Clogging necessities

Grace is NOT my middle name...

While Grace is a lovely name, my mama was wise enough NOT to bestow it upon this clumsy clogger...

At Melissa Pack's teach of "Old Time Pickin' " (advanced traditional with buck), I managed to slice my lower shin with a heel tap. Close examination of the cue sheet reveals no such move in the choreography.

This clogger means business!

Sessilie Tackett, clogger with Rhythmic Alliance, means business both on and off the dance floor! This award-winning dancer is the creator of Custom Designs By Sessilie, providing unique apparel options for cloggers.

 I met Sessilie a couple years ago at the Stompin' Grounds (Maggie Valley, NC), where she was tearing up the competition during Shindig in the Valley. It has been a delight to watch her business grow (Thank you, social media!).

What color clogging shoes should you wear today? A clogging quiz!

Imagine you wake up one morning to find a clogger's dream come true: the closet is full of dance shoes in every color! How will you decide which shoes to wear on any given day?

Grab a pencil and take this quiz, of course!

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: Step notation (noun)

How does a clogger explain a step without video or demonstration? Step notation! A common synonym is step breakdown.

Here's my official definition: 

Step notation (noun): A written method of describing clogging steps, so that a dancer can learn the step from scratch or recall the step later.

Clogger's Dictionary: Duct tape (noun)

Today's dictionary entry describes an item found in the dance bags of cloggers everywhere: duct tape. A common synonym is duck tape.

Here's my formal definition:

Duct tape (noun): A common adhesive capable of keeping a clogger on his/her feet instead of the tush when a dance surface is not ideal.