Students Cut Loose at Hoboken High

In their own Bomont, Georgia, on stage at Hoboken High School, local students will put on a rendition of the 1984 film Footloose tonight at 7 p.m. Admission is $7, $5 for students and $3 for senior citizens.

In Footloose, a young man named Ren is forced to move from Chicago to the small town of Bomont after his father leaves the family. When Ren arrives, the people in town are still mourning the tragic loss of four teenagers who died in a car accident after a night of dancing. A powerful Bomont minister creates a law banning any unsupervised dancing within town limits. Ren, who falls in love with the minister’s daughter, rallies his fellow youths to rebel against authority.

The production is Hoboken’s first musical by theater director Danielle Miller, who started teaching at the high school last September. She said she looked for a show with energy. “I wanted to do something fun,” said Miller. She added that she’s never worked with the right mix of kids for a show like Footloose, but in Hoboken, she’s got them. “I think it’s the diversity of their personalities,” she said.

Miller said it takes self-motivation and self-discipline to be a great student actor. And that these kids, who have practiced every day after school for three months and almost every day of their spring break, have the dedication.

Her students have also been involved in every aspect of the show.

Junior Ariel Cruz has been a tremendous support, said Miller. Not only does she play an important role on stage, she has also helped make the show’s playbill possible. “It’s been crazy,” said Cruz. She said she likes being on stage, but she is considering a college degree in theater production. For now though, she said she is fully engrossed in Footloose. “It’s about being free,” she said. “It’s being able to be yourself.”

Sophomore Jordan Yurnet has taken on the lead role of Ren. “It’s a lot of pressure,” he said. Ren is confident and a great dancer, he said, and it’s been tough living up to the character. “But I like to challenge myself,” said Yurnet. He added that he might want to double major in musical theater and business when he goes to college.

Alexandra Yoon-Hendricks, who plays Wendy Jo and is also a member of her class student council and the National Honor Society, said she and her fellow students have been very busy. “We juggle a lot of things,” she said.

One high school alumnus also returned to help with the production. A.J. Watson, who now attends college, has volunteered his time to be the backstage manager.

“They are all doing a phenomenal job,” said Kristen Dziuba, a college student at the New Jersey City University who has helped the high school music director, David Stasiak, teach the kids the tunes in the show and has assisted in multiple productions at the high school.

The high school dance team, which Miller also organized this year, has several members in the production and will be performing during intermission.

Footloose will also show Saturday at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. and on Sunday at 2 p.m.