| November/December Feature Instructor: Anna Wells |
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Welcome
Cloggers!
Cloggers!
Anna Wells has been dancing nearly all of her life; however, her interest
and introduction to traditional mountain clogging began in 1976 - only
4 short years after she married. Anna grew up in an isolated region of
the Appalachian Mountains of Virginia, and it seemed there were always
musicians around. Her Father, Vilas Williams, played guitar, banjo and
harmonica and her Mother, Ella Carico Williams, played guitar. Anna, her
two sisters Charlotte and Wanda and the entire family sang in church.
Her Mother said that one of the main attractions she had for her Dad was
that he was a musician.
Anna’s musical interest likely began at an early age influenced by her
parents while she grew up at the “mouth of Thacker’s Branch” near
Norton, but her interest in learning to play a stringed instrument or clog
dance never surfaced until she and her husband, parents and some
neighbors attended a birthday party for Fred Peters in Josephine in 1977.
From this gathering stimulated weekly musical jam sessions held at a log
cabin, the second Country Cabin, owned and offered to use by Fred
located at the foot of Stone Mountain in Josephine (on the hill opposite
of Fred’s home). These meetings were stemmed from a curiosity for the
mountain heritage and created a desire to revive the music and dance of
this heritage. Other local musicians began to drift by on Saturday
evenings and a neighbor girlfriend (Nancy Kirk) and Anna began the
search to find someone who could teach them the traditional dances to
go with the music. They were successful in locating not one, but two
girls, (sisters Jenny Hill and Sandra Hensley, daughters of local
musician J.T. Greear) who had clog and folk dance training at the Berea
Christmas School of Dance, Berea, Ky. And also with John McCutcheon at
Clinch Valley College in Wise, Va. The sisters came to the cabin and
taught clog and square dancing to individuals there. Jenny and Sandra
taught them mountain style square dancing and the basic clog steps at
the second Country Cabin known as the Stone Mountain Community
Center. From these lessons, a traditional Appalachian dancer and
educator was born.
Anna and Nancy soon learned of a clog workshop in Fontana Village, NC
over Easter weekend which they attended with their husbands. That was
the spark that inspired them to take their training to the public.
Anna’s personal travels has allowed her to take her zeal for her mountain
dance to other nations (France, Mexico, Hawaii, Portugal, Spain, Austria,
etc.) This has proven to be a very exciting and educational experience as
she has been able to share and swap dances. The trip to Hawaii’s
Polynesian Culture Center in 1980 was a real treat as she and her
husband Spencer visited a native musician who was playing the ukulele
in a catchy, rhythmic beat and she found her feet moving to the beat. A
very broad smile erupted across the musician’s face and tourists were
watching in amazement. One gentleman in the crowd whispered to his
wife, “I think she’s square dancing.” Of course, she had to set them
straight on what it was she was actually doing. They then proceeded to
the Tahitian Village where some of us participated in lessons to do the
dance of the “otea” (hula dance of Tahiti). This was a very enlightening
training experience.
Anna is the founder and director of a group of cloggers, the Virginia
Sugarcane Cloggers of Norton, Va. who performs all over southwestern
Virginia, eastern Kentucky, Tennessee and North Carolina. They have
served as ambassadors of Appalachian dance and culture in their
travels. She founded the team in 1977 as a duet with Nancy Kirk at what
is now known as the (first - built in 1939, then revived in 1979), Country
Cabin. She also formed and directed a country line dance group, the
Raisin’ Cane Country Dancers from 1992 to 1994 from classes she taught
at the Holiday Inn in Norton. They enjoyed several local performances
and sometimes in conjunction with her clog team.
and introduction to traditional mountain clogging began in 1976 - only
4 short years after she married. Anna grew up in an isolated region of
the Appalachian Mountains of Virginia, and it seemed there were always
musicians around. Her Father, Vilas Williams, played guitar, banjo and
harmonica and her Mother, Ella Carico Williams, played guitar. Anna, her
two sisters Charlotte and Wanda and the entire family sang in church.
Her Mother said that one of the main attractions she had for her Dad was
that he was a musician.
Anna’s musical interest likely began at an early age influenced by her
parents while she grew up at the “mouth of Thacker’s Branch” near
Norton, but her interest in learning to play a stringed instrument or clog
dance never surfaced until she and her husband, parents and some
neighbors attended a birthday party for Fred Peters in Josephine in 1977.
From this gathering stimulated weekly musical jam sessions held at a log
cabin, the second Country Cabin, owned and offered to use by Fred
located at the foot of Stone Mountain in Josephine (on the hill opposite
of Fred’s home). These meetings were stemmed from a curiosity for the
mountain heritage and created a desire to revive the music and dance of
this heritage. Other local musicians began to drift by on Saturday
evenings and a neighbor girlfriend (Nancy Kirk) and Anna began the
search to find someone who could teach them the traditional dances to
go with the music. They were successful in locating not one, but two
girls, (sisters Jenny Hill and Sandra Hensley, daughters of local
musician J.T. Greear) who had clog and folk dance training at the Berea
Christmas School of Dance, Berea, Ky. And also with John McCutcheon at
Clinch Valley College in Wise, Va. The sisters came to the cabin and
taught clog and square dancing to individuals there. Jenny and Sandra
taught them mountain style square dancing and the basic clog steps at
the second Country Cabin known as the Stone Mountain Community
Center. From these lessons, a traditional Appalachian dancer and
educator was born.
Anna and Nancy soon learned of a clog workshop in Fontana Village, NC
over Easter weekend which they attended with their husbands. That was
the spark that inspired them to take their training to the public.
Anna’s personal travels has allowed her to take her zeal for her mountain
dance to other nations (France, Mexico, Hawaii, Portugal, Spain, Austria,
etc.) This has proven to be a very exciting and educational experience as
she has been able to share and swap dances. The trip to Hawaii’s
Polynesian Culture Center in 1980 was a real treat as she and her
husband Spencer visited a native musician who was playing the ukulele
in a catchy, rhythmic beat and she found her feet moving to the beat. A
very broad smile erupted across the musician’s face and tourists were
watching in amazement. One gentleman in the crowd whispered to his
wife, “I think she’s square dancing.” Of course, she had to set them
straight on what it was she was actually doing. They then proceeded to
the Tahitian Village where some of us participated in lessons to do the
dance of the “otea” (hula dance of Tahiti). This was a very enlightening
training experience.
Anna is the founder and director of a group of cloggers, the Virginia
Sugarcane Cloggers of Norton, Va. who performs all over southwestern
Virginia, eastern Kentucky, Tennessee and North Carolina. They have
served as ambassadors of Appalachian dance and culture in their
travels. She founded the team in 1977 as a duet with Nancy Kirk at what
is now known as the (first - built in 1939, then revived in 1979), Country
Cabin. She also formed and directed a country line dance group, the
Raisin’ Cane Country Dancers from 1992 to 1994 from classes she taught
at the Holiday Inn in Norton. They enjoyed several local performances
and sometimes in conjunction with her clog team.
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