Kevin Bacon Announces He's Attending the Prom at 'Footloose' High School

Kevin Bacon is getting ready to put back on some very famous dancing shoes.

Bacon, 65, announced plans to attend prom at Payson High School in Payson, Utah, where he filmed the movie Footloose more than 40 years ago.

It all started with a grassroots campaign from Payson High students, who asked the actor to attend the final prom at their school before it moves locations after the school year.

During a segment on the Today show Friday, March 22, Payson High student Rubie Raff explained how the movie’s legacy still impacts the town all these decades later.

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“I think it means so much because everyone around us cares about it so much,” she said.

So, with the entire Payson High student body assembled in the school’s gymnasium, Bacon surprised them on video to thank them for all of their efforts.

“I have been so impressed with everything that’s been going on there with this crazy idea to get me to come back,” Bacon gushed. “I don’t need to say it, but the movie and Payson High School was a big part of my life. I’ve been amazed at the work all of you have been putting into this with the musical and the flash mobs and the re-creations.”

Bacon also gave a shout-out to Payson students for organizing a prom event that will benefit the actor’s charity organization Six Degrees, which launched in 2007 and focuses on initiatives to enrich local communities.

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“It hasn’t gone unnoticed by me,” Bacon said. “Not to mention the fact that you tied in SixDegrees.org, our foundation, and are trying to figure out ways to give back to your community. It’s really inspirational.”

As the students continued to wait with bated breath, Bacon finally made the announcement they had all been waiting for.

“Thank you, thank you, I’m gonna come,” he exclaimed. “I gotta come!”

The gymnasium erupted into thunderous applause, as Raff, who was standing by, told Bacon, “Let’s dance! We’re gonna do it! This is awesome!”

Payson High student Kaleb Dymock also expressed his excitement about the big reveal. “We’re gonna party really hard, Kevin,” he said.

Footloose, which was released in February 1984, has meant just as much to Bacon as it has to the town of Payson over the years.

“I think that it was a great gift to be part of that movie,” he told Today in 2022. “I certainly took it very seriously when I was doing it and I love that people will still come up and say that they just showed it to their kids.”