‘Footloose’ Without Music Is As Awkward As You’d Expect

Though Kevin Bacon makes it look easy, the dance moves in Footloose (1984) were hard work. The young actor had to train with a choreographer for weeks and practice gymnastics until he reportedly “worked the skin off his hands.” To see his physicality from a new perspective, check out this video.

This Footloose edit from the YouTube channel Mix Minus replaces the music from a famous dance scene with realistic audio. Instead of “Never” by Moving Pictures, we hear Kevin Bacon grunting and panting as he rage-dances around an abandoned warehouse. He may look ridiculous without the original sound, but his moves are still impressive—especially considering that the crew pinned his pants back for certain shots to make them look extra tight.

Mix Minus has had success with this type of edit in the past. They’ve updated the dance scene from Spider-Man 3 (2007), the ending of The Breakfast Club (1985), and the training scene from Rocky (1976) with realistic audio, and each remix is as uncomfortable as you might imagine. But because the plot of Footloose revolves around dance, the lack of music in this case is especially glaring.

Kevin Bacon did most of his own dancing, but some moves were too difficult for him. A double was brought in for the more serious gymnastics stunts—a fact the studio wanted to hide from the press. (Bacon balked at this.) Here are more facts about Footloose you should know.