Director’s Note
In October 2021, a news headline caught my attention: “After months in lockdown, a weary world is ready to dance.” The article by the Associated Press described the ways in which the pandemic affected dancers specifically, noting that lockdowns and isolation couldn’t dampen the global spirit for dance but kept individuals from dancing together. It stated, “Some danced alone. Some danced alone and yet together, swaying and twirling across the internet. Some danced to be freed of the shackles of the coronavirus, if only for a moment.” As I read this, I thought of our students. We had just selected Footloose as our spring musical, and I had entered the production process thinking of it as a fun show filled with accessible roles for our combined Middle and Upper School performers. Then I read what was perhaps the most striking part of the article, which described how dancers around the world were slowly able to dance together in person again: “Maybe it’s because of the advent of COVID-19 vaccines. Maybe it is because feet can be repressed for just so long.
But it seems that everywhere, dancers are letting loose.” I knew at that moment that our choice of show was even more relevant than I had imagined.
Not only does every character in Footloose have something to cut loose, to let go of, to free from within themselves—a past that holds them back or holds them down—but every student involved in our show can also relate to the feelings of not being allowed to dance together. As our world is slowly coming back to the proverbial dance floor, our show can be seen as both a metaphor for what we’ve all experienced over the past two years and a celebration of breaking free from the pandemic. I think the article is right. Feet can only be repressed for so long. With that, we invite you to celebrate— and dance!— with us!
Thank you for coming, and please enjoy the show!
Tasha Partee
Director
