(Teresa Williams/Times-Enterprise) Willie Allen, as Willard, gets down during rehearsals for "Footloose," CHS's upcoming spring production.

CAIRO — Aspiring performers at Cairo High School are breaking in their dancing shoes.

CHS Drama Club is hard at work on its upcoming spring production, “Footloose,” a musical based on the 1984 film about a city kid who moves to a small town where dancing and rock music are banned and sets out to free the townsfolk from this oppression.

“I think the production is going to be very good and it is a fun show with a message inside it,” Jemiya Wright, 17, said. “Be yourself and don’t let anyone try to make you into something you are not. Dancing is symbolism for freedom and the characters’ freedom is restricted by their being unable to dance, but really freedom is in the power for these characters to be themselves. That’s also the message of high school and is another reason why this production is great for us. It gives us the message that we should be ourselves and not worry about what other people think.”

Though none of the high-schoolers were born when the film came out, its songs, choreography and star are known to some of the performers.

“Kevin Bacon, I was going to marry him,” Brandi Adkins, 15, who plays Ariel Moore, joked. “I watched parts of the film for the dancing and him!”

Curt Balla, 17, who plays the role made famous by Bacon, Ren McCormack, said he was aware of a few of the songs.

“‘I Can’t Stand Still,’ that’s my song,” Balla said. “It relates to me a lot. This is a rock and roll show with a lot of dancing.”

The large amount of dancing in “Footloose” has the cast working extra hard to nail their moves, along with their lines and lyrics.

“Oh god there’s a lot of dancing,” Adkins said. “A lot of musicals are very stiff with classic music, but this one is more upbeat. You can’t just sit there, you have to get into the music. The dances are not that hard, but there are a lot of moves.”

Balla said trying to get all the moves down has been a bit stressful and Wright agreed.

“I’m not very good at dancing and I try to stay in the back,” she admitted. “Two negative magnets won’t attract, but I’m doing my best and that’s what counts.”

Leland Bowman, 16, who plays Chuck, said he caught onto dancing last year during “Brigadoon” when he was asked to step in for another performer during dress rehearsals.

“I really like the music to this one — it’s more upbeat than what we had last time by far,” he explained. “The dancing is really modern so its popping and I can get into it.”

His castmate Brittany Morrow, 16, who is playing Rusty, said, like Wright, she’s not a dancer, but is trying her hardest.

The music is an aspect of “Footloose” the cast has been able to get into with relative ease.

“‘Holding Out for a Hero’ is the big-hitting song,” Adkins said. “It’s really exciting and I get to do it! I’ve never done anything like it. I have a very big voice and I like to put power behind it and I can do that with this song.”

Wright play’s Ren’s mom Ethel and described her as “a strong woman who is really trying to cope with change” as a single mom trying to raise a son in a small town.

“I love to sing, I’m more of a singer and actor, and I have a solo with the preacher’s wife called ‘Learn to Be Silent’ that I think really explains her situation from her perspective,” she said.

“She is trying to be strong for her son and herself, but they are living with relatives who want to take control of the situation. She has to say, ‘I’m the parent and I’m the one responsible for him.’”

Balla said people who didn’t like the movie could like the CHS production because of the music.

“If you love the music from the 1980s, you’ll love the music,” he said. “It’s pure rock n’ roll.”

Adkins agreed.

“Some people say they don’t come to shows because they think it’s going to be boring, but this is not a traditional musical,” she explained. “This is a perfect, very upbeat show. It’s really cool and unlike anything we’ve done before. I think more people will be able to relate to it.”

Morrow enjoys the message of the story.

“This kid is trying to change the way people look at something and the show demonstrates how one kid can cause change,” she said. “I think that is very important.”

Bowman agreed that people can change and cause change.

“One person standing up while everyone else is sitting down can make a big change,” he said.