When you think of the song Cotton Eyed Joe, it’s hard not to think of the Rednex version. You know the one. Everybody knows the one. It’s usually one of the last songs a DJ will play at a school social in his desperate attempt to get kids onto the dance floor. The reason for this is because while it’s a varitable mix between hillbilly chic and dance music, it has this awesome persistent fiddle part which just makes you want to get up and start tapping your toes!
But what if I was to tell you this isn’t the ONLY Cotton Eyed Joe that’ll get your feet moving…
…In fact, Hillary Klug, will move her feet on everyone’s behalf!
Well, I have never seen anything like Hillary’s version of Cotton Eyed Joe. Of course Rednex didn’t invent the song, they simply changed it from a good ol’ American country-folk song, to a city hall dance floor filler. Hillary does the original version proud, and them some!
Her performance starts off with Hillary simply tapping her toe to keep time in a regular rhythm.
That’s simple enough, nothing amazing about that…
…But then she begins playing the fiddle.
That’s the first amazing thing that happens. She’s not playing anything too complex on it, but keeping it rhythmic on top of her tapping toes. To be completely honest, this part already has me astounded as that’s far more coordination than I’ve ever been able to muster.
Next, all at once Hillary begins not only playing the fiddle expertly, but tap dancing as well.
If being a breath-takingly good fiddler isn’t impressive enough for you, then Hillary is your gal.
Because she is so talented that both her fiddling and her tap dancing is good enough to be a performance in their own rights. The fact that she can nail both at the same time, is nothing short of spectacular.
You could cover the bottom of the screen and see her fiddle and think “wow, that’s the best fiddling I’ve seen to a rhythmic beat” or you could cover her top half and and think “wow, that’s a real expert tapping along to that fiddle”.
But with Hillary, you get the whole deal all wrapped up into one.
She moves around the tapping box, doing a full tap dance routine, not just maintaining a steady beat.
She adds flourishes and includes leg kicks, steps, folding one foot over another and rhythmic diversions… all without losing the beat.
Finally, Hillary ends her incredible performance with a friendly dip, and a playful tune on the fiddle.
Not only does this all seem to come very naturally to Hillary, but she seems to really be enjoying herself as well. She’s carrying a genuine smile the entire time and the music just seems to flow from her. I wouldn’t be surprised if Hillary was born making music, they way she can’t seem to be satisfied playing one instrument at a time.
Well I don’t know about you, but now whenever I hear the name Cotton Eyed Joe, it’s Hillary’s version that will spring to mind.
Watch the full video below to enjoy Hillary’s un-toppable tapping talent!
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