A film that took the world by storm 30 years ago will be remounted next month at Coquitlam's Gleneagle secondary.
Grade 12 students Andrew de los Reyes and Jennifer Gillis will end high school by starring as Ren and Ariel in Footloose.
Drama teacher Ashley Freeborn cast the pair in the top roles "because they have been with me all along and I wanted something fun for them to remember and they could dance their hearts out."
Freeborn said she also picked Footloose as this year's Musical Theatre 11/12 class has a number of gifted dancers. And choreographer Lyndsey Britten is playing up their strengths: de los Reyes is strong at break dancing while Gillis has had years of training with the Lindbjerg Academy of Performing Arts and on stage.
In 2012, Gillis worked with Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber, Louise Pitre, Kristin Chenoweth and other famous stage professionals as part of her "boot camp" on the CBC-TV reality show Over the Rainbow.
Last year, Gillis was double-cast with Cassidy Stahr as Millie in Thoroughly Modern Millie at Gleneagle; and, in the summer, she sung the national anthem on Parliament Hill before millions of television viewers on Canada Day.
Since then, Gillis said she's been recharging her batteries to gear up for post-grad work. Though she has been accepted to study musical theatre at Capilano University this fall, her eyes remain fixed on Broadway, she said.
De los Reyes said he also plans to continue with stage work in his post-secondary studies: he will be majoring in sports science with a minor in theatre at Douglas College.
The 17-year-old student said closing his time at Gleneagle with Footloose is a dream come true. "I'm really excited because, in my family, it's something that we watch every now and then."
Added Gillis, "It's something everybody is familiar with and to bring these characters to life is really an honour."
The universal story about freedom and rebellion was brought to the silver screen in 1984, with Kevin Bacon portraying Ren McCormack - the city teenager new to a small Oklahoma town where rock music and dancing are banned - and Lori Singer playing Ariel Moore, the daughter of the ultra-strict Rev. Shaw Moore.
Back then, the movie struck a nerve as did the music, including the title track by Kenny Loggins that won the Grammy for song of the year. Three years ago, the movie was remade with Kenny Wormald and Julianne Hough as the main characters.
Freeborn said the show has resonated for so long because "it's about the power of listening to the young. They actually have something to say if they're just given the chance to be heard."
Footloose runs May 7 to 9 and May 14 to 16 at 7 p.m. Tickets are $12/$8 (no charge for kids under 5) and available through the school (1195 Lansdowne Dr., Coquitlam) by calling 604-464-5793.
