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 Toe Jam Time Cloggers |
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| Letters and Comments: What Clogging has meant to me! Six years ago we moved from Charlotte, NC to Conyers, GA by way of Denver, CO. We knew no-one in the area but was just 5 hours from home instead of 30 hours when in Denver. We were taking in all the sights and went to all events we read about in the paper. While visiting the Cherry Blossom Festival in Conyers, we were impressed by a Clogging group called the Original Cotton Pickin Cloggers. During their show they announced that they would be appearing the following weekend at Stone Mountain Park. My wife marked our calendar for the event. The next weekend we were off to Stone Mountain. We had a little trouble finding the stage but once there we never moved the rest of the day. Groups would change about every 40 minutes and we saw people from 3 years old to senior citizens. The group that impressed us most was a group all dressed in their white pants and stars and stripe shirts (Toe Jam Time). Maybe it was because my kids knew several of the girls in the group. They were also introduced as being from Conyers, which was now our hometown. My wife, being totally impressed turned to my girls and asked them if they were interested in taking lessons. They got so excited that my wife had to talk to the leader as soon as the show was over. The leader told us that she would call us if she started any new lessons any time in the future. Then the wait began. We finally got a call in late May saying she would start a class in June. June came around and lessons began. After two weeks I was so proud of my kids. They were doing more than my oldest kid had done in six years of dance lessons. Little did I know that step behind step kick was only a beginning. Once they started the double step thing my middle child was ready to quit. She felt that there was no way anyone could be expected to do such a thing. As time went on they learned more and more steps and were ready to put a song together. The first song they danced to was Grandfathers Clock. After eight months of lessons they were going to perform it at a workshop. I was a nervous wreck thinking about them performing in front of all those people but somehow their teacher had convinced them that this was a time to show off, not a time to be nervous. They performed that dance for the next year. During that year, my middle daughter fell in love with clogging. To be in the intermediate class was just not good enough for her. She talked the teacher into letting her come and look at the advance class so she could learn new steps. It only took a few weeks and the teacher told her to get on the floor with the rest of them. She was now learning the new dances. At one of the performances the teacher told a story about how one of the girls had learned the old dances by looking at videos of the performances. That was all Melissa needed. All we could see for the next six months was clogging videos and Melissa looking backwards at the TV. (You can't learn facing the TV. You have to look under your arms.) The next big event occurred when the teacher asked me if it would be ok if Melissa went to France and would it hurt my other two daughters feelings if they were not asked. We had a family discussion and everyone agreed that Melissa was doing everything to get ready for France and the other two had other interests. I think they were even proud of Melissa for being asked. As time went on and France got to be closer the other two had advanced and were asked also. Now we had a big problem. They knew harder steps but did not know enough songs to perform for 40 minutes. School let out and France was only a month away. The teacher called for everyone that was going to France to start practice every day for three hours. This is where my kids really advanced. They learned a song a day. The day would start by doing all the songs they knew and then working on the next one. Kim never made it clear if she wanted to go to France or not. At times she did and other times she did not. She would never give a reason why she didn't want to go. Then we drove up to the airport. She saw an airplane on the runway and started crying. She had never said anything about a fear of flying. She cried throughout check-in and until we were on the plane. Within five minutes of the flight however she was ok. It was just another experience. France was something else. For seven days the kids had at least 3 performances a day. There were 10 countries represented and I think the kids had more fun back stage communicating with the other kids than they had on stage. Amy, of course, had all the French boys chasing her by the end of the first day. We took the last three days just to see Paris. This was an experience that my kids may never have had if not for clogging. Since the France trip my kids have never been the same. Clogging is part of their life and the same is for my wife and me. We have got to know many of the people in other groups by taking part in workshops and other events. These people just happen to be the greatest people in the world. We look forward to every event just for the fun we have when we all get together. I never expected to have children with talent. Children that could stand up in front of crowds and put on a show. Clogging however have brought them out. They not only perform with their group but also have danced as a trio. Kim choreographed dances that could be performed at church. They have performed at senior citizen lunches and at family reunions. They even performed for the parents at Target department store while the kids were shopping during a Christmas event. The most important thing that Clogging has done however is that they have grown up with the best kids in the world. If you look at their appearance, grades, respect for others, and general attitudes on life, they have been the best. Whenever anyone tells me about how good my kids are, I have to give credit to their surroundings. My part in great kids is one word. When my wife asked if they could take clogging lessons, I said, "OK". |
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