Where was I last Saturday night? At home, as ordered by the State of Ohio. What was I doing? Dancing with more than 1300 clogging friends at the first Worldwide Clogging Fun Dance!
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!
Walking 500 miles at NCHC Nationals...
The hotel was decorated for Alice In Wonderland, but "500 Miles" felt like the real theme at NCHC Nationals over Labor Day weekend. Dancers and spectators alike met their step goals for the day!
Why? The Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center is ENORMOUS! Don't bother being in a hurry to get anywhere. Just enjoy the experience; there is plenty to see while you figure out where stuff is.
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!
Costumes hangin' on the line: Dollywood Clogging Classic 2017, PART TWO
Sometimes, a dancer just has to take one for the team. I saw examples of this all day long at the Dollywood Clogging Classic, starting with my own director.
Evie opened her garment bag at Sunday's competition and was surprised to discover a wet costume on top. She dug through the bag to find every costume soaked. Remember how it rained all day Friday and Saturday? Apparently, Evie's car had a leaky trunk!
Clogging lets my feet do the singing! (You're welcome, world...)
True story: I am SUCH a bad singer, a receptionist at work once created an office rule that I was not allowed to sing. An accompanying rule stated that she was not allowed to dance...
This lack of talent in no way stops me from singing terribly in the car, so beware if we ever carpool! It does, however, give me a great appreciation for the singing talents of others. Last weekend, my schedule was filled with music!
NINETY-FOUR and still on the dance floor: Happy Birthday, Jim!
Close your eyes and picture a birthday party for a 94-year-old. Done? Okay, open your eyes.
In your mind, did the birthday boy drive to his clogging studio, strut inside amidst a "king's highway" formed by applauding teammates, and spend the evening eating cake and dancing?
Nope, this is not one of those annoying "you don't know AARP" commercials; this is real life at Fancy Free Clogging Studio!
New year, new clogging goals!
Happy new year, cloggers! While it is appropriate to take stock of where you are and where you want to be all year long, the new year just begs for a little self-reflection. When my clogging team returned to classes on Tuesday after a holiday break, many teammates were willing to share their clogging goals for 2017. (Thanks!)
If you are still determining goals for the new year, you may find some inspiration here!
Team clogging awards!
Does your clogging team do awards? Fancy Free Cloggers had our Christmas party/awards banquet this week! The banquet is a lovely time to look back on the year and appreciate the progress and contributions of each team member.
Every Fancy Free Clogger receives a medal and is recognized for something special he/she brought to the team during the previous year. We also give special awards which vary from year to year, depending on the circumstances. Everyone, however, waits anxiously to see who will win the two highest honors: the Larry Pummel Award and Clogger of the Year!
Clogging for a cause: Diabetes Dance Dare!
Have you heard about the Diabetes Dance Dare? If not, let's get you caught up - it is all the rage with cloggers who want to support a good cause!
According to the American Diabetes Association, someone in the United States is diagnosed with diabetes every 23 seconds. The dare is to post a video of yourself dancing for 23 seconds, make a donation to the association, and challenge 3 others to do the same.
Celebrities such as Shaq and Usher have created videos in support of the campaign, but I honestly never heard of this challenge until Kay Trimm and the Clog Wild Cloggers posted a video and challenged fellow cloggers to support the cause!