Clogging.
No, I’m not talking about the thing your toilet does sometimes. I’m actually talking about an intriguing form of dance, with a diverse history. The clog itself is a solid wooden shoe, which was and is traditionally used in The Netherlands as protective footwear, typically for field-based agriculture, and in factories. In a time before the steel-tipped boots, these shoes would be your best friend if you had some hard work and needed even harder foot protection.
The story however, is bigger than just this onomatopoeically named shoe (Isn’t it just fun to say “Clog?”)
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Because of the solid wooden shoe’s percussive qualities, they don’t only make good working shoes.
They also make pretty good instruments. Mixed in with a little traditional music from The Netherlands, these solid shoes can be used to tap with the heels or toes. Ornamental clogs can be highly decorate, and are somewhat of a collectors item from areas in The Netherlands, such a touristic parts like Amsterdam.
Not unlike modern tap-dance, clog dancing is the European style of dancing with clogs and focuses on the rhythm of the routine.
Usually these traditional performances involve traditional garb. Much like the Irish Sean-nós dance, the dance involves little to no hand and arm choreography, relying almost entirely on the feet and legs. Modern Clog dancing however, can often use shoes which are not (or only party) made from wood, but shoes in a similar style but made with more typical shoe materials such as leather.
Here’s a great example of a modern, world-traveled version of Clog Dancing.
An Americanized version of Clog Dancing, referred to as “Clogging” is a very popular take on the style. I present to you the best of the best, the winners of the National Clogging Champions level in Utah, the team from Las Vegas. It’s a developed version of the dance, and takes influence from Irish dance, traditional Clogging, and African rhythms among other outlier influences.
The team’s performance is amazing, and makes you want to jump up as well!
They tap their feet in perfect synchronicity, and to an upbeat tune and with zippy 1920’s bellhop themed costumes.
For such a large group, they do an excellent job of staying perfectly in time. They all dance with huge smiles on their face and it’s abundantly clear that they just love Clogging. They almost make it seem too effortless as they move their feet at lightning pace.
I guess this is what it takes to get the top spot!
This really is such an interesting style of dance, and even a quick sprint through the comments section shows that many people watching it are confused too. Because this contemporary style of dance is such an amalgamation of so many different styles of dance, as was contemporary tap dancing, it seems that for many the distinction between the two styles are sometimes blurry to the uninitiated.
And of course, the thing that makes it “Clogging” is the CLOGS!
It’s harder to tell with these modern-style clogs, but they are in fact different to usual tap shoes. They have a looser fit for greater resonance, and they do produce a different sound. In addition, they also make inventive use of props and set-pieces such as these fun and fetching bellhop trolleys and large suitcases. That’s the outside-the-box thinking that get’s you first place!
Watch the full video below to enjoy this winning clogging extravaganza!
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