| March/April 2009 Feature Team: Calico Cloggers |
The Calico Cloggers are a group of Northern Virginia dancers from the
suburbs of Washington, DC. The group was originally formed in 2003
under the direction of Tristy Ridder and Diane Trabucco. The group
quickly grew, and directorship passed to Kathy Moore in 2005. The
group exists to preserve traditional styles of clogging, while embracing
new percussive dance styles, all the while having fun and entertaining
audiences throughout the area.
Members of the Calico Cloggers have widely varying musical tastes and
dance backgrounds. This variety is represented in the songs they like
to dance to, and the dance styles they enjoying performing. Though the
group mainly performs clogging, members have taken classes in tap
dance, Irish step dance, old style Irish tap dance (Sean Nos),
flatfooting, Scottish Highland, Cape Breton, swing, ceili, square dance,
ballroom, belly dance and hip hop. The group has incorporated many of
these dance styles into their repertoire. This variety includes old style
figure dances done to Appalachian music, Celtic set dances performed
to traditional Celtic music, line dances using modern clogging steps
and current bluegrass or pop music, Western square dance figures,
traditional duets, clogging/swing dance duets, Irish and Canadian step
dances, and even hip hop routines.
Most of the choreography is written by Kathy Moore and John
Faulkner. Kathy comes from a clogging background, having learned
from Tandy Barrett in Atlanta Georgia in 1985. While in Atlanta she
danced with the Chantilly Lace Cloggers. After moving to Fairfax, VA,
she danced with the Bull Run Cloggers for 5 years, then the Happy Feet
Cloggers for 4 years before joining Calico. She enjoys choreographing
modern clogging such as line dances that include hip hop moves,
clogging swing dances, and figure dances that incorporate square
dancing. Kathy teaches at clogging workshops from New York to North
Carolina, and she also teaches beginning and intermediate clogging
classes at Providence Recreation Center, run by the Fairfax County
Park Authority. Two cloggers from her classes recently joined the
group, making them the first dancers to join who were not previously
in a clogging group.. Kathy's personal website is www.kamclogger.org.
John Faulkner danced with the Cranberry Cloggers in the early 1990s,
then moved on as one of the founding members of the Patchwork
Dancers in 1997. He is an avid Ceili and Sean Nos dancer. He enjoys
choreographing routines that include social dance figures from
Ireland, Scotland, and Appalachia.
Currently, the Calico Cloggers rotate practices between member's
homes in Fairfax, Arlington, and Alexandria, VA, though they are on the
lookout for easily accessible public space centrally located to the
members. The group performs at festivals and retirement centers in
the Northern Virginia area. They tailor their shows to fit the event
theme, which can include Irish, bluegrass/country, youth or
family-oriented, or senior-oriented.
suburbs of Washington, DC. The group was originally formed in 2003
under the direction of Tristy Ridder and Diane Trabucco. The group
quickly grew, and directorship passed to Kathy Moore in 2005. The
group exists to preserve traditional styles of clogging, while embracing
new percussive dance styles, all the while having fun and entertaining
audiences throughout the area.
Members of the Calico Cloggers have widely varying musical tastes and
dance backgrounds. This variety is represented in the songs they like
to dance to, and the dance styles they enjoying performing. Though the
group mainly performs clogging, members have taken classes in tap
dance, Irish step dance, old style Irish tap dance (Sean Nos),
flatfooting, Scottish Highland, Cape Breton, swing, ceili, square dance,
ballroom, belly dance and hip hop. The group has incorporated many of
these dance styles into their repertoire. This variety includes old style
figure dances done to Appalachian music, Celtic set dances performed
to traditional Celtic music, line dances using modern clogging steps
and current bluegrass or pop music, Western square dance figures,
traditional duets, clogging/swing dance duets, Irish and Canadian step
dances, and even hip hop routines.
Most of the choreography is written by Kathy Moore and John
Faulkner. Kathy comes from a clogging background, having learned
from Tandy Barrett in Atlanta Georgia in 1985. While in Atlanta she
danced with the Chantilly Lace Cloggers. After moving to Fairfax, VA,
she danced with the Bull Run Cloggers for 5 years, then the Happy Feet
Cloggers for 4 years before joining Calico. She enjoys choreographing
modern clogging such as line dances that include hip hop moves,
clogging swing dances, and figure dances that incorporate square
dancing. Kathy teaches at clogging workshops from New York to North
Carolina, and she also teaches beginning and intermediate clogging
classes at Providence Recreation Center, run by the Fairfax County
Park Authority. Two cloggers from her classes recently joined the
group, making them the first dancers to join who were not previously
in a clogging group.. Kathy's personal website is www.kamclogger.org.
John Faulkner danced with the Cranberry Cloggers in the early 1990s,
then moved on as one of the founding members of the Patchwork
Dancers in 1997. He is an avid Ceili and Sean Nos dancer. He enjoys
choreographing routines that include social dance figures from
Ireland, Scotland, and Appalachia.
Currently, the Calico Cloggers rotate practices between member's
homes in Fairfax, Arlington, and Alexandria, VA, though they are on the
lookout for easily accessible public space centrally located to the
members. The group performs at festivals and retirement centers in
the Northern Virginia area. They tailor their shows to fit the event
theme, which can include Irish, bluegrass/country, youth or
family-oriented, or senior-oriented.
 | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  |
| Kathy Moore Director/Choreographer |
Welcom
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Clogger
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Clogger
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| Visit their website! www.CalicoCloggers.org |
| John Faulkner Choreographer |
| Kathy Moore Calico Director and Choreographer |
I fell into clogging quite by accident. I grew up in
Kentucky, a hotbed of clogging, but I had never
heard of it before. Nor had I heard of Irish step
dancing, Canadian step dancing, highland dancing,
or any of that good stuff. I learned Western Square
Dancing while in high school, but that was the
extent of my dance experience, although I thought
tap dancing (that I'd seen only on TV) was intriguing.
I took ballet in college, and mentioned to my ballet
teacher (who was also the tap teacher) that I wanted
to take the tap dance class, but I never could
because it was the same time as band. She told me I
should consider clogging (which I had still never
heard of), and she showed me the Basic step. I don't
think I really got it at the time, but several years
later when I was living in Atlanta, a co-worker told
me about a place that was offering beginning
clogging lessons, and since I had heard of it, I
checked it out.
Thus it came to be that I learned how to clog from
Tandy Barrett at Lawson's Clogging Studio way back
in 1985. After beginner lessons, I attended the
weekly intermediate class for several years. I joined
Kentucky, a hotbed of clogging, but I had never
heard of it before. Nor had I heard of Irish step
dancing, Canadian step dancing, highland dancing,
or any of that good stuff. I learned Western Square
Dancing while in high school, but that was the
extent of my dance experience, although I thought
tap dancing (that I'd seen only on TV) was intriguing.
I took ballet in college, and mentioned to my ballet
teacher (who was also the tap teacher) that I wanted
to take the tap dance class, but I never could
because it was the same time as band. She told me I
should consider clogging (which I had still never
heard of), and she showed me the Basic step. I don't
think I really got it at the time, but several years
later when I was living in Atlanta, a co-worker told
me about a place that was offering beginning
clogging lessons, and since I had heard of it, I
checked it out.
Thus it came to be that I learned how to clog from
Tandy Barrett at Lawson's Clogging Studio way back
in 1985. After beginner lessons, I attended the
weekly intermediate class for several years. I joined
the Chantilly Lace Cloggers, a 6-woman team that wore tiny little dresses with petticoats
and dyed shoes, and performed locally. I went to a local workshop in the North Georgia
mountains and had a blast. I was pretty much hooked at this point. I attended the 3rd
annual National Clogging Convention put on by C.L.O.G (then it stood for Clogging Leaders
of Georgia) in 1986 in Chattanooga, TN. I went by myself because nobody else would go.
In 1988 I moved to Clemson, South Carolina. I was still very clueless and had no idea that
there was clogging going on 10 miles away where Bill and Simone Nicols lived. I did no
clogging during the 4 years I lived there, other than attending the CLOG convention in 1988
in Charlotte, NC. I really got into softball and running for a while, including a few
marathons, then had a baby in 1990.
In 1992 I moved to Fairfax, Virginia, a suburb of Washington, DC. After a while I started
getting interested in clogging again. I attended a workshop in Durham, NC, and from
information obtained there, I started contacting people, inquiring about clogging in Virgina.
Finally I found a group - the Bull Run Cloggers, based in Manassas, VA. I joined that group,
and instantly had clogging buddies willing to travel to workshops! We went to the National
Convention in Nashville in 1996 and 1997, then to Atlanta in 1998. My daughter joined in
1997 at age 7, and we had some good times travelling and performing together. In 1999, the
group travelled to Orlando to perform at Disney World, and on a Carnaval cruise ship.
After dancing with the Bull Run Cloggers for 5 years, I joined a new group in Fairfax, the
Happy Feet Cloggers. Happy Feet has a different costume for every single dance. My closet
got very full. I danced with Happy Feet for 4 years and choreographed a lot of their routines.
In 2002, I took a look at the Certified Clogging Instructor program offered through CLOG,
Inc. I decided it was something I would like to do, so I signed up and travelled to Ashville,
NC to take the mandatory classes. I took 2 years to complete my points, then tested out at
the 2004 National Clogging Convention in Washington, DC.
In 2005 I become the director of the Calico Cloggers, also in Fairfax. The Calico Cloggers is a
fun group formed by current and former members of other clogging groups in the area: Bull
Run, Happy Feet, Lucky Stars, Old Dominion, and Patchwork Dancers.
and dyed shoes, and performed locally. I went to a local workshop in the North Georgia
mountains and had a blast. I was pretty much hooked at this point. I attended the 3rd
annual National Clogging Convention put on by C.L.O.G (then it stood for Clogging Leaders
of Georgia) in 1986 in Chattanooga, TN. I went by myself because nobody else would go.
In 1988 I moved to Clemson, South Carolina. I was still very clueless and had no idea that
there was clogging going on 10 miles away where Bill and Simone Nicols lived. I did no
clogging during the 4 years I lived there, other than attending the CLOG convention in 1988
in Charlotte, NC. I really got into softball and running for a while, including a few
marathons, then had a baby in 1990.
In 1992 I moved to Fairfax, Virginia, a suburb of Washington, DC. After a while I started
getting interested in clogging again. I attended a workshop in Durham, NC, and from
information obtained there, I started contacting people, inquiring about clogging in Virgina.
Finally I found a group - the Bull Run Cloggers, based in Manassas, VA. I joined that group,
and instantly had clogging buddies willing to travel to workshops! We went to the National
Convention in Nashville in 1996 and 1997, then to Atlanta in 1998. My daughter joined in
1997 at age 7, and we had some good times travelling and performing together. In 1999, the
group travelled to Orlando to perform at Disney World, and on a Carnaval cruise ship.
After dancing with the Bull Run Cloggers for 5 years, I joined a new group in Fairfax, the
Happy Feet Cloggers. Happy Feet has a different costume for every single dance. My closet
got very full. I danced with Happy Feet for 4 years and choreographed a lot of their routines.
In 2002, I took a look at the Certified Clogging Instructor program offered through CLOG,
Inc. I decided it was something I would like to do, so I signed up and travelled to Ashville,
NC to take the mandatory classes. I took 2 years to complete my points, then tested out at
the 2004 National Clogging Convention in Washington, DC.
In 2005 I become the director of the Calico Cloggers, also in Fairfax. The Calico Cloggers is a
fun group formed by current and former members of other clogging groups in the area: Bull
Run, Happy Feet, Lucky Stars, Old Dominion, and Patchwork Dancers.
| John Faulkner Calico Choreographer |
John Faulkner danced with the Cranberry Cloggers in
the early 1990s, then moved on as one of the founding
members of the Patchwork Dancers in 1997. He is an
avid Ceili and Sean Nos dancer. He enjoys
choreographing routines that include social dance
figures from Ireland, Scotland, and Appalachia. He
currently assists Calico Instructor, Kathy Moore, with
choreography for the group.
the early 1990s, then moved on as one of the founding
members of the Patchwork Dancers in 1997. He is an
avid Ceili and Sean Nos dancer. He enjoys
choreographing routines that include social dance
figures from Ireland, Scotland, and Appalachia. He
currently assists Calico Instructor, Kathy Moore, with
choreography for the group.
