As ‘Footloose’ turns 40, school hopes Kevin Bacon returns for one last dance
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Jill Hammond was a sophomore at Payson High School in Payson, Utah, in the spring of 1983 when she learned that juniors and seniors would have the opportunity to be selected as extras for a movie that would be shot at the school. As a cheerleader, Hammond was automatically picked for a choreographed dance number, which took a little more than two weeks to shoot.
That film was “Footloose,” and the dance number involved an actor in his mid-20s by the name of Kevin Bacon.
The scene didn’t make the final cut, but Hammond, now 57, has fond memories of the “super fun” experience. “I remember when the trailers came out, we pointed out our friends and the back of my head,” she said. “We went and saw it for the first time in the theater for my 16th birthday.”
The film, directed by Herbert Ross and released 40 years ago on Feb. 17, 1984, centers on Chicago teenager Ren McCormack (Bacon), who moves to the fictional town of Bomont, based on Payson, about an hour south of Salt Lake City. Many Bomont residents, guided by Rev. Shaw Moore (John Lithgow), look down on dancing and rock-and-roll. The youth, such as Moore’s daughter, Ariel (Lori Singer), and Willard Hewitt (Chris Penn), don’t conform to the town’s strict morals. By film’s end, Ren puts on a prom for the high school students in a mill over the county line.
“It’s not just a great film - it’s this small Utah town’s claim to fame,” Hammond said. “Kevin was charismatic and kind. Even though he was just starting back then, you knew he was going to be a star some day.”
“Footloose” received mixed reviews, but it was a box office hit. Two songs featured in the film - Kenny Loggins’s “Footloose” and Deniece Williams’s “Let’s Hear It for the Boy” - were both nominated for Best Original Song at the 57th Academy Awards.
“No matter how old you are, you know the song ‘Footloose,’ ” Hammond said.
The Payson High School building, constructed in 1967, is scheduled to be torn down next year, so students are mounting a campaign - one that has drawn the backing of Utah’s governor - to get Bacon to attend their April 20 prom for one last dance.
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‘This is our time to dance’
Rubie Raff didn’t fully appreciate “Footloose” the first time she watched it.
“I didn’t process how cool it was before,” said Raff, an 18-year-old senior. “I wasn’t alive when it was filmed in Payson, but I realize how proud our town is of this movie. So many people want him to come, and I feel it’s become more possible.” As Payson High’s student body president, Raff helped brainstorm ideas at the start of the campaign, connected with the community to garner interest, and fielded calls with Bacon’s nonprofit group, SixDegrees.org. As the campaign got underway, Raff said she watched the film a second time and gained a greater appreciation for it.
Lauren Krout, the sophomore class president, will graduate in 2026. Jenny Staheli, a Payson High English teacher and adviser to the student council, gave Krout the job of noting time stamps from the film each time a spot in the high school appeared. Krout handed out a list of those time stamps to attendees of a screening of the movie in the school’s new football stadium in September.
“Seeing those spots every day and attending a school where I recognize Kevin’s locker, it feels like I’m in the movie,” said Krout, 16.
Olivia Vincent, a senior and the student body publicity officer, manages the school’s social media presence. She said the dream of having Bacon attend prom didn’t feel real until the actor commented on one of the school’s TikTok posts.
The campaign officially kicked off in July, when the school had a #BaconToPayson booth at the Payson Scottish Festival on July 8, which is Bacon’s birthday. Because of the campaign’s work, the student council was invited to the Utah Film Commission’s October festival celebrating 100 years of movies filmed in Utah.
“‘Footloose’ is our thing,” said Jaedyn Holman, 16. “It’s Payson. No one else can say that.”
Bacon still embraces the film. He re-created one of its beloved dance scenes when he appeared on “The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon” in 2014, and when the “Footloose Drop” challenge went viral on TikTok in 2022, Bacon and his wife, Kyra Sedgwick, tried the challenge themselves.
On the film’s 25th anniversary in 2009, Bacon filmed a video for Payson. “Have the courage to stick up for what you believe, even if the powers that be want to shut you down,” he said. “Most importantly, don’t be afraid to be different.”
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One last dance
Staheli said the idea of inviting Bacon to prom goes back as far back as the film’s 20th anniversary.
Growing up in Orangeville, Utah, Staheli first watched the film on VHS at a friend’s party when she was 11. She fell in love with it and calls it a film that defines her generation. One of her favorite scenes involves Ariel reconciling with her father as she prepares for the prom.
“I watch it now and I’m 12 years old again,” Staheli, 50, said. “It has a personal connection with my past, and maybe someday I’ll get to meet Kevin Bacon. That would be a fun full circle for me.”
Staheli says the film’s message still resonates with students born long after its release.
“Kids can still relate to all these teenage problems,” Staheli said. “‘Footloose’ really boils down to ‘We’re not being heard. We’re not being seen.’ And they can relate to that feeling.”
Staheli first pitched the 40th-anniversary idea to the school last year, noting that the anniversary would coincide with it soon being torn down.
Construction of some of the new facilities is complete, including the football stadium. In May 2025, the school will move into the new campus, and demolition will begin the next month. Some items, such as Bacon’s locker, will move to the new location.
Staheli said the school receives visitors who want to tour spots where the movie was filmed, including a fan from Spain who plans to come this summer.
Students have taped photos of scenes from the film in the places where they were filmed. Staheli said one teacher assigned students the task of mailing letters to Bacon making the case for why he should attend prom.
“We have an open dance floor and it’s all his, and we’d love to share it with him,” Vincent said. “It would be such a great way to say goodbye.”
Staheli said the school has received support from community members who enjoy the film.
“‘Footloose’ was something we never forgot. It’s a point of pride,” Staheli said. “People who lived here and worked on the film as extras are still here and love to talk about it.”
Jennifer Allen, Bacon’s longtime publicist, said Bacon is aware of the campaign and applauds the students’ work.
“He definitely knows about it and thinks it’s really cool,” Allen said. She noted the school’s contribution to SixDegrees.org, which, among other initiatives, distributes kits to neighbors in need that include inspirational notes and basic items like toiletries. Staheli said that on the day of prom, the school will host an event with the nonprofit to pack 5,000 kits.
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox (R), who was 8 years old when the film came out, extended an invitation to Bacon in November to visit Payson.
“We need Ren back here in Utah. We’re still dancing, but we would love to have you at Payson High School,” Cox said in a video message in November. “I’ve been to your locker. It’s still there.”
Staheli said there had been conversations on whether other actors in the film could attend, or possibly Loggins, but Bacon is the priority. The students have yet to hear from Bacon, but they remain optimistic.
“We’re so proud of our hometown, everything Kevin’s done, and everything that ‘Footloose’ stands for,” Raff said. “Come on, Kevin, let’s dance!”
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Olivia McCormack contributed to this report.
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