Clogging is a type of dance that claims many origins.
It continues to be an opportunity for the Clogging team to sport leather-soled, metal-tapped shoes and combine its solo clogging footwork to entertain students and the community.
Eight members of the clogging team performed Tuesday in the Brickyard for a crowd of almost 100. The team performed for 20 minutes as a part of the annual Agricultural Awareness Week.
“I thought it was wonderful, they’re obviously in pretty good shape,” said John Dailey of campus police.
Dailey said he saw the team perform at the State Fair several years ago.
The team has developed a following among students and members of the community.
Brandon McLamb, a junior in industrial engineering, said he knows students who were on the team before they graduated, and he tries to see the team perform at least once a year.
“You gotta respect these people who spend the time to do work on this stuff,” he said. “They’re really talented people.”
Most members of the team have been involved with some sort of dance for several years.
“I’ve been clogging since I was young,” Craig said. “It’s fun, it’s something to do, and it’s very positive.”
The team was founded in 1989 and since then has participated in over 250 state, national and international performances.
Its primary focus is to promote and preserve folk art and the tradition of clogging.
The cloggers said Tuesday’s performance was a success.
“We did great, we had a lot of fun and we had a good crowd,” Meredith Craig, freshman in communication and a member of the team, said.
Team member Charlie Lester, a junior in sports management, said normal performances can last up to 45 minutes.
“It went really well. It was one of our short performances, we kept it short and simple,” Lester said.
The team clogged to several different styles of music, ranging from country-style western to rock, which fans believe adds a unique aspect to the University.
“There are probably not a lot of schools you can go to that have a clogging team, so it’s pretty unique,” Dailey said.
The performance took place in front of the tent that held information about different organizations on campus and attracted students as well as members of the community.
“It’s really well done, really in sync,” Adam McLaughlin, sohpomore in electrical engineering, said of the performance. “I’m skipping class for it.”
The University offers a beginning clogging class as an elective physical education class (PE 233).