‘Footloose’ at Saint Louis has plenty of island connections

Ramon Del Barrio, a 40-year stage veteran who acts, dances, sings, directs and choreographs, has had a curious relationship with “Footloose,” the hit 1984 movie turned musical that he choreographed for Saint Louis School this season.

“One of my first jobs at 17 was to bring shoes for a photo shoot and to dance for the cameras for the opening credits of the ‘Footloose’ film,” he said, calling from California.

Del Barrio, 53, was born on the mainland, but he’s also connected to Hawaii. He credits his Hawaii-born mother, who was a dancer at the Lexington Hotel’s Hawaiian Room in 1950s New York, for teaching him 1960s vintage dances like “the Watusi, the Mashed Potato and the Camel.”

When “Footloose” called, Del Barrio was ready.

“I brought eight pairs of shoes,” he recalled. “No. 8 was bowling shoes, which appeared in the credits as the ‘Footloose’ title appeared.”

The “Footloose” screenplay was written by Saint Louis grad Dean Pitchford, creating another connection. “I was in white cowboy boots when Dean’s name appeared,” Del Barrio notes.

Del Barrio was paid $80 for the appearance in those shoes; he wasn’t credited, and received no residuals. Nonetheless, he said he’s thrilled to know the magnitude of “having your dance feet in the movie,” a monster hit that broke box office records at the time and sent its soundtrack to the top of the charts.

“The movie turned out to be one of the biggest dance hits,” Del Barrio said.

When the film’s title tune was a Best Song nominee for the Academy Awards in 1985, Del Barrio danced on the Oscarcast, with stage star Debbie Allen singing “Footloose.” (Song co-writer Kenny Loggins sang it on the film’s soundtrack.)

After being adapted as a musical for the stage, “Footloose” played on Broadway between 1998 and 2000.

Saint Louis now presents “Footloose” for the third time, with Kyle Kakuno directing, as he has for previous productions.

“We originally did it in 2001 — as the first high school in the country to present it right after it ended its Broadway run,” Kakuno said.

Saint Louis got that honor thanks to Pitchford’s connection. It brought the musical back to the stage in 2009.

The latest reincarnation features a cast of 30 high schoolers from schools including Saint Louis, Sacred Hearts Academy, Punahou, University of Hawaii Lab School and Hawaii Tech Academy.

The story revolves around Ren McCormack, a city boy who finds himself in a rural town where dancing is forbidden. Trouble ensues when Ren falls for Ariel Moore, daughter of the town’s staunch Rev. Shaw Moore (Alexander Galeai), who is behind the dancing ban. Anya Dimitrijevik plays Vi Moore, the reverend’s voice-of-reason wife.

Saint Louis sophomore Cormac Hurley leads the cast as Ren. Lyric Medeiros, a Punahou junior, plays Ariel; she’s the daughter of Saint Louis President Glenn Medeiros, who himself was a pop music star before becoming an educator.

PITCHFORD SAID “Footloose” remains eternally in vogue: “Last year in the U.S., agents issued 375 licenses to do the show; it’s one of the most popular titles in the repertoire, with requests to do it from Europe, England, Australia, New Zealand and Southeast Asia.”

Besides the title song, “Footloose” boasts several other hits, including “Let’s Hear it for the Boy,” “Almost Paradise” and “Holding Out for a Hero.”

“The movie’s 34 years old, the musical is 20 years old, and there are no signs of flagging,” Pitchford said of the ongoing reboots.

A 2011 film update featured Kenny Wormald and Julianne Hough as the two dancing and romancing leads.

And the melodies keep showing up in commercials — think Doritos, Arby’s and Kia spots. ABC’s “Bachelor in Paradise” has featured “Almost Paradise.” “Hero” was the soundtrack to a Kia ad, as comic actress Melissa McCarthy tries to save the whales, a falling tree and a charging rhinoceros.

Pitchford remains proud of his Saint Louis connection. This year’s production is tied to his Class of 1968’s 50th anniversary celebration, though unfortunately, Pitchford won’t be there, because of a family obligation.

DEL BARRIO has been choreographing musicals at Saint Louis for a decade, including “Rent: School Edition” (2008), “In the Heights” (2013), “Seussical” (2014), “Legally Blonde” (2015) and “Guys and Dolls” (2016).

He has a string of other credits, including the role of Damon Runyan in a 2009 Broadway revival of “Guys and Dolls,” and as part of a traveling “Jersey Boys” production.

He also toured with Tony-winning Broadway star Chita Rivera, and notably appeared with her as a backup dancer at her 2016 debut at Carnegie Hall.

“She’s the quintessential showbiz gypsy, still performing at 85,” Del Barrio said. “She was very supportive of my work.”

While touring with Rivera, he noted, she gave him time off to work on the film “West Bank Story,” which went on to win a 2006 Oscar for Best Live Action Film Short.

Del Barrio values theater as an avenue for learning and to nurture youth, and said he hopes to someday organize a nonprofit dedicated to bringing theater into schools.