| What is
Clogging and Where Did It Come From?
Clogging is a folk dance of the Appalachians. The dance dates back over four hundred years and was brought to America by immigrants. Everybody who has studied the dance generally agree it came to America through our English ancestry. But the English weren’t the only people who had a folk dance that could be called clogging. The Dutch had a much older dance of this variety. The Scotch, Irish, Germans and Italians also had a step dance that could be identified as clogging. The history of the dance is difficult to trace. It is a folk dance, and like a folk song, it was never written down but passed from generation to generation. Clogging is an important part of our American Heritage and has existed in the Appalachian Region since the original settlers arrived and has always been associated with Appalachian Square Dancing, hoe-downs and Big Circle Mountain Dances. Now clogging is popular everywhere and has spread from the Appalachian Mountains all over the country. Some of the best in the nation are here at our Festival and the competition is sanctioned by America’s Clogging Hall of Fame. America's Clogging Hall of Fame: America's Clogging Hall of Fame, a non-profit organization founded in 1981, is dedicated to the preservation of the old time square dance and clogging. ACHF calls the Stompin' Ground in Maggie Valley, North Carolina, its home. ACHF is a rallying organization for clogging teams all over the world and sanctions a network of dance competitions where teams and dancers can qualify to compete in a grand champion dance-off each October in Maggie Valley. A team placing 1st or 2nd in one of these sanctioned competitions qualifies to compete at this dance-off, 2 fun filled days of dancing and competing. Each year 3 people are inducted into America's Clogging Hall of Fame. These inductees have been clogging for at least 25 years and have been a positive influence on the preservation of the dance. Scholarships are also given to at least three deserving students entering college. Lou Maiuri, Clogging Contest Coordinator: LOU MAIURI, Director and Founder of the Appalachian Country Cloggers has years of experience as a Mountain style square dance caller and teacher of clogging, flatfoot and square dancing. He currently serves as Treasurer and workshop Chairman of America’s Clogging Hall of Fame. He is also a certified judge of clogging and traditional style square dancing. |