Taking it back to basics today with this clogger's version of the alphabet:
A is for Audience
Be glad you have one! Look at them instead of your feet!
B is for Basic
The most useful step you will ever learn!
C is for Cue Sheet
When you can't remember what step comes next, check the cue sheet to be sure.
D is for Duct Tape
The essential adhesive to keep you on your feet instead of on your tush! Keep a roll of duct tape in your clogging bag.
E is for Enthusiasm
The audience will forgive many a misstep if you dance with gusto!
F is for Fun Dance
Throw on those familiar tunes and watch as cloggers from everywhere hit the dance floor! If you only sorta kinda know the routine, back-row it behind another dancer. Watch cloggers from other teams to learn new variations on the dances you do know well!
G is for Generosity
Most teams perform at charity events for good causes, dancers give freely of their time and expertise to assist newer clogging students, cloggers pass down outgrown dancing shoes. The clogging world is full of wonderful people!
H is for Hoedown
Designate a caller and get to dancing! Keep those formations centered and keep your energy up!
I is for Ida Red
If you don't already know this dance, learn it immediately - it goes with EVERYTHING! Need to throw together a routine on short notice to go with a song the band is playing or music that matches the theme of an event? Put the Ida Red choreography to it and call it a day!
J is for Jokes
Join a clogging team, and you will soon amass a heap of inside jokes to keep you laughing!
K is for Knees
They should be high! (They may also be sore!)
L is for Lines
They should be straight!
M is for Music
Once you learn a clogging routine to a song, you can never hear it the same way again. An old clogging song can come on the radio years later and you will find yourself marking the steps you remember!
N is for Nursing Homes
They always welcome a clogging performance! Go do it when you can. Be sure to chat with the residents after the show - they will make your day!
O is for One More Time
The biggest lie in clogging. When you hear this command from your director, know that you will be repeating the routine or step as many times as it takes to get it right!
P is for Practice
Are you a beginner dancer aspiring to move to the intermediate level? An intermediate clogger with an eye on learning those advanced routines? A clogger who simply wants to perform well at your current level? Practice is the key for all of you!
Q is for Quiet
Difficult to come by in a clogging studio! Taps should be quiet when the instructor is speaking.
R is for Remember
Clogging works the brain just as hard as the legs! Gotta remember the steps, where to stand, what to wear, what time to be there. Whew! Feel the brain power!
S is for Studio
Cloggers are so lucky! We get a second home.
T is for Team
We also get a second family.
U is for Unique
While we know that clogging is a perfectly normal hobby, others view this as something unusual and exotic. When you have to do those introductions at a conference where you state your name and something special about yourself, "I perform with a clogging team," always seems to get attention.
V is for Vim and Vigor
Cloggers are an energetic bunch; try to keep up!
W is for Window
Woe to the clogger who gets out of his/her assigned dance space during a show! You will get lectured about staying in your window at the next practice, if not sooner!
X is for "X-ercise"
(Yes, I'm cheating a little on this one. You don't want to read an entry about Xerox, do you?!) Clogging is a fun and effective way to get a workout! I am always sweaty and gross by the end of the first song!
Y is for Young and Old
Clogging is for people of all ages! Dance class at Fancy Free Clogging Studio this week included a beginner who is 3 years old and a clogger celebrating his 93rd birthday. We also had pretty good coverage of the span in between!.
Z is for Zzzzz
Rest up before your next practice or performance so you can give it your all!
Now I've said my ABCs. Next time, won't you dance with me?
I debated which word to use for some of these! Do you want to lobby for any substitutions?