^[1] Clogging is a traditional type of percussive folk dance which is associated with a number of different regions across the world. Folk dance is a term used to describe a large number of dances mostly of European origin that tend to share the following attributes originally danced in about the In earlier periods it was not always called "clogging", being known variously as flat-footing, foot-stomping, buck dancing,clog dancing, jigging, or other local terms. What all these had in common was emphasizing the downbeat of the music by enthusiastic footwork. As for the shoes many old clogging shoes had no taps. Some were made of leather and velvet. The soles of the shoes were either wooden or hard leather.

Wales

Clogging is traditional in Wales and is a regular feature of both local and national eisteddfodau. See also An eisteddfod (aɪˈstɛðvəd Welsh ə(iˈstɛðvɔd plural eisteddfodau or eisteddfods) is a Welsh Festival Competition can be energetic with the dancers leaping over brooms. 'Welsh Clog Dancing is not like North-West or Lancashire Step. It is not a revival, as it is danced in the style of the unbroken tradition. '^[2]

England

Clog dancing was a common pastime in 18th century England. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland It is thought to have developed in the Lancashire cotton mills where wooden-soled clogs were preferred to leather soles because the floors were kept wet to help keep the humidity high, important in cotton spinning. Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England, bounded to the west by the Irish Sea A cotton mill is a Factory housing spinning and Weaving Machinery Cotton was a leading sector in the Industrial Revolution, as cotton The word clog, as applied to footwear has these meanings A type of Shoe or sandal made predominantly out of wood Humidity is the amount of water vapor in the air In daily language the term "humidity" is normally taken to mean Relative humidity. Clog dancers were a common sight at music halls throughout the 19th century and into the early 20th century. Music hall is a form of British theatrical Entertainment which was popular between 1850 and 1960 Dan Leno became the world champion clog dancer in the 1880s, although records show that competitive clog dancing was a frequent occurrence throughout the 19th century.

English clogging started in the Industrial Revolution. The Industrial Revolution was a period in the late 18th and early 19th centuries when major changes in agriculture manufacturing and transportation had a profound effect on the Men sitting at the weaving machines wore hard-soled shoes, which they would tap to the rhythms of the machines to keep their feet warm. At their breaks and lunches, they would have competitions, where they were judged on the best rhythm patterns. Rhythm (from Greek ῥυθμός - rhythmos, "any measured flow or movement symmetry" is the variation of the length and accentuation of A pattern, from the French patron, is a theme of recurring events or objects sometimes referred to as elements of a set In later years of the Industrial Revolution, they clogged on proper stages at competitions. In Theatre, the stage (sometimes referred to as the deck in Stagecraft) is a designated space for the Performance of theatrical productions Competition is a rivalry between individuals groups nations or animals for territory or resources In these competitions, the judges would watch the routine and judge it according to footwork, precision, and technique. Clogging traditions still exist in some festivals in Northumberland, and are danced to the traditional music of the area. Northumberland is a county in the North East of England. The non-metropolitan county of Northumberland borders Cumbria to the west Here Northumbria is taken to mean the traditional counties of Northumberland, the northernmost county of England, and County Durham, Sunderland

More recently Peter Zebedee has begun a Clogging revival in the provincial Northern town of Keighley. Modern Clogging or "Clog Clubbing" is picking up and proving to be quite popular.

United States

In the U.S. clogging originates from the Appalachian region and the Ozarks and is associated with the predecessor to bluegrass — "old-time" music, which is based on Irish and Scots-Irish fiddle tunes. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Appalachia is a term used to describe a region in the eastern United States that stretches from southern New York state to northern Alabama, Bluegrass music is a form of American roots music, and is a sub-genre of Country music. Old-time music is a form of North American Folk music, with roots in the Folk musics of many countries including England, Scotland, Ireland (pronounced /ˈaɾlənd/ Éire) is the third largest island in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world Clogging developed from aspects of English, Irish, German, and Cherokee step dances, as well as African rhythms and movement. It was from clogging that tap dance eventually evolved.

Traditional Appalachian clogging is characterized by loose, often bent knees and a "drag-slide" motion of the foot across the floor, and is usually performed to old-time music. Modern competitive clogging, which is inspired by traditional styles is performed to a wide variety of music, including bluegrass, modern country, rock music, pop, and hip hop. Also the style has evolved from flat foot to dancing on the balls of your feet and also toe stands are the most popular and award winning moves. These high-energy styles have opened the forum to a wide audience with hundreds of workshops and competitions every year.

Clogging is the official state dance of Kentucky and North Carolina. The Commonwealth of Kentucky ( is a state located in the East Central United States of America. North Carolina ( is a state located on the Atlantic Seaboard in the southeastern United States

Clogging shoes are often black or white. Some people feel that white shoes are better at attracting attention from an audience. Clogging shoes generally have taps that are double taps or "jingle taps". This makes it so there are four taps on each shoe--two on the ball, and two on the heel. One is securely fastened to the shoe, while the other is more loosely fastened and hits both the floor and the fastened tap while dancing or simply walking about. That is why you can hear cloggers on carpet as well as hard surface floors.

Europe

In 2005, nearly 500 teenagers attempted the "Guinness Book of World Records" bid for the largest number of clog dancers. Guinness World Records, known until 2000 as The Guinness Book of Records (and in previous U It took place in The Hague. They were dancing the ballet version of the Dutch clog dance rather than the folk version. The ballet "La Fille Mal Garde" contains a well-known clog dance. For this specific dance the choreography was created by Stanley Holden (1928 - 2007), though Ashton took overall responsibility for it. Stanley Holden, born Stanley Waller, ( January 27 1928 – May 11 2007) was a British American Ballet dancer and Cecil Sharp frequently encountered step dancing and clog dancing in his search for folk dances in England, but it was Maud Karpeles who was more conspicuous in documenting it. Cecil James Sharp (22 November 1859 – 23 June 1924 was the founding father of the folklore revival in England in the early twentieth century, and many Step dance is the generic term for dance styles where the footwork is the most important part of the dance She encountered groups of Morris clog dancers in the North-West of England. Her book The Lancashire Morris Dance was published in 1930. In 1911 John Graham had published Lancashire and Cheshire Morris Dances from the same area. Both in the USA and in England it was also known as "buck and wing" dancing. The "wing" referred to, is the step where a foot is kicked out to one side, striking the ground as it goes.

See also

• Jesco White
• Limberjack
• Tap dance
• Zapateado
• Step dance
• Buckdancer's Choice
• American Racket

External links

• Clogdancing.com
• History of Clogging
• Talking Feet
• Wild Goose Chase Cloggers
• Lodge Cloggers
• American Racket Cloggers
• Northern California cloggers. This group uses the drag-slide style of dance extensively.
• Barbary Coast Cloggers
• Welsh Folk Dance Society: contains information about clog dancing in its member groups' pages
• European Callers and Teachers association
• Square and Round Dancing Australia/NZ - Square and Round Dancing in Australia and NZ - Australian Products and area Information for Square Dancing, Round Dancing and Clogging
• California Ground Pounders
• Guinness Records in The Hague
• Buck and Wing
• Footworks Percussive Dance Ensemble
• Good Foot Dance Company

References

[[Media:

]]