There once lived a girl who truly loved clogging. Her name was Ella, but everyone called her Cloggerella. She needed dancing as the bright spot in her life. After her dance instructor mother passed away, Cloggerella's father in his grief and loneliness married a clogging teacher from the failed studio one town over.
The stepmother wasted no time in taking over the household dance studio and making Cloggerella's life miserable. Mean Stepmother planned to turn her own three daughters into clogging stars despite an utter lack of talent or work ethic. The only reason she allowed Cloggerella to continue dancing at all, always hidden in the back row, was to keep the beat and call out steps under her breath.
Cloggerella was responsible for keeping the studio spotless, choreographing all the team routines (while Mean Stepmother claimed them as her own), and washing and preparing dance costumes for the entire family. The Uncoordinated Stepsisters delighted in misplacing hair ribbons or crinolines, forcing Cloggerella to search every closet and drawer, as if she didn't already have enough work to do.
Despite all this, Cloggerella forgot her troubles when she laced up hand-me-down shoes and started to dance.
One day, Daisy Doubletoe, half of the reigning champion duo team, sent forth an announcement: her dance partner cousin got into medical school and would be retiring from competitive clogging to focus on studies.
Daisy was hosting a fun dance to search for a new duo/duet partner! She invited every clogger in the land, and the entire clogging world was soon aflutter with preparations.
Mean Stepmother was determined to secure time in the spotlight for her daughters. She commissioned the team seamstress to create spectacular dancing dresses. Cloggerella was put to work choreographing freestyle solos to make each girl look her best. (Good luck with that...) She also had the unhappy task of persuading her Uncoordinated Stepsisters to practice.
Late at night, when everyone slept, Cloggerella somehow found energy to create her own solo and spruce up a tattered dance costume as best she could.
The day of the fun dance started before dawn for Cloggerella with a long list of errands. At last, it was time for the Uncoordinated Stepsisters to leave for hair and makeup appointments. They ignored Cloggerella as she loaded costumes and shoes into the car, not offering to carry even a roll of duct tape for themselves.
A trio of sneering chuckles greeted Cloggerella as she lugged the final bags to the car and closed the trunk.
"Hey, Mom! Guess what we found?" One Uncoordinated Stepsister held Cloggerella's dress, while the other two each waved a shoe. "Somebody thinks she's coming to the fun dance with us."
Mean Stepmother was furious! "Do you really think we would be seen with an embarrassment like you in front of Daisy Doubletoe?" She tossed Cloggerella's shoes and dress into the trash and peeled out of the driveway. The Uncoordinated Stepsisters smiled and waved from the back seat.
A heartbroken Cloggerella cried herself to sleep on the dance studio sofa. She awoke from slumber to find a strange dot of light in the corner of the room. The light grew larger and more distinct until a sparkling fairy godmother stood before her!
"I trust you can put these to good use." Fairy godmother handed Cloggerella the prettiest clogging shoes she had ever seen. "Those shorts are fine for practice, but not showy enough for a special occasion like tonight." Cloggerella's clothing transformed into a skirt and top every bit as cute as the shoes!
"Of course, there is always a catch with magic," the fairy godmother continued as if nothing was remarkable about this scenario. "At midnight, everything returns to its previous state. Now, close your eyes and dance Rocky Top."
Cloggerella did as she was told. By the time she reached the chorus, she could actually hear the music in her head. She opened her eyes to find herself surrounded by cloggers on an enormous dance floor!
Song after song, Cloggerella danced her heart out. She saw Mean Stepmother push the Uncoordinated Stepsisters onto the dance floor, but they didn't seem to recognize her. The sisters struggled to keep up with the other cloggers, but their lack of practice was obvious. All three collapsed into chairs after "High Horse" and refused to get up again.
Cloggerella walked past the exhausted girls and heard Mean Stepmother yelling at them in a tone of voice she knew only too well. The Uncoordinated Stepsisters looked like they were about to cry. Still unrecognized, she brought them each a bottle of water. It was the first "thank you" she'd ever heard them say.
After several more songs, an amazing dancer Cloggerella had been watching all night tapped her on the shoulder.
"I'm Samantha, Daisy's cousin. She would like to speak with you in private. Would you come with me, please?"
Cloggerella couldn't form words, but managed a nod. She somewhat found her voice as Samantha lead her to a quiet patio. "Good luck in medical school!"
"Thank you! I plan to become an orthopedic surgeon who specializes in treating dancers. It will require years of hard work, but dreams are worth it. I'll be right back with Daisy."
Suddenly, Cloggerella noticed the time was 11:59! She removed her dancing shoes and took off at full sprint. When Samantha returned to the patio with Daisy, they found only a shoe Cloggeralla dropped on the step.
For the next week, Daisy and Samantha took that shoe to every clogging studio and bade each dancer to try it on. Oddly, cloggers waited in long lines to do this, knowing darn well it wasn't their shoe. That always struck me as an odd part of this fairy tale.
Mean Stepmother still hadn't put it together that Cloggerella was the unknown dancer, but she made sure her daughters couldn't be upstaged. She locked Cloggerella in the attic when Daisy and Samantha showed up at the studio and ordered the Uncoordinated Stepsisters to make the shoe fit one of them, no matter what.
The sisters curled their toes, pinched their feet, went through all sorts of contortions, but the shoes were never going to fit.
Cloggerella, in despair once more, closed her eyes and danced "Rocky Top" in the attic to feel better. She heard a surprised gasp and opened her eyes to find herself in the studio, facing the Doubletoe cousins. Her right sock had transformed back into a pink clogging shoe, so there was nothing to do but hand her the left one.
Cloggerella and Daisy teamed up to become the best clogging duo in the world, touring with several productions and spreading the love of dance everywhere they went. Dr. Samantha Doubletoe joined them frequently on these tours, making sure all dancers stayed healthy.
Mean Stepmother and the Uncoordinated Stepsisters went back to where they came from, and Cloggerella took over her mother's former dance studio. Many a clogging sudent found lifelong friends on that dance floor.
And they all clogged happily ever after!
Sweet dreams!
What fairy tale would YOU like to see adapted into a clogging bedtime story?