Clogging is a type of
folk danceThe term folk dance describes a large number of dances that tend to share some or all of the following attributes:*They are dances performed at social functions by people with little or no professional training, often to traditional music or music based on traditional music.*They are not designed...
with roots in traditional European dancing from the
British IslesThe British Isles are a group of islands off the northwest coast of continental Europe that include Great Britain, Ireland and numerous smaller islands. There are two sovereign states located on the islands: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and Ireland...
, early African-American dance, and traditional
CherokeeThe Cherokee are a Native American people from the Southeastern United States...
dance in which the dancer's footwear is used musically by striking the heel, the toe, or both in unison against a floor or each other to create audible percussive rhythms.
Clogging was social dance in the
Appalachian MountainsThe Appalachian Mountains , often called the Appalachians, are a vast system of mountains in eastern North America. Definitions vary on the precise boundaries of the Appalachians...
as early as the 1700s.
As the clogging style has migrated over the years, many localities have made contributions by adding local steps and rhythms to the style. Welsh seamen appear to have adopted a dance very early on and may have been those who introduced it to the British Isles. As the dance migrated to England in the 1400s, the all wooden clog was replaced by a leather topped shoe with a one piece wooden bottom. By the 1500s a more convention leather shoe with separate wooden pieces on the heel and toe called "flats" became popular, from where the terms "heel and toe" and "flat footing" derive.
In later 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
Clog dancing is traditional in Wales and is a regular feature of both local and national
eisteddfodAn eisteddfod is a Welsh festival of literature, music and performance. The tradition of such a meeting of Welsh artists dates back to at least the 12th century, when a festival of poetry and music was held by Rhys ap Gruffydd of Deheubarth at his court in Cardigan in 1176 but, with the decline of...
au. 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.'
England
Clog dancing was a common pastime in 18th century
EnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It is thought to have developed in the
LancashireLancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Lancashire County Council is based in Preston. However, Lancaster is still considered to be the county town...
cotton millA cotton mill is a factory that houses spinning and weaving machinery. Typically built between 1775 and 1930, mills spun cotton which was an important product during the Industrial Revolution....
s where wooden-soled clogs were preferred to leather soles because the floors were kept wet to help keep the
humidityHumidity is the amount of water vapour in the air. In daily language the term "humidity" is normally taken to mean relative humidity. Relative humidity is defined as the ratio of the partial pressure of water vapour in a parcel of air to the saturated vapour pressure of water vapour at a prescribed...
high, important in cotton spinning. Clog dancers were a common sight at music halls throughout the 19th century and into the early 20th century. 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 clog dancing started in the
Industrial RevolutionThe Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, and transport had a profound effect on the socioeconomic and cultural conditions in the United Kingdom. The changes subsequently spread throughout Europe, North...
. Men sitting at the weaving machines wore hard-soled shoes, which they would
tapTap dance is a form of dance characterized by a tapping sound that is created from metal plates that are attached to both the ball and heel of the dancer's shoe...
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
rhythmRhythm is the variation of the length and accentuation of a series of sounds or other events.-Rhythm in linguistics:...
patterns. In later years of the Industrial Revolution, they clog danced on proper
stagesIn theatre, the stage is a designated space for the performance of theatrical productions. The stage serves as a space for actors or performers and a focal point for the members of the audience. As an architectural feature, the stage may consist of a platform or series of platforms...
at competitions. In these competitions, the judges would watch the routine and judge it according to footwork, precision, and technique. Clog dancing traditions still exist in some festivals in
NorthumberlandNorthumberland is a ceremonial county and unitary district in the North East of England. It borders Cumbria to the west, County Durham to the south and Tyne and Wear to the south east, as well as having a border with the Scottish Borders council area to the north, and nearly eighty miles of North...
, and are danced to the
traditional music of the areaHere Northumbria is taken to mean the counties of Northumberland, the northernmost county of England, and County Durham, Sunderland , as well as part of Tyne and Wear. The region possesses a distinctive style of folk music with a strong and continuing tradition...
. Clog dancing is also still practiced in parts of Lancashire and Cheshire, and there are teams dancing the North West traditional dances (and newer ones) in many other parts of England.
United States
In the
U.S.The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
team clogging originated from square dance teams in Asheville,
North CarolinaNorth Carolina is a state located on the Atlantic Seaboard in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties...
's Mountain Dance and Folk Festival (1928), organized by Bascom Lamar Lunsford in the
Appalachian regionAppalachia is a term used to describe a cultural region in the eastern United States that stretches from western New York state to northern Alabama, Mississippi, and Georgia. While the Appalachian Mountains stretch from Belle Isle in Canada to Cheaha Mountain in the U.S...
.
American Clogging is associated with the predecessor to
bluegrassBluegrass music is a form of American roots music, and is a sub-genre of country music. It has roots in Irish, West African, Scottish, Welsh and English traditional music. Bluegrass was inspired by the music of immigrants from the United Kingdom and Ireland , and African-Americans, particularly...
—
"old-time" musicOld-time music is a form of North American folk music, with roots in the folk musics of many countries, including England, Scotland, Ireland and countries in Africa. This musical form developed along with various North American folk dances, such as square dance, buck dance, and clogging. The genre...
, which is based on
IrishIreland is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island in the world. It lies to the north-west of continental Europe and is surrounded by hundreds of islands and islets. To the east of Ireland, separated by the Irish Sea, is the island of Great Britain...
and Scots-Irish fiddle tunes. 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 danceTap dance is a form of dance characterized by a tapping sound that is created from metal plates that are attached to both the ball and heel of the dancer's shoe...
eventually evolved. Now, many clogging teams compete against other teams for prizes such as money and trophies. The clogging competition in which many cloggers call the Clogging Capitol of the World, is held in Maggie Valley, North Carolina, and has been hosting competitions for many years. An even larger competition takes place at
LagoonLagoon is an amusement park in Farmington, Utah, United States located about seventeen miles north of Salt Lake City. It is privately owned...
in Utah. This competition is held by America On Stage and is considered to be the largest dance competition in the nation.
Solo dancing (outside the context of the big circle dance) is known in various places as buck dance, flat-footing, hoedown, jigging, sure-footing, and/or stepping. These names vary in meaning from place to place, and dancers do not always agree on their use.
http://www.adelaidebluegrasscloggers.com.au/history.htm
The term 'buck', as in
buck dancing, is traceable to the West Indies and is derived from a Tupi Indian word denoting a frame for drying and smoking meat; the original 'po bockarau', or
buccaneerThe buccaneers were pirates who attacked Spanish and French shipping in the Caribbean Sea during the late 17th century.The term buccaneer is now used generally as a synonym for pirate...
s were sailors who smoked meat and fish after the manner of the Indians.
http://www.adelaidebluegrasscloggers.com.au/history.htm Another source states that the word bockorau can be traced to the "Angolan" word "buckra', and was used to refer to white people,
http://books.google.com/books?id=eJL8ZfV7fosC&pg=PA42&lpg=PA42&dq=bockorau&source=web&ots=nNlKXuyEBc&sig=2mZWDEyY3Y1NnE6sCJhGmgXu5LA&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=5&ct=result which is disputed.
http://www.nathanielturner.com/igbosinvirginia.htm Eventually the term came to describe Irish immigrant sailors whose
JigThe Jig is a form of lively folk dance, as well as the accompanying dance tune, originating in England in the sixteenth century and today most associated with Irish dance music and Scottish country dance music...
dance was known as 'the buck.'"
http://www.southernspaces.org/contents/2004/bransford/1c.htm
One source states that buck dancing was the earliest combination of the basic shuffle and tap steps performed to syncopated rhythms in which the accents are placed not on the straight beat, as with the jigs, clogs, and other dances of European origin, but on the downbeat or offbeat, a style derived primarily from the rhythms of African tribal music.
Buck dancing was popularized in America by minstrel performers in the late nineteenth century. Many folk festivals and fairs utilize dancing clubs or teams to perform both Buck and regular clogging for entertainment.
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, also called precision clogging is inspired by traditional styles but performed to a wide variety of music, including bluegrass, modern country, rock music, pop, and hip hop. Today competitive precision clogging has several sanctioning bodies that oversee competitions held throughout the United States, with the majority located in the southeastern states. Also the style has evolved from flat foot to dancing on the balls of your feet. Toe stands are a recent adaptation from other dance forms. These high-energy styles have opened the forum to a wide audience with hundreds of workshops and competitions every year.
Fusion, or the adding of new styles into another, has affected clogging in recent years. Fusion has brought popularity to clogging as well as greater recognition.
Clogging is the official state dance of
KentuckyThe Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. Kentucky is a Southern state situated in the Upland South, although the state is infrequently placed, geographically and culturally, in the Midwest. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a...
and
North CarolinaNorth Carolina is a state located on the Atlantic Seaboard in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties...
.
Clogging shoes are often black, white, or black and 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 toe, 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. Cloggers with this type of tap can be heard on carpet as well as hard surface floors.
One more recent example of clogging is the popular dance show "Randy Jackson Presents America's Best Dance Crew" on MTV, where Dynamic Edition danced their way through the 3rd season.
Europe
In 2006, nearly 500 teenagers attempted the "Guinness Book of World Records" bid for the largest number of clog dancers. 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 HoldenStanley Holden, born Stanley Herbert Waller, was a British American ballet dancer and choreographer.Born in London, he joined the Royal Ballet in 1944 and won notice for performing numerous character roles, especially "Widow Simone" in the 1960 production of Fille Mal Gardée by Frederick Ashton...
(1928 - 2007), though Ashton took overall responsibility for it.
Cecil SharpCecil James Sharp was the founding father of the folklore revival in England in the early 20th century, and many of England's traditional dances and music owe their continuing existence to his work in recording and publishing them.-Early life:Sharp was born at Denmark Hill, London, his father was...
frequently encountered
step dancingStep dance is the generic term for dance styles where the footwork is the most important part of the dance. Body and arm movements and styling are either restricted or considered irrelevant.Step dance is one end of a spectrum of dance styles...
, clog dancing and North West morris dancing (a type of morris often performed in clogs and often mistakenly referred to as 'clog dancing') in his search for folk dances in England, but it was Maud Karpeles who was more conspicuous in documenting some of these dances. She encountered groups of North West morris 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
Jesco White, the "Dancing Outlaw", is an acclaimed mountain dancer and entertainer. He is best known as the subject of two documentary films that detail his desire to follow in his famous father's footsteps, while trying to overcome depression, drug addiction, and the poverty that afflicts much...
- Limberjack
The limberjack, known variously as a jig doll, slapjack, jiggerman, limberjim, limberjill, dancin' dan, paddle puppet and yankee-doodle dancer, is a wooden musical instrument which consists of a doll with loose joints on the end of a long stick, the legs of which the performer causes to tap...
- Tap dance
Tap dance is a form of dance characterized by a tapping sound that is created from metal plates that are attached to both the ball and heel of the dancer's shoe...
- Zapateado
The zapateado is a dance of Spanish origin characterized by a lively rhythm punctuated by the striking of the dancer's shoes, akin to tap dance...
- Step dance
Step dance is the generic term for dance styles where the footwork is the most important part of the dance. Body and arm movements and styling are either restricted or considered irrelevant.Step dance is one end of a spectrum of dance styles...
- Buckdancer's Choice
Buckdancer's Choice is a 1965 collection of poems by James Dickey. The book received the Melville Cane Award and the National Book Award for Poetry in 1966....
- American traditional informal freeform solo folk dancing
American traditional informal freeform solo folk dancing is a form of dance oriented to spontaneous individual dancing, where self-expression and creativity are expected.- Contrasts of American traditional dance styles :...
- Sean-nós dance
Sean-nós dance is the "old style" of traditional solo Irish dance. It is most closely related to the casual form Irish Stepdancing....
including as practiced in AmericaSean-nós dance in America has its roots in Irish culture, but may be practiced differently from how it is danced in Ireland. When Irish people emigrated to America in great numbers during the early American Colonial period, or when escaping troubles in Ireland, they brought their dance culture with...
- Dynamic Edition
External links