Clogging Creates Lifelong Friendships in Two's

In the words of Kylie Arbogast: "There's twos of the them!"

During the summer of 2003, I danced with the Little Switzerland Cloggers at the Monterey Lions Club Street Dance. Little did I know that during that performance, I would dance with two little five-year-olds that would later become a vital part of my team as well as my dreams.

Chelsey Isles and Emily Kimble are two of my senior dancers with Sundance Express and the Little Switzerland Cloggers. They were those little five-year-old's at the 2003 Street Dance. See them in the picture below? They have their backs to the camera. Emily is wearing the purple shirt and Chelsey has on the red dress. My mouth dropped when I dusted the cobwebs off this picture and figured out who those little girls were. And, yup, that big, goofy-looking, beanpole in the middle of everything leading the "Cinnamon Twist" is me.... *sigh*.
I've noticed over the years that Clogging not only builds friendships, but it seems to build them in "two's." Chelsey and Emily are one of those pairs. I recall several two's in the Little Switzerland Cloggers over the years: Shelly Roberts and Chrissy Cauley, Candace Hammer and Lori Siron, Tiffany Hotz and myself (aka: Tata and Dada courtesy of my niece, Rebecca), Sarah Bradley and Cindy Hull, Ashley Waggoner (now Arbogast) and Amber Botkin, Mary Kate Cobb and Kayla Simmons, and so many more. In addition to Emily and Chelsey, LSC also has another "two" - Sydney Armstrong and Katelyn Hise.

Last Saturday, the Little Switzerland Cloggers performed at Douthat State Park in Bath County, Virginia. After the show, we all witnessed the next "two" - Heidi Grimes and Kylie Arbogast, daughters of two of our current dancers.






Left: Emily and Chelsey "all growed up" dancing together with their Contemporary Duo "Monster"

Below: Heidi Grimes and Kylie Arbogast at Douthat State Park.

Could these two be the next Emily and Chelsey? Only time will tell. :-)

$1,400 Raised Through Stompin' Out Cancer

It rained on our parade again.... but that wasn't going to stop us this time! Nope! Through the rain, wind, thunder, and lightening we pushed through and held Stompin' Out Cancer last Saturday, July 31 at the Highland County Fair Grounds. We moved the auction, Clogging performance, and food inside. After the auction was over, the rain decided to hold of a little bit, so the Monterey Lions Club started calling Bingo under the pavilion.

At the end of the night, we began to get ready for the Luminaria ceremony to honor survivors and victims. Our plan was to place the bags around the horse show ring and walk a "remembrance" lap in honor of these brave individuals. Well, the rain must have foreseen our plans. Just as we were about to place the bags, there came a down pour. Did it stop us? Nope! We sat the Luminarias on the picnic tables under the pavilion and went right along with the ceremony.

As I walked around looking at all the softly lit bags, I saw the one that I had placed. "In Memory of my aunt: Doris Tucci." My aunt Doris was a strong woman who lost her battle to pancreatic cancer a few years ago. I really don't think there is a day that goes by that I don't think about her. A flower in the yard, a cloud in the sky, a song on the radio - it always triggers a memory of her. She is the reason Stompin' Out Cancer started four years ago and why it continues today.

Thank you to all the wonderful people who contributed to Stompin' Out Cancer this year. $1,400 is the most we have raised so far! I look forward to an even bigger event next year!

A Great Day with Clogging Family and Friends

On Saturday, July 24, my dancers and I traveled to the Orange Clogging Competition in Orange, Virginia, to spend time with our Clogging family and to show off some of our routines.

Junior and Adult members of the Little Switzerland Cloggers joined veteran members of Sundance Express to try their feet at competing. The day was a success and there may be some new members of Sundance Express in the making!

Here are the results: 11 first place team trophies, 1 second place team trophy, 1 third place team trophy. Sydney Armstrong and Katelyn Hise placed second with their Contemporary Duo. Chelsey Isles and Emily Kimble placed first with their Contemporary Duo. Megan Bowers placed first with her Choreographed Solo. Chelsey Isles placed first with her Freestyle Solo and second with her Acapella Solo. Emily Kimble placed second with her Freestyle Solo and third with her Acapella Solo. Becca Landrum placed second with her Freestyle Solo. And, I placed first with my Freestyle Solo.

Congrats to the Mountain Heritage Cloggers for earning the title of Overall Team!!! Also, a big congrats to Megan Argenbright of Mountain Heritage for earning Overall Female!!