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.
Not every suggestion for a clogging routine is a great one. Sometimes, an idea that shows promise is just not right, due to a lack of time or other resources. Other times, only one team member has a vision for a particular plan, so it quietly dies.
The next time that happens, hear the clogger out! Otherwise, you could miss an amazing adventure.
It happened to me at a recent performance: broken tap! In this case, a teammate who serves as our shoe repair person replaced it before I went home. Look at that shiny, unscratched toe tap! (Thanks, Bob!)
Bob took it upon himself to learn the task years ago when his son broke a tap shortly before going onstage to compete. There was no shoe vendor at this particular competition.
I showed up to our first clogging class of 2016 with notebook in hand and invited my teammates to answer the following questions:
1. What are your clogging goals for 2016?
2. What is your plan to achieve each goal?
It was no surprise to see the kids flock to the table to share their goals. The surprise came the next morning when I read their responses and found plenty of advice to apply to my own life!
Here in Ohio, the Millersport Sweet Corn Festival in September is a big deal for cloggers. According to the current schedule, about a dozen clogging teams will be performing, along with some square dance groups. I love events of this sort and I'm glad organizer Adam King of the Yellow Rose Cloggers keeps my team on the invite list!
Last year had an unexpected takeaway: a new way to tie shoes!
