A very tight production of 'Footloose'

Even dancers who cut footloose require some direction.
By ASHLEE OWENS
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
"Quiet!" Anita Lin commands a chattering cast as she weaves through and repositions members. In her flesh-toned fishnets and heels and hot-pink dress that alternately clings and swings, she's glamorous enough to be the star of the show.
But on this particular occasion, choreographer Lin is leading a rehearsal of Ballet Western Reserve's upcoming presentation of the Broadway musical "Footloose." The show will run April 30 and May 1 at The Youngstown Playhouse, a change from Ballet Western Reserve's usual venue of Powers Auditorium.
The new location has its pros and cons.
"Footloose is one of those musicals that works so well in a smaller venue," says Lin. "The playhouse is a warmer, more intimate setting with a closer atmosphere and a beautiful stage."
But Powers seats about 2,300 while the Playhouse accommodates only about 550.
"We'll sell out quicker than usual," Lin said.
Take that as a "yes" if you want to know whether to make reservations now.
The scene
In the dance studio, soft thuds fill the air as bare and slippered feet hit a floor coated with a rubbery substance. The room is long and narrow, and endless panels of mirrors reflect an opposing wall of exposed brick. Sunshine streams through windows near the piano, which spills out rolling, rumbling music.
"Guys, keep your arms straight and use your biceps. And remember, it's not how high you lift her, it's how you let her down. Don't just drop her," Lin instructs a group of male dancers catapulting their female counterparts ceiling-ward.
"This performance is the total description of community theater," says Lin. "We have professional adults who have acted on professional stages. We have students from the musical theater department at Youngstown State University. We have the strength of the dancers from Ballet Western Reserve. It's a cast of really top-notch singers, actors and dancers."
One of the actors is local-favorite Ed Smith, who has performed numerous times at the Youngstown Playhouse, Powers Auditorium and the Oakland Center for the Arts. Smith plays the strict, salvation-obsessed Reverend Moore, distressed father of the rebellious Ariel.
Smith's wife, Joanne Carney-Smith, is the director of the musical.
The lead male and female roles are filled by Point Park College scholarship students -- one still a senior at Cardinal Mooney High.
"There is not one weak link," Lin says of the cast.
The story
"Footloose" is based on the 1984 movie about a big-city, misfit kid in a small town where dancing is outlawed. The musical features such hit songs as "Let's Hear it for the Boy," "Holding Out for a Hero," "Almost Paradise" and, of course, "Footloose."
Although the show has become a high-school play staple (several local high schools staged performances last year), amateur is not the standard to which Ballet Western Reserve aspires.
"There are a lot of high schools that do 'Footloose.' It's a popular show," Lin says. "But it's at a different level when we're doing it here."