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!
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