Forget shark WEEK; we’re having a shark YEAR at Fancy Free Clogging Studio! The kiddos (and adults) have developed an ever-changing performance of this catchy tune which now closes Tuesday night clogging class. Hard to believe it all started with a sucker.
So many bridges, so little time. Hoedown Island has it all! Part TWO
So many bridges, so little time. Hoedown Island has it all! Part ONE
Do you prefer your bridges natural, broken, bouncy, or with cow? Fancy Free Cloggers encountered ALL of these during our annual Hoedown Island visit!
For those who have never been, Hoedown Island is located within Natural Bridge State Resort Park in Slade, Kentucky. Jane Bolin hosts fun dances every Saturday night during the season, which runs May - October. Hoedown Island regulars and visitors alike can partake in clogging, two-stepping, line dancing, the Virginia reel, and even the Hokey Pokey!
High energy and lowrider trucks: UCA's Shindig in the Valley 2019
Fancy Free Cloggers traveled to Maggie Valley, NC for our first competition of the year. Things have changed a bit since we last clogged at the Stompin’ Ground; Shindig in the Valley is now part of the United Clogging Association circuit. This means a different rule set, different group of competitors, and a new vibe.
Let the clogging choreo flow!
Who does the choreography for your clogging team? For Fancy Free Cloggers, it varies. We use routines learned at workshops (often with minor tweaks, such as cutting the music). We also have routines choreographed by a single team member. However, the dances we seem to love best are those we create as a team.
Come out of your shell at Hoedown Island! (Part ONE)
Dance book review: Daisy Tappytoes Dares to Dance
Sometimes, only the power of dance can save the day. If that dancing happens to be provided by a talking fawn wearing red tap shoes, so much the better!
Daisy Tappytoes Dares to Dance is part of the Magic Animal Friends series, written by Daisy Meadows. Does that name sound familiar? It's the same author (actually, group of authors) who brought us Tasha the Tap Dance Fairy, featured in an earlier book review.
Brave the heat and stay on beat at the county fair.
Cloggers and county fairs just go together! Somewhere between the pretty baby contests, the livestock exhibits, the booths of everything sugary and fried, we find a spot to plug in a sound system and dance. Why does it always have to be so HOT?!
Teams everywhere have been posting pictures and videos from their own fair shows. Y'all look great!
Party like a clog star!
SAA-LUTE! Smoky Mountain Encore 2018
Oinky gets a taste of showbiz!
Unbeknownst to the audience, the props we use on stage sometimes have a life all their own! As Fancy Free Cloggers made final adjustments to our routine for the Hee Haw show at Smoky Mountain Encore, the stuffed toy pig carried by one of my teammates was deemed too small to be visually effective. Our team seamstress has a pattern and can make one for future shows (we plan on using this dance throughout the year), but she didn't have time to create a custom pig before the trip to Tennessee...
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!
Road to the crown: Miss Southeastern Clogger Pageant (PART TWO)
Interested in trying a clogger pageant? Kaley Conn and Summer Hanson from Clogging Connection (Florida) share the preparation techniques that helped them win crowns at the Miss Southeastern Clogger Pageant.
Beauty and the beats: Miss Southeastern Clogger Pageant (PART ONE)
Anybody else clueless but curious about clogger pageants? I've seen ladies wearing crowns and sashes passing out awards at clogging competitions and that was pretty much the extent of my knowledge on this topic.
Enter Kaley Conn, who was recently crowned Overall Queen for ages 12+ in the Miss Southeastern Clogger Pageant. One of Kaley's first missions as Queen is to spread the word about this pageant after she and a younger teammate both had wonderful experiences with the event
TWO are knighted Clogger of the Year!
The audience doesn't know the half of it!
I feel sorry for the audience at big shows. Sure, they get to sit in comfy seats and get the best views of all the razzle dazzle, but they don't know the inside jokes that develop during rehearsal, the hustle and bustle of keeping performers and props where they need to be, the last-minute adjustments due to mistakes or malfunctions, or the goofy things we all do while waiting in the wings. The audience is missing out!
Parade at night? Let there be light!
Christmas season calls for parades. Night parades call for lights. HomeTown HoliDazzle in Wilmington, Ohio combines all of this and more!
Fancy Free Cloggers once again snagged a spot in the parade lineup. This event is perfect to get FFC in the mood for our upcoming performances in the Murphy Theatre's Cartoon Christmas!