Before:
Introduction
How does popular culture question society? Plays, movies, and music have often grappled with societal questions of identity, conceptions of right and wrong, relationships, and various norms unabashedly. For example, nineteen eighties films and music openly questioned society and created countercultures in resistance to religious and political conservatism. Take the 1984 film classic Footloose in which a teenage Kevin Bacon plays the iconic bad boy heartthrob Ren, hellbent on the pursuit of dance and rock ‘n roll. Against the conservative wiles of the Bible Belt town he moves into, Ren openly questions the culture, its laws against rock and dance, and restrictive views on the things he holds dear—which in the words of the film’s Reverend Shaw Moore are both “enterprise(s) which (are) fraught with genuine peril.”
But, what are the specific perils? The Reverend adamantly believes that, “besides the liquor and the drugs which always seem to accompany such an event the thing that distresses me even more, Ren, is the spiritual corruption that can be involved.”[1] For the good Reverend, it seems to not be a simple dismissal of dance and music, but a gateway into drugs, alcohol, and, ultimately, sin. Dance and music, it seems, not only jeopardize health, but also salvation. These statements bring with them many interesting questions to unpack, not only for Ren, but also for society.
As is often the case with such narrative troupes, Ren eventually convinces the town that dance is not the evil, salacious act they had been led to believe and is actually a powerful, artistic outlet, and he even gets the girl, too. It is almost forty years later and the themes presented in the film are still relevant as Christians attempt to unpack their beliefs on theatre, dance, and music, but to do so, one must dive into two millennia of church and gendered history. Despite portrayal in a manner that tugs at the audience to fight on the side of dance, the Reverend's sentiment resounds in the hearts and actions of Christian institutions. Grappling with such arts comes directly from Christian history and the institutional tendency towards placing boundaries around its believers’ correct conduct; dance becomes an unwitting victim grafted into the conversations of controlling the body.
After:
Introduction
“Besides the liquor and the drugs which always seem to accompany such an event, the thing that distresses me even more, Ren, is the spiritual corruption that can be involved.”[1] What are we talking about here, gambling, porn, gangs? The answer is dance. Art questions society. Plays, movies, and music unabashedly grapple with themes like: identity, right and wrong, and relationships. In the film Footloose, where this quote is taken from, Kevin Bacon plays bad boy, heartthrob Ren recklessly pursuing dance and rock ‘n roll. Against the conservative wiles of the Bible Belt town he moves into, Ren openly questions the restrictive culture and its laws against rock and dance--which film’s Reverend Shaw Moore declares are “enterprise(s)...fraught with genuine peril.” But, what are the specific perils? The Reverend adamantly believes dance and music is a gateway into drugs, alcohol, and sin. For this town, dance and music jeopardize health, wellbeing, and eternal salvation. It may seem harsh, but their views are not isolated.
Although Ren convinces the town, and the Reverend, that dance is powerful and artistic, the American Christian Churches at large require convincing. American Christians continue attempting to unpack their beliefs on theatre, dance, and music. It's an arduous task. To effectively maneuver this conversation we must dig through two millennia of church and gendered history. Reverend Shaw’s sentiments resound. Grappling with dance engages Christian, institutional, and American history. Dance, and institutional ambivalence, continues to be an unwitting tool in the religious methodologies for controlling a believer’s body.