BWW Blog: Leanne Laurino - FOOTLOOSE Dances into UHSPAC

The award - winning Union High School Performing Arts Company has been tirelessly working on our Winter Production of Footloose. Based off the classic 1984 film, the story follows Ren McCormack, an upbeat Chicago teen who moves to the small town of Bomont. He meets some friends along the way that would soon change his life in a way he never thought possible.

In this story, every character experiences some sort of loss. Ren, his mom, and the congregation of Bomont join together to free themselves from town limits set by Reverend Moore in response to his son's death. Together, they find that they are unstoppable.

Footloose features showstoppers such as "Holding out for a Hero" and "Let's Hear it for the Boy" that gives the audience a break from the real tragedies the characters are facing. Director James Mosser and choreographer Jennifer Williams have been providing us young actors with the skills needed to deliver an inspiring performance come opening night.

The cast is beaming with enthusiasm as we count down to the performance. Jason Yanto who stars as Ren McCormack opens up about the most challenging part of the process. "The most challenging part of Footloose, for me, was maintaining the truth in the story. There are many elements in the show, like the classic songs and awesome dance moves that are always crowd pleasers, but at the heart of Footloose is a story about freeing yourself from any kind of injustice. That's a really timeless and universal message, so it's been a fun challenge to convey that with as much honesty as possible onstage." Crystal Wright portraying the role Rusty adds "My favorite part of the show is being able to perform electrifying dance numbers and amazing music even though they prove to be very challenging at times. Throughout the show I sing in very tight harmonies and personally, my own solo, 'Let's Hear it for the Boy' has been an obstacle I have had the pleasure of overcoming. It has shown itself to be vocally challenging but also a lot of fun to perform." Joseph Laurino Jr as the comical best friend of Ren says "You should come see Footloose because we have put a lot of work into the show. The musical itself is also very well written. The fight between opposing forces gives you a riveting conflict that takes you across the whole show. You'll have to come see to find out what happens to Ren and the rest of Bomont!"

Come join us December 8th - 11th! Visit www.uhspac.com for more information.