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Inspired by US movie Footloose (1984), John Safran returns to his orthodox Jewish high school to protest against the school’s ban on dances. In a meeting with School Rabbi Yitzchok Dovid Groner, Safran quotes the same lines used by Kevin Bacon’s character to try to persuade Footloose’s ultra-religious town leaders to allow dancing. Safran then stages a Footloose-style dance intervention in the school grounds.
Curator’s notes
This is one of John Safran’s most memorable stunts and it is great fun, as well as touching on two recurring Safran subjects – religion and Safran’s own life experiences. In a 2009 interview with The Australian Jewish News, Safran singles out this conversation with Rabbi Groner as a moment when his own nervousness is a source of humour:
I remember when I wrote it, thinking 'I’m going to go there and I’m going to say all this sarcastic stuff and zing – I’m going to zing him’. But it ended up the humour came from me looking so scared.
Safran developed this element further with his religious road tests in his next series (see John Safran vs God – Episode 2, 2004). John Safran vs God also sees the Footloose (1984) dance routine memorably recreated by a Palestinian Safran impersonator.
This segment was directed by Kenny (2006) director Clayton Jacobson.
