Fred wanted to do something similar with Cyd in "The Band Wagon" so the Vamp was back a year later:
From a comment under "Dancing in the Dark":
"The choreography cleverly conceals the elfin Fred's inability to do proper lifts with less than wraith-like partners: for example, he uses the park bench in a variant of the 'hurdle lift' from 'The Yam' in 'Carefree' to bolster himself. Not that it matters, when so much emotion can be conveyed without toting the lady around, just by moving in unison. Cyd said when she rehearsed with Gene Kelly, who was ballet-minded, she came home covered in bruises; with Fred, not a mark. Notice her slightly splay-footed, waddling gait when they are wandering through the dancers, betraying her balletic origins, and Fred's quizzical looks. He never forgot to act with his face as well as his body."