The Muddy River Cloggers held an “Evening of Clogging” in the Old Overton Gym, May 19.

Clogging is a percussive dance “melting pot,” a mixture of tap and Irish step dancing. It originated in the southern Appalachian Mountains and was originally danced to fiddle music. There are subtle differences between clogging and tap dancing. Clogging shoes tend to be white, while tap shoes are usually black. Clogging shoes have double taps on the bottom, creating a louder sound than tap. Clogging also has a drag step as part of its basic steps, and cloggers tend to lift their knees higher than traditional tap dancers.

There were five levels of experience represented in the evening’s performances:

Level 1 – Harper Davis, Lacey Leavitt, Evie Leavitt and Sophie Robison

Level 2 – Bennett Brandon, Emily Casebolt, Shay Comeau, Camrie Davies and Taicligh Halstead

Level 4 – Lilly Leavitt, Cora Stratton and Kara Villezcas

Level 5 – Allison Wickersham and Cameron Woodrow

Level 8 – Alyiah Brandon, Faith Kelly, Hailey Kelly, Scottie Lewis and Madilyn Marshall

Each level’s team performed two different numbers, with levels four, five and eight also performing all-around solos.

Director Corinne Messer has taught all levels of clogging for 23 years in Moapa Valley. She attended BYU as a dance major and fell in love with the dance style there. Under her direction, her students perform at community events throughout the year including the Pomegranate Festival, Festival of Trees and Clark County Fair. They also have danced at the senior assisted living facility in Mesquite and hold local winter and end-of-year recitals. In March, three teams traveled to a clogging competition in St. George, Utah, where their performance qualified them to compete at the Western Nationals at the Lagoon Amusement Park in Farmington, UT. They very recently returned from that competition with a total of 25 first-place awards and 10 second place awards.

The evening wrapped up with the presentation of awards, including trophies, candy bars and certificates, to each clogger. Special recognition was given to senior Faith Kelly. She has been a student since 2017 and, according to Messer, “stood out from the very beginning. She was a spunky fourth grader who was good-natured, kind, cheerful and always willing to work hard. As she heads off to her next big adventure, my heart is full of excitement for her. Maybe she’ll get to share her clogging talents wherever she goes.”

Messer expressed special thanks to everyone who helped make this year run smoothly and said, “I appreciate every kind act of service.”