Footloose is one of my favorite movies, and so is its titular song. But for the last four years, every time I hear the song, I’m filled with deep regret. It also reminds me of two things:
- One of my most embarrassing dance floor moments
- That I still haven’t looked up whether there’s a Footloose line dance.
The Footloose Mishap
It all started in July 2021. Cruising was back. We were on the second ship to sail after COVID lockdowns had eased, and we were ready to have some fun.
Not that we’re big partiers. We don’t gamble. Neither of us really drinks. Wayne might have a beer or mixed drink on occasion. Even more rarely, I will because I can’t metabolize alcohol. I can handle ciders, though, so every now and then I’ll have one of those.
But we do love to dance. I’m no good at it. I’m like Elaine from Seinfeld. My body tries to keep rhythm, but it ends up looking more like barely-controlled convulsions.
Wayne, on the other hand, gyrates in all kinds of funky combinations, but it works. Bonus, people have so much fun watching him, they pay me no mind.
Anyway, there we were, one of the first nights on board, hanging out with new cruise friends we’d met at dinner while listening to one of the bands. A few people were taking advantage of the dance floor. I was waiting for a really good song before I ventured out. Then it happened. They played Footloose.
Wayne is not a fan of the song. He refused to dance with me. Crap. But I was still in that post-COVID YOLO state of mind, so I said, “Screw it. I’ll go out there and make a fool of myself. I don’t care.”
I figured someone else might join me once they saw me out there. Nope. I grew very self conscious and started pleading with people at the tables around the dance floor. Finally, a really nice woman took pity on me and joined me.
“Do you know the dance?” she asked.
“Dance? No.”
“Yeah. There’s a dance.”
She proceeded to do some crazy coordinated moves while I did my step taps in place, watching with admiration. We never buy cruise WiFi, but I made a mental note to look up a Footloose line dance tutorial as soon as I had Internet access again.
Big mistake. My mental notes always get misplaced (a.k.a. forgotten). That’s why it’s taken me four years to finally look up if there was (a) an actual Footloose line dance, and (b) if there was a Footloose line dance tutorial to help me learn it.
The Search for a Footloose Line Dance Tutorial
This past Saturday, my favorite band played for the Brentwood Summer Concert Series: Rubik’s Groove. The first song they played? Footloose.
I was so tempted to bolt out of my chair and rush to the dance floor, but a certain sight stopped me. Three teenage girls were doing the dance. The one the lady on the cruise ship had done.
Phone on me, Internet accessible, I quickly typed a calendar reminder to look for a Footloose line dance tutorial. (Even though I wasn’t dancing, I still wanted to sing along.)
Anyway, the reminder worked. Today, I looked and found several tutorials, but I liked the way Shalee of Grant & Shalee – King and Queen of Country Swing broke it down.
Once I see the Wobble, I pick it up again, but the only other line dance I know by heart is the Cupid Shuffle. I’m determined to make the Footloose line dance my second.
And then, every time I head out to do it, I’m going to shout the same line as Kevin Bacon’s character does in the movie before the prom dance in the barn: “Let’s dance!”
Your Turn
What’s your favorite line dance?