History of Step Dancing

Appalachian clog has been danced for hundreds of years, slowly evolving into the style you see demonstrated today. Its roots can partly be traced back to the mill towns of England, where workers would challenge each other to technical displays of clogging on the cobbled streets during their lunch breaks.

Images like this from all over the British Isles were a common sight and when immigrants left this country to begin new lives in America, they took with them their local steps and music.

At the foot of the Appalachian Mountains their traditions continued. Passed down from generation to generation, mixing on the way with native American ceremonial dances, African rhythms, and other European influences, the dancing began to take on a form all of its own. This style of dance is performed today under the wide canopy of 'Flat Footing' or 'Buck Dancing'.

Until 1920 this style of dance was dominated by men who would perform individually, tapping out rhythms to compliment the music of the Appalachian Mountains, much like the men of the mill towns in the North of England back in the 1890's.

In the late 1930's Appalachian dance took a huge step forward when Sam Queen and his Soco Gap Dancers introduced a team approach to their performances. Influenced originally by the American square dances, it evolved into the style you see today.