragedy struck in 2006: while filming an episode for “Ocean's Deadliest” in the Great Barrier Reef, Steve was stabbed in the heart by a short-tail stingray barb. His death came as a shock to fans who had watched Steve for years put himself in challenging situations to create awareness of the natural world. Read on to find out how Bindi has taken up her father’s mantle and what other talents she has hidden up her sleeve.

Bindi became a conservationist and television star in the spirit of her late father. At the age of 9, she hosted the children’s wildlife documentary “Bindi the Jungle Girl.” Although the show aired in 2007 after Steve’s death, he had filmed episodes of the show prior in which he, Terri and Bindi would take an up-close look at certain animals. She also made appearances in shows such as “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” “Larry King Live” and was a contestant on “Dancing With The Stars” in 2015.

Her brother Robert has also been carrying on the family legacy. Robert has followed in the footsteps of his nature-loving father Steve by donning the signature khakis and making appearances on “The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon.” He also lends his famous last name to shows including “Crikey! It’s The Irwins” with his mother Terri and sister Bindi, and “Ten Deadliest Snakes.” He is also an avid photographer, lending his skills to conservation campaigns and other channels to raise funds and awareness. His efforts have taken him across the world for photography expeditions as well as led him to meet Prince Charles to discuss wildlife habitat conservation.

On Mar. 25, 2020, Bindi married former professional wakeboarder Chandler Powell and, in keeping with the family's love for animals, the pair held their secret wedding in the gardens of Australia Zoo in Queensland. As bizarre and unusual as that may seem, the zoo still belongs to the Irwin family – in fact, the family lives there together – as it's the same facility that Bindi's grandparents opened in the 1970s. 

Days after Bindi tied the knot, her mother tweeted her sadness over the fact that her husband didn’t get the chance to see their daughter marry, especially with both Robert wearing khaki, Steve’s perennial color of choice.

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In keeping with the family’s love for animals, Bindi and Powell held the secret wedding in the gardens of Australia Zoo in Queensland. As bizarre and unusual as that may seem, the zoo still belongs to the Irwin family — in fact, the family lives there together — as it’s the same facility that Bindi’s grandparents opened in the 1970s. And now, it’s become the place where Bindi and Powell tied the knot.

Bindi and Chandler welcomed their first child Grace Warrior on Mar. 25, 2021. Since that special day, both Bindi and Chandler have been keeping fans up to date via social media, posting photos and videos of their happy family regularly. On July 23, 2022, Bindi posted a series of photos taken during her 24th birthday mountainside celebration surrounded by her loving husband, child, mom and brother. 

“The last year has been filled with enormous growth, unpredictable/challenging times and above all, love beyond my wildest dreams. Without them realising, my sweet family has given me the greatest gifts this year through their extraordinary actions each and every day,” she wrote in the caption, adding, “My in-laws, the gift of no distance standing in the way of family bonds. My mum, the gift of perseverance, strength and a shoulder to lean on. My brother, the gift of enthusiasm for life and remembering not to sweat the little things. My husband, the gift of steadfast support and infinite kindness. My darling daughter, the gift of finding beauty in all things and running towards happiness (and bubbles, which are the same thing to her) with an open heart.”

But before jumping headlong into family life, Bindi had shown the world that she was also an unexpectedly skilled dancer.

In 2015, Bindi joined the 21st season of “Dancing With The Stars.” She partnered with dancer Derek Hough, the brother of Julianne Hough. For their sixth performance, the pair danced to the “Dirty Dancing” classic “(I've Had) The Time of My Life.” While rehearsing for their routine, they were surprised during practice by none other than Jennifer Grey, who played Baby in the 1987 film. After giving the pair words of encouragement, Bindi and Hough got down to business trying to perfect the famous “lift.”

On the day of the performance, Hough pulled Bindi out from the crowd. Bindi was dressed to the nines, in similar fashion to Baby in the movie. Her hair was also swept up in a glam 80s updo. The pair began dancing to the famous song as the audience began to clap to the rhythm. They nailed every move, but would they be able to pull off the “lift?” Jittery with anticipation, the crowd continued to encourage Bindi and Hough as backup dancers joined them. Then, it was finally time: Bindi ran to Hough and without hesitation, he lifted her upwards into the air, sending the audience into a frenzy. 

While Bindi and Hough made everything look easy, it was almost anything but. They told People mere seconds before taking the stage, costume issues sent them into a panic.

“We were practicing the lift and Bindi’s dress kept sliding up,” Hough said. “If it came up too high, she would fall down. We ran over to wardrobe and I said, ‘Please sew the dress to her underwear so it won’t slide up.’”

Bindi and Hough eventually won that season of the show, after another stunning performance dedicated to Bindi’s father. We’re pretty sure both Swayze and Steve would have been mighty proud of Bindi.

Did you enjoy the performance to the “Dirty Dancing” classic? Are you surprised by Bindi’s unexpected talent? Let us know and be sure to pass this along to friends and family, too.