By Amanda Moses
In the 1980s there were three kings of dance hitting the silver screen: Patrick Swayze, John Travolta and Kevin Bacon. While the first two actors were known for their sensual hip movements, Bacon was all about the footwork and gymnastic dance style.
The year was 1984, and 24-year-old Kevin Bacon was just becoming a household name when he was offered the role to play Ren McCormack in Footloose. It was from that moment on that history was made, creating a fan-favorite dance movie classic.
Footloose tells the story of a small rural town scarred from a tragedy that stemmed from what they believed to be “sinful music” coaxing the young to drink, do drugs and have sexual relations. City slicker McCormack stumbles into this farm-centric town with his mother, trying to pick up the pieces of their lives after being abandoned by his father. However, this vibrant young man with killer dance skills finds it hard to adjust when music—the very essence to his happiness—is being policed by the townspeople, specifically the local parish’s pastor. Through several trials and tribulations, and with the help of the pastor’s daughter, Ariel Moore played by Lori Singer, dance is once again brought back to the teens of Bomont.
After 40 years, this classic film was once again shown on the silver screen during the Tribeca Festival at BMCC theater at 199 Chambers Street on June 14th. After the audience enjoyed the near two-hour flick, moderator and Air Mail writer at large Michael Hainey hosted a discussion with Bacon. Fans learned that Bacon was not the Paramount Studio head Dawn Steels first choice because she felt he wasn’t attractive enough for the role; however, Bacon shares that after a few audition tapes showcasing him dancing she was later convinced that Bacon was the perfect Ren McCormack.
“The movie I’m so thrilled to have been in. I can’t believe it’s 40 years,” Bacon said.
Bacon shared that he leapt at the opportunity to finally play in a lead role: “You know what sounded good about it. ‘You’re the lead.’ I wasn’t that analytical about it…I did some supporting parts…the audition came and the weird thing about it I didn’t really get from the script the extent of the dancing.”
The dance styles in Footloose were also a reflection of music at the time and the rise of Hip Hop and break dancing. It was through reshoots of the film’s ending that truly made the film a memorable classic in cinema history.
“That whole popping and breakdancing thing had sort of blown up in a way, so they added that. They added the possibility that it could be a kid that was doing that and spinning on his back and stuff like that. And that whole thing was new, and I can guarantee you that the money that they spent and the smarts to look at the audience’s reaction and say we need a new ending was definitely worth it,” Bacon said.
Photos by Amanda Moses
