'Footloose' Ban On Dancing To Be Scrapped, Report Says

BED-STUY, NY – A "Footloose" law that makes it illegal to dance in virtually all of New York City's nightspots will be abolished after nearly 100 years Tuesday, the New York Times reported.

A bill to repeal The Cabaret Law – which has outlawed dancing in unlicensed venues since 1926 – will go before the city council. Its sponsor, Bed-Stuy councilman Rafael Espinal, says he has the 26 votes it needs to pass.

"It's over," he told the Times.

Espinal has long campaigned to end the law, originally introduced as a way to patrol the city's speakeasies during Prohibition.

But Espinal has said it's a racist law designed to prevent interracial dancing.

Watch Now: 'Footloose' Ban On Dancing To Be Scrapped

"We have a Footloose situation in New York City," he told Patch, comparing it to the 1984 film about a town which outlaws dancing.

"It was the government's way of impeding on jazz clubs and stopping people of color from having a good time."

In a city with more than 12,000 bars, the cabaret law allowed only 130 to be legally licensed to host dancing, according to city data.

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