2018, the Year of the Dog! With a capital D and that rhymes with C and that stands for clog! (That was for you, Jordan.)

Holiday break is over for most dance studios, but there's still time to contemplate your current status and goals for 2018; Chinese New Year begins Friday, February 16.

Fancy Free Cloggers returned to class January 2 with great enthusiasm, despite ridiculously cold temperatures. Our fearless leader ran FIVE heaters to make conditions more comfortable in our old barn of a studio!

Hmm. What dance could this be?

FFC's first class of the year focused on dancing everyone's requests and catching up on family holiday stories. BONUS: One of our adult cloggers danced her first ever solo! 

Competition team practice included a belated presentation of the Larry Pummel Award to Rose Marie, who was unable to attend our awards banquet in December. This is one of FFC's highest honors, and Rose Marie certainly deserves it. Congrats!

Exciting plans are in the works for new outfits, a routine for the Smoky Mountain Encore show, and a 12-person hoedown! We gained a few new competition cloggers, which allows us to think bigger for routines!

FFC's second dance class was actually the first clogging class for a couple new students. The more experienced dancers spent time reviewing "Pretty Little Angel Eyes" and discussing "Mamma Mia" as our next routine to tackle for the national dance list/fun dance challenge.

Our youngest clogger is fully prepared for the Year of the Dog, wardrobe and all! His current specialties include the "Chicken Dance" and yelling, "Hey, hey!" on cue during the "Twist and Shout" fun dance. His big sisters will be teaching him many more routines in the coming months.

There's a great year ahead, cloggers! Don't let cold weather keep you out of the studio! (Barring unsafe conditions, of course.)

Nellie No would like to point out that, while 2018 may officially be the Year of the Yellow Earth Dog, EVERY year is the Year of the Gingerish Cat! She is prepared to accept treats, head scratches, and sometimes belly rubs...

What are YOU most excited about in the upcoming clogging year?