The Other Mountain Dance: Clogging Traditions Outside Appalachia After 1970
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THE OTHER MOUNTAIN DANCE: CLOGGING TRADITIONS OUTSIDE APPALACHIA AFTER 1970 by Amy Slade A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of George Mason University in Partial Fulfillment of The Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts Interdisciplinary Studies C mmittee: Director Program Director Dean, College of Humanities and Social Sciences Date: Spring Semester 2014 George Mason University Fairfax, VA The Other Mountain Dance: Clogging Traditions Outside Appalachia After 1970 A Thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts Interdisciplinary Studies at George Mason University by Amy Slade Bachelor of Arts Brigham Young University, 2011 Director: Debra Lattanzi Shutika, Professor Department of English Spring Semester 2014 George Mason University Fairfax, VA This work is licensed under a creative commons ii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page List of Figures ..................................................................................................................... v List of Tables ..................................................................................................................... vi Abstract ............................................................................................................................. vii Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 1 The Emergence of Clogging ....................................................................................... 5 Part I: The History and Spread of Appalachian Clogging ................................................ 17 Chapter 1: Established History ..................................................................................... 18 European Influences .................................................................................................. 21 English Influence .................................................................................................. 21 Irish Influence ....................................................................................................... 22 French Influence ................................................................................................... 23 Native American Influence ....................................................................................... 23 African Influence ...................................................................................................... 25 The Appalachian Mountains ..................................................................................... 28 Early Westward Movement ...................................................................................... 31 Cultural Intervention ................................................................................................. 32 Folk Festivals ........................................................................................................ 32 Later Westward Movement ....................................................................................... 34 Chapter 2: Spread of Clogging To Utah ....................................................................... 37 Mary Bee Jensen—The Gateway to the West .......................................................... 38 Competition Clogging Emerges in Utah ................................................................... 39 Terry Tucker—The “Traditionalist” ..................................................................... 40 Dennis Cobia and Bryan Steele—The Innovators ................................................ 41 The Competition Circuit in Utah .............................................................................. 43 Why Utah? ................................................................................................................ 44 Part II: The Current State of Clogging .............................................................................. 48 Chapter 3: Competition and Performance ..................................................................... 50 Folk Festivals and the Emergence of Clogging ........................................................ 50 Competition Organizations ....................................................................................... 58 Competition Categories ............................................................................................ 60 How Performance and Competition Have Affected Clogging ................................. 66 Chapter 4: Footwork and Movement Styling ................................................................ 70 Freestyle and Precision Clogging ............................................................................. 72 The Last Thirty Years, 1980-Present ........................................................................ 75 iii New Footwork .......................................................................................................... 78 New Movement Styling ............................................................................................ 85 Continuing Tradition or New Dance Form? ............................................................. 88 Chapter 5: Costumes and Shoes .................................................................................... 94 A “Traditional” Costume .......................................................................................... 96 Changes in Costume in the Past Thirty Years .......................................................... 99 Clogging Shoes ....................................................................................................... 106 Costumes, Shoes, and Tradition .............................................................................. 111 The Future of Costume and Shoes .......................................................................... 114 Part III: Negotiating Tradition ........................................................................................ 117 Choosing to Dance .................................................................................................. 127 Conclusion .............................................................................................................. 132 Appendix A: Clogging Terminology .............................................................................. 134 Eight Basic Movements: ......................................................................................... 134 Other Basic Clogging Terminology: ....................................................................... 135 Appendix B: Clogging Steps by Level ........................................................................... 137 References ....................................................................................................................... 140 iv LIST OF FIGURES Page Figure 1 - Soco Gap Square Dance Team ......................................................................... 56 Figure 2 - Toe Work ......................................................................................................... 84 Figure 3 - Movement Styling of Cloggers 2013 ............................................................... 87 Figure 4 - Women’s Traditionally Based Clogging Costume .......................................... 97 Figure 5 - Extreme Rhythm: Thanksgiving Point Competition 2013 ............................. 103 Figure 6 - Jingle Tap ....................................................................................................... 108 Figure 7 - White, Lace-up, Split-Sole Clogging Shoes .................................................. 110 *Unless otherwise noted, all photographs are taken by Amy Slade. v LIST OF TABLES Page Table 1 - Competition Organizations ................................................................................ 61 vi ABSTRACT THE OTHER MOUNTAIN DANCE: CLOGGING OUTSIDE APPALACHIA AFTER 1970 Amy Slade, MAIS George Mason University, 2014 Thesis Director: Dr. Debra Lattanzi Shutika Although Appalachian clogging has been studied and explored in depth with regards to early history and supposed beginnings of the dance form, little has been done to consider the spread of clogging to areas outside of the Appalachian region of the United States. In investigating the more recent movement of clogging to states like Utah, as well as the current styles and forms of clogging, I explore how dancers today negotiate changing ideas about tradition, identity, and community. I show that this uniquely American dance form continues to develop and change in similar patterns to its initial evolution. I argue that the footwork, movement styles, costuming, shoes, music, performance and competition involved in clogging today is a manifestation of how individuals use heritage and tradition to form an identity and create a community. Past and present Appalachian clogging practice is a reflection of how tradition is both a resource and a process. vii INTRODUCTION I still get asked if I wear wooden shoes. No. I do not. Clogging today is not quite what it used to be. At first, I would wonder how anyone still thought of clogging in the way that it began—the crinoline dresses, the square dance figures, the general old- fashioned stereotype. Some groups still dance like this, but it has been thirty years since the majority of cloggers have danced like that, I would think to myself. It wasn’t until I began researching Appalachian clogging that I realized it was not just my personal acquaintances that thought this way. Academia