Using terms like rocking chair, Charleston and standing in windows, Kathy Fidler leads three beginners towards their first performance. Like other groups, the Hoot 'N Holler Cloggers practice their art at Riordan Hall and then take it on the road.
"The care facilities love us," Fidler said. The cloggers average about one performance a month at facilities all over northwest Arkansas. Often their performances are tied to a holiday, like the Valentine's inspired dances they'll bring to Innisfree in Rogers this month. Other times, they just dance.
"It's more fun than working out at a gym," Peggy Wooden said.
With the steps written out, the beginners can be ready to perform in only a few weeks, Fidler said. She usually has several newcomers in the fall and then again at the first of the year. They have a few lessons by themselves and she gradually adds more experienced dancers to the mix. They have class at 3:30 p.m. Tuesdays at Riordan and practice on Mondays at 3 p.m.
Clogging, Fidler explained, is a form of American folk dancing. Cloggers wear shoes with metal taps on them, like tap dancers, but the style of dance comes from Appalachia.
That's one reason why Kris Blackwell joined the group.
"After all, we're in the Ozarks," she said.
"Clogging is a little looser than tap. It came out of the hills," Fidler said. She also dances with the Sophisticated Ladies, a local tap dancing group.
Fidler took over leadership of the Hoot 'N Holler Cloggers in the early 90s, not long after she joined. The previous leader was moving and he suggested her as a replacement.
"Not because of my great dancing skills," she explained.
Fidler didn't have a background in dance when she moved to Bella Vista, but she did have a background in music and that helps with the choreography. She believes her predecessor in the Clogging Club was more impressed by her organizational skills than her dance skills.
Cloggers, she said, are always willing to share, so members who travel often bring back ideas, even entire dances, from other groups.
There are about 15 members of the club, but they don't all make every performance. They don't spend much money on costumes like other dance groups. For the cloggers, a red shirt with their logo and a pair of black slacks are enough.
To find out more about Hoot 'N Holler Cloggers, call Fidler at 479-855-4728.
Community on 02/11/2015