“In song and dance man expresses himself as a member of a higher community: he has forgotten how to walk and speak and is on the way toward flying up into the air, dancing.” Friedrich Nietzsche
In the winter of 1984 I was a young man living in Round Rock, TX and searching for an idea of who I was. I had just returned from NYC after having attended the National Shakespeare Company. I had found a place to take dance class (ballet and jazz of all things) because it felt good and helped me "get back into shape" AND I was driving a Volkswagen Beetle. My hair was spiked and I had a habit of wearing Converse high tops (I really miss those) when I wasn’t at work. Then Footloose hit the big screen and I was hooked! I could never be Kevin Bacon but I was a guy who liked to dance living in a small town in Texas and who drove a VW!
In the movie, Ren gets more than he bargained for when his mother uproots him from his life and friends in the big city of Chicago and moves to the small farming town of “Bomont”. There he discovers the Reverend Shaw Moore has banned dancing, an act illustrating the control a single man exerts over the entire town. However, the local preacher is dealing with his own issues of loss and isolation.
The story of Footloose is based on a small town in Oklahoma—Elmore City—that had banned dancing. The law had been on the books for 90 some odd years and in 1979, the high school class, which numbered about 11 kids, wanted to have a dance and the town elders decided they had a problem with that. Although no one could remember why they had instituted that interdiction, the elders dug their heels in. A fight ensued and families split. People took sides and neighbors weren't talking to neighbors. Finally, the local minister put his foot down and dancing was banned. According to Dean Pitchford:
“They (the producers) said nobody would believe it - unless it happened in 1964. But in 1964, not being able to dance would not be that remarkable. However today, it would be. That's what makes the conflict. It's often thought of as that show/movie about the town where you can't dance. But really, the dance is the mechanics to explore another theme which is underlying everything: a boy who's lost his father meets a man who has lost his son and the two clash. The dancing is the thing that they fight over but they're both angry about the thing that they're not saying and it becomes the focus. It's about expression—when they dance, they're able to express themselves. But it is a story about loss and people's attempts to deal with loss and whether banning a book or dancing there's a rallying point into which people bury their rage.”
This dynamic, energetic and poignant story debates common personal and social issues we face everyday. What happens when communication between generations breaks down? What is the result when freedom of expression is repressed? Can a community survive if it’s unable or unwilling to face issues head on? Too many times we have seen the answer, often with disastrous results.
I cannot possibly recount all the many hours that have been poured into making this show a reality, but I can say with absolute certainty that it has been a complete delight. There is always something spectacular about creating a show with such an amazing, dynamic and energetic cast and crew as well as dancing to music played by such an incredibly talented pit. These young people have given so much of themselves, and in the process have found their own modes of self-expression.
We couldn't be more thrilled to share with you our production of Footloose. The show we present to you, we give with a joyous heart. We have had fun with it for months now, always looking forward to this moment when we would share with YOU a little bit of small-town life in which learning to be who you are, and accepting others for the uniqueness they bring to the community, is so vitally important. Sit back if you like, but don't get too comfortable, because when you least expect it you might feel the inescapable urge to dance. Go ahead and give in. Perhaps you will just tap your foot or nod your head to the beat, but I am willing to bet that in the next two hours there will be at least a moment when you too are dancing in some fashion. This show epitomizes the true nature of what dance is about – those spontaneous and joyous moments.
Footloose may surprise you. It's more than just high school fluff about a kid who likes to dance. It's bigger than Kevin Bacon (if that's at all possible, since we’re ALL just six degrees separated from him). It addresses death, loss, denial, and oppresion. It challenges us to confront the past, though it might be painful. It teaches us that it's okay if things aren't perfect all the time. It proves that dancing, and finding a way to express yourself, is not a crime. It's important in our lives to find our own coping mechanisms to 'acknowledge and release' all types of affronting situations and frustrations so that we might breath easier and live in harmony – something we ALL need in these troubled times.
