BY ELIZABETH EGAN, STAFF WRITER
On Monday, May 2, and Tuesday, May 3, the St. Bonaventure University dance team performed their own rendition of “Footloose.” Through a series of dances and skits, the team brought this story to Bonaventure.
As I entered the theater on the first night of the performance, I saw that it had quickly filled with friends and family of the dancers. People chattered in quiet anticipation of the performance that was about to come.
Going into it, I didn’t really know what they meant by “rendition of “Footloose.” It had been a long time since I watched the original movie and all I really remembered was the main song. As the house lights went down and the stage lights went up, it was the exact song I had imagined that filled the room. A dozen girls dressed in adorable sundresses and huge smiles filled the stage dancing along to the lively music with fantastic energy.
In some ways, the performance was like a classic dance recital. It featured a series of choreographed dances, all featuring perfect costumes. Where it differed from a classic recital were the elements of the “Footloose” story, adapted for the Bonaventure community.
In between the dances ran a story of a newcomer entering the fictional Bonaventure community whoes recent tragedy prompted community leaders to ban dancing and loud music, much to the dismay of the new student. He quickly befriends the preacher’s daughter who also resents the newly restrictive rules of her community. They spend some time attempting to skirt the rules until they ultimately come together to restore music to the town and give Bonaventure a prom.
Did all of this make sense in the context of a college campus? Maybe not, but it certainly made for a cute storyline and the mention of things relatable to the Bonaventure campus certainly provoked a positive response from the audience.
While both the dancing and acting radiated fantastic energy, the costumes topped the performance perfectly. From cute sundresses to oversized flannels and beautiful red flowy dresses to joggers that made me legitimately consider popping backstage to ask where they bought them, the costumes in each number did not disappoint.
When it came to the dancing, there were a lot of good things but what had to be my favorite was the lifts. Very few numbers combined both the male and female dancers which was a little disappointing because the chemistry between the dancers was great and the lifts they performed were very impressive. Between those and some of the moves performed by the female dancers through the numbers, the athleticism of the dancers really shined.
The show ended with a huge round of applause from the audience.
Some team members were nervous going into the performance but also excited. “Since I am the coach, I wanted everything to go right,” said senior Isabel Wilson, one of the two team coaches. “Once we started the show most of my nerves went away. I am really proud of everyone for their hard work.”
While the show is no longer running in the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts, the team put on a fantastic performance and the campus community should be excited to see what they produce for next year!
