Moapa Valley’s Muddy River Cloggers recently showcased their talent at St. George, Utah’s Dixie Spectacular Dance Championships. The competition, held over two days on March 22-23 at the Dixie Convention Center, saw the participation of three advanced classes under the guidance of instructor Corinne Messer.
Judged on team dances, the classes were assessed on technical skills, difficulty standards, showmanship, and choreography, resulting in two first-place awards and one second-place.
Additionally, each clogger presented two 32-count “All Around Solos” highlighting categories such as percussion, show, traditional, and line, with Muddy River Cloggers securing an impressive 20 firsts and 4 seconds.
In May, those who won first place will compete at Western Clog Nationals at Lagoon Amusement Park in Farmington, Utah.
Clogging is known for its intricate footwork. An American-born style of dance it brings a blending of the traditional dance of several cultures. Originally danced to traditional country music, clogging is performed today to all genres of music.
Many of the Muddy River Cloggers team members have competed for several years. But for one class, it was their first competition.
“I loved everything about it, like watching all of the performances so that I can get better!” said Cameron Woodrow of his first time in competition.
Woodrow said he loves performing and knows that it’s important to practice. “Practice makes perfect!” he said.
Megan Matheson has been competing for three years. “My favorite part about clogging competition is going to Lagoon with my fellow cloggers,” she said. “We get to ride on the rides when we are not competing, which I love!”
Matheson says competing doesn’t make her nervous at all.
Messer said that experiences like the Dixie Spectacular are good for her students. “Traveling to new places and seeing different clog styles and dances is a fun way for our cloggers to learn and grow as performers,” Messer said.
Good luck at Western Clog Nationals in May, Muddy River Cloggers!
