Clogging in Independence, VA

I was lucky enough to spend this 4th of July weekend in Independence, VA, eating traditional North Carolina style BBQ and getting in a few clogging steps from the Blue Ridge Mountain region - you can't get more American than that!  Beautiful weather, beautiful scenery, amazing food, and fun dancing made for a perfect day. Clogging, a cross between tap dancing and Irish Step Dancing, is made up of small shuffle steps with back rocks and hops, and something I didn't know, always starts on the left foot.  The shoes are slightly different as well - they look like tap shoes with an extra double layer of loosely-attached taps that resonate more and give the shoes that chingy sound, like a tambourine.  "Rocky Top", one of the most famous clogging songs in the south, is in every clogging group's repertoire (and it's such a catchy tune, you can see I can't keep still while I try and record the group's performance!)

The best part was that Frida, the group's instructor, gave me a quick lesson in clogging (of course, when hearing that cloggers would be at this BBQ, my tap shoes were in tow!).  It was a lot of fun, and unfortunately I only got a taste of what clogging is all about - I am now on a mission to find clogging groups in Yankee territory here in New York City to please my North Carolina clogging appetite!