Since Footloose is very much about dance, it's no wonder dancer Serena Soffer is thrilled to be part of the young company and in her first Broadway show.

Though looking very much like a teenager (the diminutive blonde plays a high school student in the show), Soffer is already experienced enough in dance to be teaching at NJ's Summit School of Dance. In fact, on her day off from Footloose she still teaches her class.

Nevertheless, the instructor is finding the Footloose experience instructive. "The main thing is I have to keep in training, keep taking classes, keep maintaining my body. You can't let it turn into a routine; you have to maintain constant upkeep."

The same could be said for the forthrightness and patience that allows a dancer (or any performer) to get a Broadway role. Soffer told Playbill On-Line just after the show's giddy Gypsy Robe ceremony that she auditioned for the show more than a year ago and did the show's workshop. "It helped that I studied with A.C. Ciula," [the choreographer] she said. Still, there were no guarantees. "It was intense and I didn't find out until after the callback."

Asked what she liked most about the dancing in Footloose, Soffer said, "I love the movement. It's not rigid, because these are high school kids. There's lots of freedom in the movement, especially for my character, because I get to be goofy and in high school." Judging from Soffer's wide smile at the Gypsy Robe ceremony and her obvious excitement at being part of a opening night, she's getting the best kind of education Broadway can give.