The love story behind Chanhassen's 'Footloose,' which has a new bounce in its step

Director Michael Brindisi did not know what he would get dance-wise on the first day of rehearsal of "Footloose."

Since 2004, he and choreographer Tamara Kangas Erickson, co-owners of Chanhassen Dinner Theatres, have worked in tandem to produce virtually all the main-stage shows at the nation's largest dinner theater.

But for "Footloose," which opens Friday, they tapped actor, dancer and choreographer Renee Guittar, who has previously created dances in several of Brindisi's shows, along with her husband, Rush Benson, to assist.

On the first day of rehearsals, Brindisi's safety mask hid some of his nervousness.

"The music came on and Renee choreographed the very first lyric that everybody knows, 'Footloose,' and the [usual] step was gone," Brindisi said. "I turned to [music director] Andy Kust and said, 'We're in good hands.' Renee and Rush are doing new stuff, different stuff, for today. They're fearless, and often go out on a limb where the good fruit is."

"Footloose," drawn from a 1984 film and 2011 remake, dances around a big-city heartthrob who moves to a small town that has banned dancing. The newcomer works to overturn the ban and gets some townspeople in a lather along the way.

The show, whose score includes Kenny Loggins' title song plus Deniece Williams' "Let's Hear It for the Boy" and Quiet Riot's "Bang Your Head (Metal Health)," marks a huge leap for Guittar and Benson.

The young couple have become known for dancing, acting and singing on stages large and small around the Twin Cities. Both have been in multiple shows at Chanhassen, where Benson played bare-chested best man Pepper in "Mamma Mia!" while Guittar played a friend of bride Sophie. Both acted in "The Music Man" at the Guthrie. And during the pandemic, they danced the title roles of "Romeo and Juliet" for Collide Theatrical.

"They're terrific actors, so I knew them from that. When Tam put them at the top of the list, I said: Yes, let's go fresh and creative," Brindisi said.

"I totally trust them," Kangas Erickson added.

Guittar and Benson are a match made on the hill overlooking the prairie in St. Peter. The Gustavus Adolphus College sweethearts met more than a decade ago at a dance rehearsal for "Urinetown," on which Guittar served as a dance captain.

They would perform together in more shows before he worked up the nerve in his junior year — her senior — to ask her to be his dance partner for a talent show.

"It was to a hip-hop love medley of Usher songs," Benson said. "When we won the talent show, it was like a switch went off. This works."

Born in Lincoln, Neb., Guittar was hooked to Disney musicals as a child and dreamed of a life onstage. She has been dancing since third grade, but didn't think of pursuing a career in it. When she entered Gustavus — on a dance scholarship, no less — she planned to become a dance therapist.

Benson came of age in Minneapolis' hippie haven of Cedar-Riverside and performance is a family business. His parents met at the interactive Murder Mystery Café dinner theater. While his mother, Maria, played piano, sang and danced, his father, Craig, acted on stage and screen. His brother Nikko is a musical composer seeking his break in New York.

"It can be a grind but he's been re-honing this show, 'Nikola Tesla Drops the Beat,' for eight years," Benson said. "When it drops, it's gonna be big."

Guittar and Benson dated for 10 years — longer than they had planned, as the pandemic canceled their original wedding date. They finally got married last July and consider it a natural evolution of their partnership.

In 2016, they played the married couple Al and Christine in "A Chorus Line' at the Ordway. Christine cannot sing, and it is her husband who helps her with it.

"It was kind of funny how that mirrored our actual lives," Benson said.

At the time, Guittar was not very confident in singing as she grew up a dancer. Benson came to her aid.

"Rush helps me a lot with finding my voice as far as speaking and singing go," Guittar said.

It wasn't just the Guittar-Benson nuptials that the pandemic interrupted. On the second day of rehearsal, Benson tested positive for the omicron variant.

"I was devastated, because Rush wasn't going to be there," Guittar said. "He had to isolate and for the rest of rehearsal, he was checking in by Zoom until the last day. But one of my favorite moments was when he was watching on Zoom and he texted me to have them turn around on a certain part. I was like, 'Yes, that's it!' So we were able to collaborate virtually."

The couple believe that their differing personalities and work styles complement each other.

"I have a lot of anxiety and tend to picture the worst-case scenario, so I prepare for that," Guittar said, sharing conversations she sometimes has with herself.

She uses her self-doubts — "I'm not qualified for this and everyone is gonna hate what I do" — as inspiration to work harder. "That's when the things that I worry about end up not being a problem. But if I don't do that, then those things could be."

For his part, Benson has a lot of confidence.

"I tend to be a little more precious with my choreographic and movement ideas," he said. "But Renee will be like, 'Oh, that won't work.' She's helped me detach from those feelings, those moments that I thought were comedic gold."

The choreography "has to be in service of the work and lean into story more than necessarily setting up a punch line in a scene," Guittar said.

They are not intimidated by the fame of "Footloose," having taken in the film and Broadway versions.

"There are a couple of moments that are iconic. So I try to sprinkle aspects of '80s moves in there," Guittar said. "But for us, it's about updating the movement to be more contemporary, more 2022."

Benson agrees.

"We do hit that nostalgia button but we want it to be fresh and exciting," he said.

This "Footloose," they said, will be a kick.

'Footloose'
Who: Composed by Tom Snow with lyrics by Dean Pitchford, who co-wrote the book with Walter Bobbie. Directed by Michael Brindisi.
When: 8 p.m. Tue.-Sat., plus 1 p.m. Wed. & Sat., 6:30 p.m. Sun. Through Sept. 24.
Where: Chanhassen Dinner Theatres, 510 W. 78th St., Chanhassen.
Protocol: Proof of vaccination or negative COVID test.
Tickets: $53-$96. Call 952-934-1525 or visit chanhassendt.com for showtimes.