Bonus of clogging at a local event over a holiday weekend: Former team members are likely to be home visiting and you get to catch up! With a (very) little coaxing, you can even get them on the dance floor! Yep, a person can trade clogging for other hobbies or life pursuits, but those double toes are still there...
Five clogging competition truths.
My team attended Shindig In The Valley clogging competition last weekend. In addition to some awards and great memories, I walked away with a few observations:
1. NO NEED TO WORRY ABOUT FINDING BOBBY PINS/SAFETY PINS. THEY ARE ALL OVER THE DRESSING ROOM FLOOR!
I am the person on my team who packs EVERYTHING in her clogging bag. Need duct tape, shoe polish, band-aids, a granola bar? Sure, it's in there! However, once each team cycled through a costume change, it was unnecessary to dig in the bag. The carpet was covered in discarded bobby pins and safety pins!
When clogging taps break, who gets you back on the dance floor?
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.
Clogger's Dictionary: Nursing home show (noun)
Today's clogging vocabulary lesson involves a type of performance almost every team does: the nursing home show.
Get ready to move tables and clear some space in the facility dining room!
Here's my formal definition:
Nursing home show (noun): A clogging performance where the dancers bring entertainment to an audience who may not be able to get out to attend other events. Synonyms include retirement home show, rest home show, etc.
National dance list/fun dance challenge!
The feet are willing, but the brain is full...
Face it: there is a limit to how many clogging steps/routines a person can absorb at once.
I find this fact to be particularly annoying during workshops. "Afternoon fog" is a term bandied about to describe the phenomenon. Basically, your mental fatigue and physical fatigue combine to make a step sequence or entire routine WAY more difficult than it would normally be.
Clogging shoe care: A review of Tarrago Shoe Cream
Dirt and scuffs and stains, oh my! Between dance classes and shows, those clogging shoes quickly lose their shine and become less than show-worthy (Not sure that's really a word, but you know what it means.).
Lately, my shoe polish hasn't been cutting it, and I've started a search to find the best products to keep my clogging shoes looking good.