Clogging: Some Days I Gotta Dance

From a young age, I have always loved to dance. I took tap, jazz and ballet lessons when I was in grade school, and although I quit dancing when I went into high school, I never lost the passion for it. It wasn't until about two years ago that I was able to once again find an outlet for my dancing passion. I started clogging lessons.

Clogging? Why Clogging?

I've been asked this question many times. When I tell people that I am a clogger, I get one of two reactions. There's the positive one, "Oh, cool!! That sounds like it would be really fun!!" There's the negative one, "Why would you want to dance to hillbilly music?" My response to either reaction is that I simply love it. To the naysayers, I point out that I dance to as much rock and pop as I do country. One reason I like it is because of the percussive quality. When I took lessons as a kid, I always liked tap the best for the same reason. I just like to make noise with my feet. I also like the speed and the workout.

Clogging is also interesting because of its deep and rich history. For more on that, follow this link to a great website that will tell you more.

The Routines I've Learned

I take three different classes: beginner plus, intermediate, and advanced. Following is a list of each routine I've learned, with the song and artist, a rating of the routine, and comments on some of them. Overall, I tend to prefer the pop and rock routines over country routines. Some routines are worthy of comment because I either really like them or really dislike them. Others I am indifferent toward, and so will get a mediocre rating and little or no comment.

If you are not a clogger yourself, the cue sheets, which are a list of the symbols and steps that make a routine, won't mean a whole lot to you. That's why I am focusing on the songs themselves. They will be familiar to more people. However, if you are a clogger and want to find some great cue sheets (not necessarily the ones listed below), click here.

Rating Scale

1. Bad - Terrible song and/or terrible steps. I groan when I have to do it.
2. Poor - Either the song or the steps are stupid, but there is a slight redeeming quality.
3. Fair - A mediocre routine. I don't dislike it, but it doesn't thrill me either.
4. Good - The song comes from one of my preferred genres, or the routine is challenging.
5. Excellent - Great steps, great song, and I love to do it.

   Beginner Plus
   Song Title	Artist	Rating	Comments
   Should've Asked Her Faster	Ty England	4	Cute Song!!
   Calling Baton Rouge	Garth Brooks	4	One of the first routines I learned on my own.
   Down On The Corner	The Mavericks	4	I prefer the original CCR classic, but it still makes a good routine.
   Hold Whatcha Got	Ricky Skaggs	1	Stupid song. Too country for my taste.
   Bit By Bit	Stephanie Mills	4	Cute little pop song. It's fast!!
   Go West	Don't know	3	Instrumental cowboy song. Kind of goofy.

   Intermediate
   Song Title	Artist	Rating	Comments
   Cowboy's Sweetheart	LeAnn Rimes	4	The first routine with a degree of difficulty that I learned.
   Some Days You Gotta Dance	The Ranch	4	It's country, but the title says it all, and the steps are fun.
   Bye Bye	Jo Dee Messina	2	Not a very memorable routine.
   Fishers Hornpipe	Cactus Brothers	5	Instrumental song with Irish flair. Still one of my favorites!!
   C'est La Vie	B*Witched	3 1/2	Girl group pop song. Goofy, but the steps are good.
   Stayin' Alive	N-Trance	5	Techno-fied cover of the Bee Gee's classic. I can really groove to this one!
   Walkin' The Country	The Ranch	3	Just an average country routine.
   Never Seen Anything	Exile	3	Also an average country routine.
   Banjo Fantasy	Wickline Band	4	Instrumental with a good beat and good steps.
   Gimme 1-2-3-4-5	N-Trance	2	Too long, redundant rap song.
   Pop Musik	M	4	Can't go wrong with 80's pop. Fun routine.
   Ooh Boy	Reel McCoy	3	Not a very impressive pop routine.
   Where Do You Go	No Mercy	3	Average pop routine.
   Never Gonna Give You Up	Rick Astley	4	Good 80's pop song, but the routine wears me out!!
   Get Outta My Dreams	Billy Ocean	4	The 80's hit makes a good routine.
   You Can't Hurry Love	The Dixie Chicks	3	Don't like the Dixie Chicks, but the routine isn't too bad.
   Bad	Michael Jackson	4	Good beat, fun steps.
   No News	Lone Star	3	Average country routine.

   Advanced
   Song Title	Artist	Rating	Comments
   Sold	John Michael Montgomery	5	A country routine that I actually love!! It's the first advanced routine I learned, and I still enjoy it.
   Git Jiggy Wit It	Will Smith	4	I can get jiggy wit this cool routine.
   Are You Ready For This	2 Unlimited	4	This one has some really cool steps and gets my feet moving.
   You Keep Me Hangin' On	Reba McEntire	3 1/2	Yet another version of this song. Not a bad routine.
   Dance Above The Rainbow	Ronan Hardiman	5	Instrumental Irish song. I love it!!
   Ready To Run	The Dixie Chicks	1	Whiny country. The routine can't redeem the song.
   Larger Than Life	Backstreet Boys	5	I'm not a big fan of the boy pop groups, but this song is really cool, and the routine is one of the most challenging I've ever done.
   I Want You Back	N Sync	4	The other boy group. The routine is really challenging, but it doesn't work as well as "Larger Than Life."

   

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