The Muddy River Cloggers wrapped up their dance season on Tuesday, May 19, with their annual “Evening of Clogging” recital held at the Old Overton Gym.

Each class performed a new dance, along with a repeat performance of a favorite routine previously showcased at the Clark County Fair. The top two classes, Intermediate 2 and Advanced, also performed “all-around solos” with competitive choreography, in which dancers are judged individually in four different styles of clogging.

Directed by Corinne Messer, the cloggers stayed busy throughout the year performing at community events, including the Pomegranate Festival, Veterans Day Parade, Festival of Trees and the Clark County Fair.

Intermediate 2 and Advanced also competed at the St. George Spectacular Dance Championships and qualified for the America On Stage Clog Nationals in May at Lagoon Amusement Park, where Intermediate 2 earned second place and Advanced earned first place in team competition.

“It is really fun to see the progress and improvement between each level at their performances,” said Messer. “It helps the younger classes see how good they can become if they continue to study clogging.”

First-year clogger Evelynn Starnes shared that she loved learning to clog and performing this year. Her favorite event was dancing in the Veterans Day Parade.

Scotlynn Lewis, who has been clogging for eight years, said one of her favorite things about clogging is that she has fun every single time she comes to class. She also loves attending the clogging competition at Lagoon, and this year marked her fifth time participating.

The evening concluded with special recognitions. Emily Casebolt and Allison Wickersham received awards for 100% attendance. Kara Villezcas, Cora Stratton and Allison Wickersham received clogging tap keychains in recognition of reaching their fifth year of clogging. All students received certificates of advancement and roses.

Messer also recognized graduating senior Madilyn Marshall. “Madilyn has been clogging with me since I started teaching again in 2017,” said Messer. “She is the kind of student every teacher hopes for — she comes ready to dance, works hard and always has a great attitude. I’m going to miss her, but I wish her the very best as she attends Southern Utah University this fall.”

Clogging is a fun, energetic dance style that uses special shoes with double taps to create rhythmic sounds and music with the dancers’ feet. While it has roots in Appalachian folk dance traditions, modern clogging is performed to many styles of music, from country and bluegrass to pop and rock. It combines rhythm, footwork and choreography to create a unique and exciting dance style.

Registration is now open for fall classes. Text Corinne Messer at 702-327-7493 for more information.