The Island Cloggies
The Island Cloggies
Clog dancing, or more accurately, step dancing in clogs is essentially a North of England tradition and has been around since about the beginning of the 19th century, when clogs became the common footwear for the working classes in the North of England. It developed as a street tradition and was later taught in the gymnasiums that were prevalent during that period in Lancashire and in the dance schools of what is now the Lakeland District. It evolved into a stage act on the Music Halls with such artistes as Dan Leno and Charlie Chaplin. There were also competitions to find champion clog dancers, some of which survive today in the North. Its popularity as a stage act declined in the early 20th century with the advent of tap dancing, which owed its origins to step clog dancing. It is in fact noted that Fred Astaire was taught to dance by a traditional clog dancer. Happily when folk dance had its revival in the sixties and seventies a few of the old dancers were still able to teach a whole new generation of clog dancers.
The Island Cloggies have been in existence since 1975/6. At present we have eight regular dancers, two in training and four musicians. Our aim is to entertain. We choreograph all our own routines, endeavouring to make them as entertaining and lively as we can. Over the years our biggest point of discussion has always been the thorny question of costume. Getting seven or eight women to agree on a dress code is not easy. We have ranged from a working class Victorian look to our present funky modern look. Although we are a female team there is absolutely no reason why men cannot dance with us and we would be delighted to find any man brave enough to come and have a go!!