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Welcome
Cloggers!
Cloggers!
Dorothy’s clogging career started when she was
five years old with the Little Switzerland Cloggers
in Bath County, Virginia performing at local
festivals and events. She has been with her Little
Switzerland Cloggers family ever since.
At 15 years old, she got her first taste of
competitive clogging in when Sherri West of the
Tennessee Hoedowners held a workshop to teach
the Little Switzerland Cloggers an Exhibition
routine to compete at the 1999 Spring Fling in
Pigeon Forge, TN. She was amazed by the groups and
individuals at the competition and knew that one
day she wanted to do that too.
In 2001, Dorothy met somebody who was a staple in
preparing her for her clogging future. Lisa Johnson,
a clogging instructor from Augusta County, found a
teaching position with the Little Switzerland
Cloggers. Lisa led the LSC to compete in 2001 at the
Virginia Clog Attack. The LSC, including Dorothy,
competed and won first place in the Line Dance and
Hoedown Category and took the title of Grand
Champion Novice Team.
Lisa brought another level of clogging to the LSC
and to Dorothy. Lisa and Dorothy became friends
but joke about how they butted heads in the
beginning. When Lisa made the hard decision to
leave LSC in 2003, Dorothy stepped up in her place
to lead her long time group.
By 2005, Dorothy had attended college and gotten
married. At that time, she was working at the Blue
Grass Valley Bank in her hometown of Monterey,
Virginia. She decided one day that the 9-5 schedule
of her present job just wasn’t going to do it for her.
five years old with the Little Switzerland Cloggers
in Bath County, Virginia performing at local
festivals and events. She has been with her Little
Switzerland Cloggers family ever since.
At 15 years old, she got her first taste of
competitive clogging in when Sherri West of the
Tennessee Hoedowners held a workshop to teach
the Little Switzerland Cloggers an Exhibition
routine to compete at the 1999 Spring Fling in
Pigeon Forge, TN. She was amazed by the groups and
individuals at the competition and knew that one
day she wanted to do that too.
In 2001, Dorothy met somebody who was a staple in
preparing her for her clogging future. Lisa Johnson,
a clogging instructor from Augusta County, found a
teaching position with the Little Switzerland
Cloggers. Lisa led the LSC to compete in 2001 at the
Virginia Clog Attack. The LSC, including Dorothy,
competed and won first place in the Line Dance and
Hoedown Category and took the title of Grand
Champion Novice Team.
Lisa brought another level of clogging to the LSC
and to Dorothy. Lisa and Dorothy became friends
but joke about how they butted heads in the
beginning. When Lisa made the hard decision to
leave LSC in 2003, Dorothy stepped up in her place
to lead her long time group.
By 2005, Dorothy had attended college and gotten
married. At that time, she was working at the Blue
Grass Valley Bank in her hometown of Monterey,
Virginia. She decided one day that the 9-5 schedule
of her present job just wasn’t going to do it for her.
| Dorothy Stephenson Instructor & Choreographer |
So in January 2006, Dorothy started making plans to open a studio. By April, she said good-
bye to her job at the bank and made plans to open the doors to The Sundance Studio in an
old barn. The space was perfect…. almost. The pros: a huge barn with plenty of room and an
old dance floor and studio mirrors donated by a friend. The cons: no bathroom, no running
water, thin walls, only a few electric heaters and a tiny wood stove in the corner to keep
warm. She worked through the summer to clean the years of dirt from the old barn. In
September 7, 2006, she held her first class at the studio. Two private lessons with two boys,
her newly found cousins, named Graham and Parke Kershner. A few weeks later she picked
up another student, Gussie Young. Combining these new students and long-time friend and
team member, Ashley Waggoner, the five new found friends pulled together to form
Sundance Express in October 2006 with Dorothy as the instructor and choreographer. The
team debuted with “Magic Carpet Ride” at the 2006 Radford University Clogging Showcase.
The team competes in the American Clogging Hall of Fame (ACHF) competitive circuit and
attended and placed at the 2007 ACHF World Championships in Maggie Valley, N.C. After
Maggie Valley, the group said good bye to original member Gussie Young as she left for
Colorado to attend college. In January 2008, Sundance Express welcomed new members
Becca Landrum, Emily Kimble, Ahna Colaw and Meyer Rexrode.
Dorothy is a regular instructor at the annual Radford University Clogging Workshop
held by Christina Hall. She has competed up and down the east coast earning honors in
Ohio, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. She was the 2007 Amatuer
Grand Champion Female at Dieter’s Beach Jam in Myrtle. Standing next to her with the Male
Grand Champion title was her student, Graham.
Dorothy will attend the ACHF judges training in June at the Stompin’ Grounds in
Maggie Valley. She is also the founder of VirginiaClog.com, a website devoted to spreading
the word of clogging and to bring Virginia cloggers together. Dorothy’s goal is to play a part
in promoting clogging in Virginia and to encourage other cloggers to continue to spur the
growth of clogging in Virginia.
Cloggers Take Charge is another goal of Dorothy’s. CTC is a group of clogging volunteers
that pull together to help others in time of tragedy and need. While the group is still a work
in progress she wants to get it off the ground in the future.
“I love clogging and I just hope that I can do as much for the dance as it has done for me.
I tell everyone that being a clogger means that you are part of a huge, caring and loving
family. Cloggers stick together and are there for each other no matter what. I love my
clogging family, I love my students and I thank God everyday that I am able to do what I am
doing and for the wonderful people I am blessed to know. My message to everyone: Follow
your dreams! They just might come true. Mine did!”
Dorothy now leads her two teams Sundance Express and the Little Switzerland Cloggers
and also competes with the Mountain Heritage Cloggers lead by her friend, Lisa Johnson.
She owns and operates The Sundance Studio in Monterey, Virginia where she teaches…. what
else…. clogging! She says that she would not be where she is today without her wonderful
family, her always supportive mother, Crystal, and her loving and supportive husband,
Robby.
bye to her job at the bank and made plans to open the doors to The Sundance Studio in an
old barn. The space was perfect…. almost. The pros: a huge barn with plenty of room and an
old dance floor and studio mirrors donated by a friend. The cons: no bathroom, no running
water, thin walls, only a few electric heaters and a tiny wood stove in the corner to keep
warm. She worked through the summer to clean the years of dirt from the old barn. In
September 7, 2006, she held her first class at the studio. Two private lessons with two boys,
her newly found cousins, named Graham and Parke Kershner. A few weeks later she picked
up another student, Gussie Young. Combining these new students and long-time friend and
team member, Ashley Waggoner, the five new found friends pulled together to form
Sundance Express in October 2006 with Dorothy as the instructor and choreographer. The
team debuted with “Magic Carpet Ride” at the 2006 Radford University Clogging Showcase.
The team competes in the American Clogging Hall of Fame (ACHF) competitive circuit and
attended and placed at the 2007 ACHF World Championships in Maggie Valley, N.C. After
Maggie Valley, the group said good bye to original member Gussie Young as she left for
Colorado to attend college. In January 2008, Sundance Express welcomed new members
Becca Landrum, Emily Kimble, Ahna Colaw and Meyer Rexrode.
Dorothy is a regular instructor at the annual Radford University Clogging Workshop
held by Christina Hall. She has competed up and down the east coast earning honors in
Ohio, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. She was the 2007 Amatuer
Grand Champion Female at Dieter’s Beach Jam in Myrtle. Standing next to her with the Male
Grand Champion title was her student, Graham.
Dorothy will attend the ACHF judges training in June at the Stompin’ Grounds in
Maggie Valley. She is also the founder of VirginiaClog.com, a website devoted to spreading
the word of clogging and to bring Virginia cloggers together. Dorothy’s goal is to play a part
in promoting clogging in Virginia and to encourage other cloggers to continue to spur the
growth of clogging in Virginia.
Cloggers Take Charge is another goal of Dorothy’s. CTC is a group of clogging volunteers
that pull together to help others in time of tragedy and need. While the group is still a work
in progress she wants to get it off the ground in the future.
“I love clogging and I just hope that I can do as much for the dance as it has done for me.
I tell everyone that being a clogger means that you are part of a huge, caring and loving
family. Cloggers stick together and are there for each other no matter what. I love my
clogging family, I love my students and I thank God everyday that I am able to do what I am
doing and for the wonderful people I am blessed to know. My message to everyone: Follow
your dreams! They just might come true. Mine did!”
Dorothy now leads her two teams Sundance Express and the Little Switzerland Cloggers
and also competes with the Mountain Heritage Cloggers lead by her friend, Lisa Johnson.
She owns and operates The Sundance Studio in Monterey, Virginia where she teaches…. what
else…. clogging! She says that she would not be where she is today without her wonderful
family, her always supportive mother, Crystal, and her loving and supportive husband,
Robby.