Clogging is the national dance of Appalachia, and has its roots in England and Wales sometime before the 15th Century. It’s an enthusiastic form of dance that can be practiced at various levels of athletic energy by both young and old.
As you might expect, clogging has evolved over its lifetime, merging with some dance forms while spawning and influencing others, such as tap dancing. It has also become a competitive dance, with competitions beginning in the 70s and continuing today. It’s the rare fall festival in North Carolina that doesn’t have cloggers on stage at some point. At any bluegrass festival in the mountains, you’ll always see impromptu clogging, or its close cousin, flatfooting.
