Can you believe that Footloose turns 40 this year? 1984 was such a big year in film. Footloose was filmed at Payton High School in Utah. It turns out that PHS is relocating to a new building at the end of this year, so its students came up with an epic idea. They decided what better way to celebrate the end of an era than to have the school’s most famous non-attendee cut loose with them at the high school’s final prom? So, they launched a social media campaign called #BaconToPayson to lure Footloose star Kevin Bacon there. The campaign included a flash mob recreation of the big dance scene from the movie. Those students said this is their time to dance, and Kevin responded by saying, “Let’s dance!”
Bacon announced this week to a gym full of students from Utah’s Payson High School, where his iconic movie “Footloose” was filmed, that he will be making an appearance at the school’s final prom.
This comes after students launched a campaign to get the actor to attend the event. Payson High School is set to relocate at the end of the school year.
The #BacontoPayson social media campaign was a collective effort that got students involved in movie recreations and choreographed videos in hopes of getting Bacon’s attention.
In an announcement broadcast on the “Today” show, Bacon thanked the students for their invitation, calling the film and high school “a big part of my life.”
When he announced he’d be coming, the students, who were gathered together at the school for the announcement, cheered.
“Thank you, guys. Let’s dance,” Bacon said.
“Footloose” was released in 1984 and starred Bacon as a teenager who moves to a small town that forbids dancing and works to overturn the draconian measure. It all culminates in a prom scene that, surely in part thanks to Kenny Loggins, apparently still resonates.
This is awesome. Now, that’s how you close out a school. It’s super cool of Kevin to agree to go to the PHS’s final prom, too. I wonder what the logistics will be. Will Kevin just get right in there and start dancing or will it just be a drive-by kinda thing, where he makes an appearance for like 15 minutes, tells the kids to have safe prom fun, and then peaces out? The students are also hosting a charity event at prom, with proceeds going towards Kevin’s Six Degrees charity foundation. Will he help host that? Ooh, imagine if Kevin got Lori Singer or some of his other castmates to show up as a surprise! The prom is being held next month, so I’m sure we’ll get updates after it happens. Oh man, this is so freaking cool. I hope Kevin and those students close down Payton High School properly. They better dance their asses off.
Photos credit: Emilio Madrid/Netflix, Getty Images for Netflix, IMAGO/Barbara Hine/Avalon