What’s the hand hygiene policy at your dance studio? Has it changed in light of recent news stories?
Many types of clogging dances call for holding hands and sometimes switching partners repeatedly.
A clogger's day off.
Action! Back to the studio, cloggers.
Clogger shark, doo doo doo doo doo doo!
Betty's Bein' Bad! National dance list/fun dance challenge continues with some confusion.
The national dance list/fun dance challenge continues at Fancy Free Studios. Evie requested “Betty’s Bein’ Bad” as our next routine to tackle because she danced it years ago and loved it.
I never learned this dance previously but set to work preparing it for Tuesday night clogging class. My cue sheet states the routine was choreographed “before 1986.” The song was released in 1985 by Sawyer Brown, so this all checks out. Do yourself a favor and watch Sawyer’s video for this tune, if only to relive the colorful joy of 1980s clothing.
You can't plan this stuff; surprise artist visitor at clogging class.
Anyone serving as admin for a clogging team’s website or social media account is familiar with this story: A message arrives from a stranger asking about dance class. He or she obtains all the pertinent info, including directions to the studio. Sometimes they show up, sometimes they don’t…
I thought I was dealing with this scenario when I replied to Corinna’s inquiries before Fancy Free’s regular Tuesday night clogging class.
To cut, or not to cut a long song?
The national dance list/fun dance challenge has left me with a dilemma: do I cut long, repetitive songs to better fit into performances, or leave them as they are so my teammates and I can nail the routines at fun dances?
Clogging class cancelled? Say it ain't snow...
Time to review the snow day policy at your dance studio! Is class automatically cancelled with local school closings? Does your director post it on social media?
A few missed classes due to snow are inevitable in many parts of the country. When those snow days come, here are a few activities to keep you prepared for the next class or performance:When those snow days come, here are a few activities to keep you prepared for the next class or performance:
Year of the Dog, Year to Clog!
TWO are knighted Clogger of the Year!
Pretty Little Angel Eyes - national dance list/fun dance challenge update
"Pretty Little Angel Eyes" is officially in the repertoire for Fancy Free Cloggers! When's the next fun dance?
FFC enjoyed learning this bouncy routine as part of the national dance list/fun dance challenge. Many teammates already knew and loved the routine but hadn't performed it in years. The rest fell in love as soon as I played the music!
It doesn't have to be complicated.
Fancy Free Cloggers celebrated Halloween, which conveniently fell on our usual class night, with a simple party. Nothing crazy. Evie cooked up a pot of chili, everybody contributed a snack (My cheese ball was such hard work, ha-ha!), and we showed up in costumes, ready to dance and eat! Evie's Halloween decorations have been in the studio all month, so all she needed to do was set up a few tables.
My first four weeks with Tapped Out, the world's clogging team.
Dance studio games: treasure hunt
Need a party game for an event at the clogging studio? Try a treasure hunt! I had so much fun creating an outdoor treasure hunt for Clog Camp at Fancy Free Studio last weekend, I decided to write clues for an indoor dance studio treasure hunt. We have unique decor at FFC Studio (Bean Chicken, I'm lookin' at you!), but these clues focus on items visible at dance classes everywhere. Customize as needed to fit your location.
Clogging love across the miles!
Bring back your beginner fire!
Even the most enthusiastic veteran clogger benefits from a visit to beginner dance class! Remember when you first started, and double toes were AMAZING?! How you practiced EVERYWHERE, driving friends and family bonkers? If those days and feelings seem far removed from your current outlook, hang out with a group of new dancers and remember the joy!
It's a banner day for this veteran clogger!
Clogging class is loud, y'all!
My favorite shoes are clogging shoes!
Running the sound system will never be my strength in clogging class. A full month as DJ Sheila Jo made this quite clear. No surprise to every teenager on my team. They teach me how to use a cell phone on a regular basis...
With my surgeon's okay, I laced up clogging shoes and returned to the dance floor this week.
What clogging step were you most proud to master?
It's probably not the most difficult or showy step you know, but I bet there was a clogging step along the way that made you feel like you arrived as a dancer. The one you practiced nonstop until it was mastered.
For me, this step was the buck basic. Oddly, I clogged for years before knowing this step existed!