This Is My Thing: Clogging!
Theme and show open
Michael Lee [00:00:15] I'm Michael Lee , and you're listening to This Is My Thing. Thanks for tuning in. On This Is my Thing, we talk to people about the things they do just for themselves. It's not a job, and it's not responsibility. It's just a thing that brings them joy or feeds their soul. This week, clogging! My guest Robin Arnold started clog dancing decades ago, and she's still very active in the community as a member of the Clickety Cloggers Dance Club.
Robin Arnold [00:00:40] My name is Robin Arnold and I am a clogger.
Michael Lee [00:00:49] Just before we started recording you mentioned that not everyone understands what clogging is or what the word clog means Do you want to kind of describe it for folks who don't?
Robin Arnold [00:00:59] Yeah, so clogging is a high energy folk dancing, using your feet as the percussion. It originated in the Appalachian Mountains, combining elements of Irish step dancing, Scottish dancing, German high kicks, and even elements of African and Native American dancing. So a wonderful blend. It's maybe a cousin to tap dancing? It is similar to tap dance. Clogging is done to bluegrass and country-western and pop and even hip hop. And the shoes, there's quite a difference between a tap shoe and a clogging shoe. A tap shoe has the single metal plate on the bottom near the toe or the ball of the foot and then the heel, whereas clogging has a jingle or a loose tap. So it. Slaps against the bottom plate as your foot strikes the floor, making a lot more noise and rhythm.
Michael Lee [00:02:22] Well, this might be a good time. I know you brought some clogging shoes to kind of let people hear what they sound like.
Robin Arnold [00:02:28] Well yeah, so this shoe is not on my foot, but just to kind of get an idea of how the the two metal plates slap against each other. And of course that will create a louder sound as we're dancing. Because who doesn't like to make noise?
Michael Lee [00:03:01] Let's talk a little bit about your history with clogging. How did you discover this form of dance?
Robin Arnold [00:03:06] Oh, I discovered clogging, well, in the early 80s, a friend of mine, when I was living in Austin, a friend a mine asked if I wanted to join her for Thanksgiving up in Waco. And I'm like, sure. And she said, oh, just to let you know, after dinner, my Aunt Jean always takes out her clogging shoes and performs for us. And I am like, clogging shoe, what? And so I saw it for the first time. I thought, okay, that looks fun. But it wasn't until I was living in Maryland and we were at a festival and there were cloggers, the Calico cloggers and it just captured my heart. I'm like, look at how much fun they're having. And so I approached them and I took lessons and then I joined the group. But I wasn't with them very long until I moved back to Austin in 93 and that's when I joined the Clickety Cloggers who are celebrating their fiftieth anniversary this year.
Michael Lee [00:04:17] How much time passed between when you saw Aunt Jean clogging at Thanksgiving and when you joined a group?
Robin Arnold [00:04:25] Oh, okay, so that was close to 10 years.
Michael Lee [00:04:30] Okay, so in that in that decade, you really weren't pursuing it. You were just you had seen a little bit It kind of seemed interesting, but it wasn't really part of your life yet. Correct, right? Yeah, and then once you decided to step in to it How long did it take before it became like a big part of you?
Robin Arnold [00:04:47] Ooh, it kind of consumed me because I realized, you know, I am creating my own rhythm, and I realized how much different music went with it, and bluegrass is wonderful to clog along to, and my husband and I are big Billy Strings fans, so when we go to his shows, I get up and I start clogging, not wearing my shoes, of course, but at least my feet are going through the movements.
Michael Lee [00:05:17] That's the slightly quieter version of clogging.
Michael Lee [00:05:39] Over the years you've been a member of different clubs, so I'm guessing that part of what clogging gives to you is community.
Robin Arnold [00:05:48] Yes, great folks, very, you know, salt of the earth. And we get together for holiday parties, and in fact, our pool party is coming up in August. And some of us have shared interests, like gardening, and going to hear musicals, and yeah, so it's become a family.
Michael Lee [00:06:11] Was it like that in Maryland also?
Robin Arnold [00:06:13] Yes, it was. It was. So something about Glocking kind of creates that. Yeah, the first time I was in Maryland and I went to the studio, I felt like I walked on the set of the Andy Griffith show. I mean, it just was that wholesome and like, oh gosh, I was waiting for Aunt Bee to come around the corner, but yeah. And good people.
Michael Lee [00:06:34] You get together once a week.
Robin Arnold [00:06:40] We do, we get together every Thursday, starting at 6.30, and we dance till about eight, 8.15, and we rent a space from a dance studio in Southwest Austin, danced by Carly. And then also Sunday is, we decided that could be a good practice day too, so the exhibition team meets. And then be getting cloggers show up and we go over routines and different steps that they're having trouble with. And so really two opportunities in one week.
Michael Lee [00:07:16] Also, you perform publicly, right?
Robin Arnold [00:07:18] Yes, and our big popular time, I guess, to perform are the holidays and our big show where we draw the biggest crowd is Johnson City, the light spectacular, and we're dancing in front of the courthouse and because it starts to get dark, well, we took care of that. We have lights sewn to the sides of our jeans. As if we're not calling enough attention to ourselves.
Michael Lee [00:07:58] Tell me what it's like, what you're feeling when you're dancing with your fellow cloggers.
Robin Arnold [00:08:03] I mean, you're in the moment, and the world just kind of goes away for a little bit. And it's almost like a moving meditation. And afterwards you feel refreshed and ready to plod along in this world. So it's just a nice break from, and it is silly, you know, I mean it's a fun, a good, silly, you know, to be able to. Kick your legs and, you know, tap your feet and just go all out, I mean, how can that not be fun? Come on over here guys. Silly name ones, like high horse. Okay, yeah. And bow-wee-bow. Alright, let's do high horse! Okay, so high horse is done in a lot of chances, but here we go. Ready, go. One, two. What do we do? One, one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten.
Robin Arnold [00:09:08] I did grow up with tap and ballet and jazz, but this, you're just, you are in the moment and just smiling. You can't be in a bad mood and clog at the same time. And it's just a nice escape. The world just kind of goes away.
Michael Lee [00:09:50] You mentioned that when you moved, you had to leave the calico cloggers and then join the clickety cloggers.
Robin Arnold [00:09:55] Yes, right away, right way. I found them.
Michael Lee [00:09:57] Was that one of the first things you did when you came to Austin to look for a clogging room?
Robin Arnold [00:09:59] Yes, I did. And that was before internet days. So I found them through the dance umbrella. And I went one night, I'm like, yeah, okay, this is this is where I belong. And our club has grown and, you know, and shrunk over the years. And right now we're in our shrunk phase, we would love to have more members. And we're always offering lessons and yeah, we welcome, we welcome new cloggers.
Michael Lee [00:10:35] Is it difficult to get younger folks?
Robin Arnold [00:10:37] Yeah, you know, we're hoping for like a movie or something that just makes it. Well, just like when, when hunger games came out and all of a sudden archery became the thing we're.
Michael Lee [00:10:50] A movie where someone has to save the world by clogging? Boy that'd be great for you guys, right?
Robin Arnold [00:10:57] We'd love it! That'll draw him in!
Michael Lee [00:11:09] You've mentioned clogging on different surfaces, I'm curious what's the best surface to clog?
Robin Arnold [00:11:13] The best surface to clog the wooden floor. In fact, we used to lead a workshop in Luckenbach, the old Luckenbach Hall, and oh what a hearty fun sound that was. But they redid their floors and we are no longer allowed to clog there. A lot of dance studios have now switched over to a different type of dance floor where it's more linoleum. And although we still are able to make the tapping sounds, it's, I don't think they're as rich as a wooden floor.
Michael Lee [00:11:51] You mentioned Luckenbach not allowing you to clog on their floors. Is it because the metal plates on your shoes can damage the floors?
Robin Arnold [00:11:59] Yes. I think one year they let us put, you know, like what surgeons wear over their shoes to muffle and protect the floors, but yeah, we no longer use that site, but it was so wonderful. It's like, oh my gosh This thing was built what you know? 1830s? So I miss that.
Michael Lee [00:12:45] What do you wish people knew about blogging that they don't know?
Robin Arnold [00:12:46] It's actually easier than it looks. And if you take lessons, we start out slow. Like some of the steps are like a double step, rock step. Instead of doing the double step which takes a little practice, you can just do a step, rock step, step, block step. And I like to encourage people to put on thick socks and go onto a tiled surface. And just practice the double step that way. Plum, plum, plum plum, plum, plump, plumb, plup. And then, yeah, once they have it. And that is the basic step. All the other movements are based on that basic step.
Michael Lee [00:13:32] You've been both a student and a teacher of vlogging. Do you, as a teacher, have you seen students kind of have that moment that you had years ago where it feels like they're starting to get it and they're turning to love it?
Robin Arnold [00:13:43] Oh yeah, yeah, and they're like, whoa! I get it just all comes together like, yeah! This is it, this is it. And getting it quicker than they think they're gonna get it.
Michael Lee [00:13:53] Yeah. Is that a big surprise for people?
Robin Arnold [00:13:55] Um to some degree yeah especially because when you see it it just looks so hard and impossible but then when it's broken down into separate steps and you go oh okay it all clicks no no pun intended.
Ending theme
Michael Lee [00:14:23] Thanks for listening to This Is My Thing. I'm Michael Lee and I produce the show. Thanks this week to Tinu Thomas for recording some field audio, and special thanks of course to Robin Arnold for sharing her love of clogging with us. If you haven't done it already, you can see a video of Robin and the clickety cloggers in action at the This Is My Thing show page at kut.org. And just a reminder, if clogging looks and sounds fun to you, and you live in the greater Austin area, the clickity cloggers would Welcome new members. We've got more This Is My Thing coming soon. Right now, we're working on pieces about trail walking, trash collecting -- trash collecting as a public service, not as a collection of trash -- sim racing, and more. And we're always looking out for more fun stuff to talk about, so please keep listening. If you'd like to tell us about your thing and maybe be a part of a future episode of the show, that's easy. Just go to the This Is my Thing show page at kut.org. You'll find a form on that page so that you tell us about your thing. This is my thing is a listener supported production of KUT and KUTX studios in Austin, Texas, you can support our work by becoming a sustaining member at support this podcast.org
Laurie Gallardo [00:15:50] Support for This Is My Thing comes from Texas Orthopedics, specializing in comprehensive surgical and non-surgical orthopedic care.
Theme and show open
Michael Lee [00:00:15] I'm Michael Lee , and you're listening to This Is My Thing. Thanks for tuning in. On This Is my Thing, we talk to people about the things they do just for themselves. It's not a job, and it's not responsibility. It's just a thing that brings them joy or feeds their soul. This week, clogging! My guest Robin Arnold started clog dancing decades ago, and she's still very active in the community as a member of the Clickety Cloggers Dance Club.
Robin Arnold [00:00:40] My name is Robin Arnold and I am a clogger.
Michael Lee [00:00:49] Just before we started recording you mentioned that not everyone understands what clogging is or what the word clog means Do you want to kind of describe it for folks who don't?
Robin Arnold [00:00:59] Yeah, so clogging is a high energy folk dancing, using your feet as the percussion. It originated in the Appalachian Mountains, combining elements of Irish step dancing, Scottish dancing, German high kicks, and even elements of African and Native American dancing. So a wonderful blend. It's maybe a cousin to tap dancing? It is similar to tap dance. Clogging is done to bluegrass and country-western and pop and even hip hop. And the shoes, there's quite a difference between a tap shoe and a clogging shoe. A tap shoe has the single metal plate on the bottom near the toe or the ball of the foot and then the heel, whereas clogging has a jingle or a loose tap. So it. Slaps against the bottom plate as your foot strikes the floor, making a lot more noise and rhythm.
Michael Lee [00:02:22] Well, this might be a good time. I know you brought some clogging shoes to kind of let people hear what they sound like.
Robin Arnold [00:02:28] Well yeah, so this shoe is not on my foot, but just to kind of get an idea of how the the two metal plates slap against each other. And of course that will create a louder sound as we're dancing. Because who doesn't like to make noise?
Michael Lee [00:03:01] Let's talk a little bit about your history with clogging. How did you discover this form of dance?
Robin Arnold [00:03:06] Oh, I discovered clogging, well, in the early 80s, a friend of mine, when I was living in Austin, a friend a mine asked if I wanted to join her for Thanksgiving up in Waco. And I'm like, sure. And she said, oh, just to let you know, after dinner, my Aunt Jean always takes out her clogging shoes and performs for us. And I am like, clogging shoe, what? And so I saw it for the first time. I thought, okay, that looks fun. But it wasn't until I was living in Maryland and we were at a festival and there were cloggers, the Calico cloggers and it just captured my heart. I'm like, look at how much fun they're having. And so I approached them and I took lessons and then I joined the group. But I wasn't with them very long until I moved back to Austin in 93 and that's when I joined the Clickety Cloggers who are celebrating their fiftieth anniversary this year.
Michael Lee [00:04:17] How much time passed between when you saw Aunt Jean clogging at Thanksgiving and when you joined a group?
Robin Arnold [00:04:25] Oh, okay, so that was close to 10 years.
Michael Lee [00:04:30] Okay, so in that in that decade, you really weren't pursuing it. You were just you had seen a little bit It kind of seemed interesting, but it wasn't really part of your life yet. Correct, right? Yeah, and then once you decided to step in to it How long did it take before it became like a big part of you?
Robin Arnold [00:04:47] Ooh, it kind of consumed me because I realized, you know, I am creating my own rhythm, and I realized how much different music went with it, and bluegrass is wonderful to clog along to, and my husband and I are big Billy Strings fans, so when we go to his shows, I get up and I start clogging, not wearing my shoes, of course, but at least my feet are going through the movements.
Michael Lee [00:05:17] That's the slightly quieter version of clogging.
Michael Lee [00:05:39] Over the years you've been a member of different clubs, so I'm guessing that part of what clogging gives to you is community.
Robin Arnold [00:05:48] Yes, great folks, very, you know, salt of the earth. And we get together for holiday parties, and in fact, our pool party is coming up in August. And some of us have shared interests, like gardening, and going to hear musicals, and yeah, so it's become a family.
Michael Lee [00:06:11] Was it like that in Maryland also?
Robin Arnold [00:06:13] Yes, it was. It was. So something about Glocking kind of creates that. Yeah, the first time I was in Maryland and I went to the studio, I felt like I walked on the set of the Andy Griffith show. I mean, it just was that wholesome and like, oh gosh, I was waiting for Aunt Bee to come around the corner, but yeah. And good people.
Michael Lee [00:06:34] You get together once a week.
Robin Arnold [00:06:40] We do, we get together every Thursday, starting at 6.30, and we dance till about eight, 8.15, and we rent a space from a dance studio in Southwest Austin, danced by Carly. And then also Sunday is, we decided that could be a good practice day too, so the exhibition team meets. And then be getting cloggers show up and we go over routines and different steps that they're having trouble with. And so really two opportunities in one week.
Michael Lee [00:07:16] Also, you perform publicly, right?
Robin Arnold [00:07:18] Yes, and our big popular time, I guess, to perform are the holidays and our big show where we draw the biggest crowd is Johnson City, the light spectacular, and we're dancing in front of the courthouse and because it starts to get dark, well, we took care of that. We have lights sewn to the sides of our jeans. As if we're not calling enough attention to ourselves.
Michael Lee [00:07:58] Tell me what it's like, what you're feeling when you're dancing with your fellow cloggers.
Robin Arnold [00:08:03] I mean, you're in the moment, and the world just kind of goes away for a little bit. And it's almost like a moving meditation. And afterwards you feel refreshed and ready to plod along in this world. So it's just a nice break from, and it is silly, you know, I mean it's a fun, a good, silly, you know, to be able to. Kick your legs and, you know, tap your feet and just go all out, I mean, how can that not be fun? Come on over here guys. Silly name ones, like high horse. Okay, yeah. And bow-wee-bow. Alright, let's do high horse! Okay, so high horse is done in a lot of chances, but here we go. Ready, go. One, two. What do we do? One, one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten.
Robin Arnold [00:09:08] I did grow up with tap and ballet and jazz, but this, you're just, you are in the moment and just smiling. You can't be in a bad mood and clog at the same time. And it's just a nice escape. The world just kind of goes away.
Michael Lee [00:09:50] You mentioned that when you moved, you had to leave the calico cloggers and then join the clickety cloggers.
Robin Arnold [00:09:55] Yes, right away, right way. I found them.
Michael Lee [00:09:57] Was that one of the first things you did when you came to Austin to look for a clogging room?
Robin Arnold [00:09:59] Yes, I did. And that was before internet days. So I found them through the dance umbrella. And I went one night, I'm like, yeah, okay, this is this is where I belong. And our club has grown and, you know, and shrunk over the years. And right now we're in our shrunk phase, we would love to have more members. And we're always offering lessons and yeah, we welcome, we welcome new cloggers.
Michael Lee [00:10:35] Is it difficult to get younger folks?
Robin Arnold [00:10:37] Yeah, you know, we're hoping for like a movie or something that just makes it. Well, just like when, when hunger games came out and all of a sudden archery became the thing we're.
Michael Lee [00:10:50] A movie where someone has to save the world by clogging? Boy that'd be great for you guys, right?
Robin Arnold [00:10:57] We'd love it! That'll draw him in!
Michael Lee [00:11:09] You've mentioned clogging on different surfaces, I'm curious what's the best surface to clog?
Robin Arnold [00:11:13] The best surface to clog the wooden floor. In fact, we used to lead a workshop in Luckenbach, the old Luckenbach Hall, and oh what a hearty fun sound that was. But they redid their floors and we are no longer allowed to clog there. A lot of dance studios have now switched over to a different type of dance floor where it's more linoleum. And although we still are able to make the tapping sounds, it's, I don't think they're as rich as a wooden floor.
Michael Lee [00:11:51] You mentioned Luckenbach not allowing you to clog on their floors. Is it because the metal plates on your shoes can damage the floors?
Robin Arnold [00:11:59] Yes. I think one year they let us put, you know, like what surgeons wear over their shoes to muffle and protect the floors, but yeah, we no longer use that site, but it was so wonderful. It's like, oh my gosh This thing was built what you know? 1830s? So I miss that.
Michael Lee [00:12:45] What do you wish people knew about blogging that they don't know?
Robin Arnold [00:12:46] It's actually easier than it looks. And if you take lessons, we start out slow. Like some of the steps are like a double step, rock step. Instead of doing the double step which takes a little practice, you can just do a step, rock step, step, block step. And I like to encourage people to put on thick socks and go onto a tiled surface. And just practice the double step that way. Plum, plum, plum plum, plum, plump, plumb, plup. And then, yeah, once they have it. And that is the basic step. All the other movements are based on that basic step.
Michael Lee [00:13:32] You've been both a student and a teacher of vlogging. Do you, as a teacher, have you seen students kind of have that moment that you had years ago where it feels like they're starting to get it and they're turning to love it?
Robin Arnold [00:13:43] Oh yeah, yeah, and they're like, whoa! I get it just all comes together like, yeah! This is it, this is it. And getting it quicker than they think they're gonna get it.
Michael Lee [00:13:53] Yeah. Is that a big surprise for people?
Robin Arnold [00:13:55] Um to some degree yeah especially because when you see it it just looks so hard and impossible but then when it's broken down into separate steps and you go oh okay it all clicks no no pun intended.
Ending theme
Michael Lee [00:14:23] Thanks for listening to This Is My Thing. I'm Michael Lee and I produce the show. Thanks this week to Tinu Thomas for recording some field audio, and special thanks of course to Robin Arnold for sharing her love of clogging with us. If you haven't done it already, you can see a video of Robin and the clickety cloggers in action at the This Is My Thing show page at kut.org. And just a reminder, if clogging looks and sounds fun to you, and you live in the greater Austin area, the clickity cloggers would Welcome new members. We've got more This Is My Thing coming soon. Right now, we're working on pieces about trail walking, trash collecting -- trash collecting as a public service, not as a collection of trash -- sim racing, and more. And we're always looking out for more fun stuff to talk about, so please keep listening. If you'd like to tell us about your thing and maybe be a part of a future episode of the show, that's easy. Just go to the This Is my Thing show page at kut.org. You'll find a form on that page so that you tell us about your thing. This is my thing is a listener supported production of KUT and KUTX studios in Austin, Texas, you can support our work by becoming a sustaining member at support this podcast.org
Laurie Gallardo [00:15:50] Support for This Is My Thing comes from Texas Orthopedics, specializing in comprehensive surgical and non-surgical orthopedic care.
