American Clog dancing is steeped in a rich Appalachian history. Gaining roots from multiple cultures, clogging has been a mainstay of social and solo dancing in America’s Appalachia for years. In this video, you’ll catch a glimpse of the fun and excitement surrounding American Clog dancing at the National Clogging Convention.
During one dance, at the National Clogging Convention, one young girl stood out among the rest with her superior clogging moves. She couldn’t help it, she just shines when she dances.
At the National Clogging Convention, folks of all ages and sizes travel to compete, learn and watch American Clogging at it’s finest. Clogging has been around for generations but it is still as fun as ever to dance. Clogging is danced along to the unique musical instrumentation of a fiddle, banjo, guitar, and the fretted dulcimer.
These instruments really get people up off their feet and onto the dance floor as soon as the music starts. And at many social Saturday night gatherings, these hardwood floors are clogged with clogging.
Wikipedia discusses the roots of American Clogging seen in this video.
”American Clogging is associated with the predecessor to bluegrass—”old-time” music, which is based on fiddle tunes from the British Isles. Clogging developed from aspects of English, Welsh, German, and Cherokee step dances, as well as African rhythms and movement. It was from clogging that tap dance eventually evolved.“
As you watch the video, you will notice which girl is the standout amongst the group. She really has the right vibes and puts an extra flare in her steps. This lady obviously excels at this dance. She is a natural, seemingly never missing a step.
The young lady in black makes the spotlight all her own and rises above the rest. And a quick side note, it’s her proud mom behind the camera.
Her mom explains her daughter’s obvious skills in the YouTube comments …
”She has been dancing in various forms since the age of 18 mos. This video was from her second year at the National Clogging Convention with her friend Jacki. It was also the last year that she clogged. She spends more time with tap, contemporary, lyrical, and hip hop now a days. I can feel her soul speak when she dances. Thank you for watching!”
In some forms of clogging, there is a “Caller” who calls out the moves before the dancers execute them. The Caller can be heard in this video. The specific dance here is the “Hillbilly Dirty Dance,” and it’s named after the song of the same name by country music artist Tommy Townsend.
The Caller calls out specific dance moves like Bird Walk, MJ, and Cotton Eyed Joe. If you pay close attention, and watch the video multiple times, you can learn this dance yourself. This video can also be a great “how-to.”
The pro in this video really shows how to get your whole soul into the dance steps. She swings her arms and whips her hair, with a huge smile showing that she is in bliss when dancing. Her mom was right, her soul does speak when she dances.
This young lady represents a new wave of Clog Dancers who add some stage presence and showmanship that is not always shown in more traditional clogging.
The video has been viewed over 3.5 million times and plenty of YouTubers are commenting about the young lady superstar.
“Most of us are focusing the girl on the left. That’s because, i think, she does not execute the dance.. She FEELS it. She has the so called natural talent.”
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“It is awesome seeing someone do what they love to do. not enough happy faces in the world.”
It’s pure joy to watch someone dance with their full heart into it. The music, the history, and the tradition of Appalachia are flowing through her.
