Footloose? The original, the only good version, LOL That was my first thought.

You beat me to my second thought, that the Bible is full of verses about dancing (and I also remember something about Jesus turning water into wine).

I have a theory, and of course this is just me and I'm far from "one of the faithful." I'm a lapsed Baptist, almost converted to Judaism, but backed out because I couldn't stand in front of a rabbinical court and swear I believed in god. However, I have read the Bible, cover to cover, more than once, as well as a whole host of holy texts and have studied Psychology...faith and ideas fascinate me. All that to say, I think many of these sects that are super strict for one reason, control. The leaders convince the faithful, who sincerely wish to be closer to God, to be good and holy, that the deprivation, the suffering, the self-flagellation and denial are the way to do it. And in each of these, you'll see a high control environment, even though the book they claim to follow speaks of dancing, joy, wine, etc. Then the entire thing just continues to perpetuate, generation after generation...it's sad.