Villagers know Carol Greenfield through her work with the Villages Musical Company, as the guiding force behind Broadway Bound Players and director of the company’s recent shows, “Fiddler on the Roof” and “Motown Magic.”

But nearly 30 years ago, Greenfield landed a small part in “Dirty Dancing,” one of the most popular movies made in the 1980s. Wearing a bright orange, sequined dress, she was among the dancers in the movie’s high-energy and compelling final scene.

In October 1986, she was living in Hendersonville, N.C., when the local newspaper published a casting call for people who love to dance. Greenfield went with her friend Emil to an audition at the Carousel Ballroom and both were among 150 local dancers chosen for the final scene.

At the time, the movie, which went on to gross over $200 million, was a low-budget production by a fledgling studio and choreographer Kenny Ortega supervised the dancers, who included about two dozen professionals from New York City. Ortega now is planning a remake of the movie.

The original movie was set during the summertime in New York’s Catskill Mountains, but it was filmed during the fall at Lake Lure, N.C., about 25 miles from Hendersonville.

The final scene took about two weeks, including a week for rehearsal and another for filming, and Greenfield was able to stay in a friend’s nearby cabin so she could keep the grueling schedule of 8 a.m. to 1 a.m. each day.

“It’s October, it’s cold, pretty raw,” Greenfield said, adding that the dancers kept their warm clothes on until it was time to dance.

Her orange dress was among the 1950s costumes worn by the dancers.

They gave us the most ridiculous high heels you ever saw in your life,” she said. “We all took ’em off.”

Greenfield said the cast, which included Patrick Swayze, Jennifer Grey, Cynthia Rhodes and Jerry Orbach, was friendly and treated the local dancers well.

“Nobody was snotty, nobody was snooty,” she said. “It was just a lot of fun.”

Greenfield, who came to The Villages 15 years ago, said she has been part of theater productions both on stage and back stage since she was very young.

“I was a tree in the first grade and that was the end of that,” she said.

She took time off from her job as a nursing secretary for the “Dirty Dancing” movie and also worked as a teacher for several years.

Last fall’s production of “Fiddler on the Roof” was an important achievement, Greenfield said.

“It was at the top of my bucket list,” she said. “It is my all-time favorite show.”

Her next production is “The Sensational Sixties” in mid-March, which she said will feature beach music, the British musical invasion, Motown and the age of Aquarius. Instead of recorded music, the show also will include live music by the Flashback rock band.

Despite her many accomplishments since “Dirty Dancing,” she still keeps a scrapbook of photos and memories from her small role in the popular movie.

“You got your makeup done every day,” Greenfield said. “You felt like a star.”