Clog dancing is traditionally from the north
west of Britain, most notably associated
with the 19th century Lancashire cotton mills.
Initially, the dancing was started simply to
alleviate boredom and warm up in the cold
industrial towns. It tended to be men that
would dance and, later, as its popularity
grew to its peak between 1880 and 1904,
they would compete professionally in music
halls. The money awarded to winners would
be a valuable source of income for the poor
working classes.

Women also participated, though, and later
their dancing, too, became popular in music
halls. They would also dress up colourfully
and dance in the villages, carrying sticks to
represent the bobbins in the cotton mills.
Dancing clogs, night/‘neet’ clogs, were made
from ash wood and were lighter than those
worn to work. They were also more ornate
and brightly coloured. Some performers would
even nail metal to the soles so that when the
shoes were struck, sparks would fly!

Cobbled Together is a small, friendly group
of clog dancers, and they rehearse during
the winter months on a Tuesday evening at
Cranford Village Hall.

The group learn new dances and develop
the ones they know. Then, from around April
time, they dance at outdoor venues such as
outside pubs, village fêtes, East Carlton Park,
at the Cross in Geddington and, annually, on
the front at Hunstanton. Sometimes, Cobbled
Together join up with other groups such as the
Braybrooke Morris Dancers for these events.

Clog dancing is a lot of fun, gives you some
exercise and leads to making new friends.
Cobbled Together is always welcoming new
members, so if you would like to give it a
try, please give Jane Tysoe a call for further
details on 07875 266 930. You don’t need to
have any clogs to have a go!

 
 The Joys of Clog Dancing