Shawn Martin
The movie Footloose is a musical comedy-drama that was released in 1984. Kevin Bacon shows off his dance moves in this beloved 1980s classic. Kevin Bacon plays the part of a rebellious teenager that moved from Chicago to a small town that has banned dancing. He takes it upon himself to try to get the ban overturned and bring dancing back.
Now the film’s spirit is brought back thanks to American figure skater Ryan Bradley at the Pandora Unforgettable Moment of Love on Ice, part of the Pandora NBC Skating Series. Ryan is a three-time U.S. Collegiate champion and has a slew of wins under his belt, including the silver medal at the 2008 Skate Canada International and the bronze at the 2009 Skate America competition.
You’re used to seeing dancing in Footloose but not while on the ice. Ryan puts a new twist on an old classic with his dynamic, draw-dropping routine on the ice rink. While everyone knew Ryan would put on a great performance, no one was expecting this at all.
If you watch figure skating even a little bit, you know that one of the trademarks of it are the costumes. A lot of time and effort goes into finding the perfect costume, and the more glitter and sequins, the better. Right away, Ryan had the audience scratching their heads by his costume choice – he took the stage very under-dressed in just a sweatshirt and jeans. It all made sense, though, as soon as the iconic tune “Footloose” began to play. Ryan’s costume choice was in keeping with the styling from the movie.
As if the dance moves from the movie weren’t hard enough on solid ground, Ryan proved that it could be done on the ice, too. He incorporated some of the iconic fancy footwork into his quick-moving but seamless performance.
Not even a minute into his routine, Ryan pulls off an amazing backflip in perfect timing to the song. It clearly caught the crowd off guard, and they erupted in cheers and applause. His enthusiasm was contagious as he danced over the ice. The crowd couldn’t help but clap along.
It was easy to see that Ryan had so much fun performing this dance. His fast-moving footwork was incredible; his feet barely seemed to touch the ground. The people in attendance weren’t the only ones who loved this routine – his performance has taken off on YouTube. Check it out yourself.
