These clogging sisters will have you tapping along as they bring an old style of dance to new life
While it all began in the Appalachians in the mid-1700s, clogging is now taking over YouTube well into the 21st century.
Just look at the Thomas sisters for example – Kaylee and Lauren. Hailing from Berea, Kentucky, these sisters now hold 15 National Clog Dancing titles and have racked up tens of thousands of views and viewers across social media.
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Why clogging?
As the Appalachians were populated by immigrants from around the world, their dance styles began to meld. New Americans of Scottish, English, and Dutch-German descent lent their folks styles to the form.
Appalachian clog dancing then moved into the rest of the country and was further influenced by Black Africans, the Romani, and – according to a history of clogging website at least – Cherokee dance steps.
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And Americans have long been fans of percussive dance – just think about the birth and later 80s and 90s revival of tap dancing!
Clogging has also taken some modern influence from that genre as well.
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Far from being relegated to the banjo-strumming southern mountains of the U.S., clogging is more alive than ever as young people around the country grow interested and more classes are offered. This is much in thanks to being able to see dancers performing online.
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Now there are classes in both traditional steps and more modern interpretations.
The Thomas Sisters
Kaylee and Lauren Thomas are just two of a new breed of young dancers bringing clogging to the masses. And it helps to have the motivation of competitions and organizations like America’s Clogging Hall of Fame and the National Clogging and Hoedown Council work “to promote and preserve the important traditional aspects of clogging.”
In 2003, clog dancing even became a competitive dance sport in the AAU Junior Olympics!
But if you really want to take a look at what modern clogging has to offer – just take a scroll through these young women’s’ YouTube videos or Instagram pages.
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We suggest you start with a performance they uploaded in 2018, set to the song “Hold My Hand,” by English singer Jess Glynne.
It’s got foot-stomping, modern choreography, a great beat, and two seriously in-sync dancers!
In fact, it’s amazing to watch them work together in such perfect unison.
Lauren started clogging when she was just 3 years old, while and Kaylee started at age 5, according to Doubletoe Times Magazine.
And those years of practice have made them unbelievable dancers and incredible athletes.
Still dipping a toe in it
While they were at their peak in 2017-8, the women are now either working or in college. However, they still managed to find time to participate in the Clogging Champions of America Showdown in 2019.
In fact, Lauren was also the Choreographed Solo National Champion that year!
While no doubt the pandemic has put a hold on many a dancer’s career, if you’re interested in taking it up, now’s the time to start online. There are plenty of videos to work up your interest before you even start hitting the floor.
Be sure to scroll down to check out the Thomas sisters’ 2018 performance.
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Source: IClog, YouTube – Lana Thomas, Instagram – @_the_thomassisters_