In defence of dancing again

'We will dance again' is becoming a rallying cry of resilience for Israelis. ZEDDY LAWRENCE wants Australians to join the dance.

Over the past two weeks, I’ve found my mind drifting back to 1984 and the Odeon Cinema in Hendon.

It was here that countless Jewish teens from London got their first taste of Bacon - Kevin Bacon to be precise - in his breakout role as Ren McCormack in the now classic movie "Footloose".

Let’s be honest, simply hearing that word starts our toes tapping as the Kenny Loggins anthem plays in our heads and we recall that final scene where Ren and the rest of the town’s teens cut loose on the dance floor.

But that’s not the scene I’ve been remembering. My mind has been at the council meeting where Ren, quoting passages from the Bible, convinces John Lithgow’s Reverend Shaw Moore and his fellow councillors to overturn the town’s ban on dancing.

Psalms, Samuel and Ecclesiastes are all referenced by Ren to show that God not only approves of dancing, he encourages it as a meaningful, symbolic and spiritual activity.

These past two weeks, I’ve felt a little like Ren in the council meeting (certainly not like Ren on the  dancefloor, any moves I once had are long since gone).

But just as Ren stood up and argued for a high school dance against the naysayers in his community, so I’ve been advocating for a dance event against some naysayers in our community.