An amazing example of the beautiful style of clog dancing was showcased recently at the Idaho State Clogging Championships where one team put on the performance of a lifetime.
If you are a fan of dancing, you definitely have to check it out for yourself.
It’s the kind of performance that makes us all want to get up and stamp our feet to the rhythm of the music.
Twenty-four teenage girls and one guy stepped to the stage all in matching outfits.
The girls had on blue button-down tops and black skirts. The guy in the back was dressed just as smart.
Their country-inspired style was a natural choice for the performance.
Most people don’t know that clogging is a form of dance that started in the Appalachian Mountains back in the 1700s. The eclectic mix of European settlers would meet for gatherings and all have fun sharing their various styles of folk dances with each other.
Once you bring together a bunch of people who love playing fiddle and bluegrass music, clogging is the inevitable result. It’s all about the foot-tapping, and now, it’s popular around the world.
The dance team at the Ohio State Championships had a little more modern take on the traditional style.
They were part of the Starz Unlimited Alliance, a dance organization that is pretty much nationwide at this point.
The song “Never Comin’ Down” by Keith Urban began playing over the speakers.
Then the team started rhythmically tapping their feet against the ground to go along with the beat.
While Keith Urban is mainly in the country rock genre, a lot of his music takes on a more poppy feel as well. It’s very different than the original bluegrass music for which clogging was first developed. However, the upbeat song turned out to be a perfect choice.
The group began clapping their hands in the air to get the crowd energized.
Then they started clogging with giant smiles all across their faces. Our first thought upon seeing the dance was, “Wow, this looks like a lot of fun!”
At a few points throughout the performance, all of the teenagers were collectively shouting out in joy. It sounded like they were all saying something similar to “Woooo!”, or in other words, an exclamation of excitement and happiness.
It’s easy to see the Irish influence in this performance too.
Even though they chose a modern song to dance to, they still stayed true to the original roots of clogging.
Plus, every step from every dancer was in perfect time with the beat.
That part is really important since one stray dancer clogging out of rhythm could mess up the whole performance. Although clogging is essentially just tapping shoes on the ground, it should be noted that the clogs are actually really loud!
When the dancers aren’t all in sync with each other, it messes up the whole intended effect. It’s safe to say that this is a team of professionals.
They must have put in so much work practicing back in the studio to get to this level of coordination.
While clogging began as an impromptu form of dance among several different cultures gathering together in the Appalachian Mountains, it has now evolved into something so advanced and refined.
Their footwork is absolutely incredible!
Check out the entertaining video of the cloggers dancing to “Never Comin’ Down” below!
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