Learn clog dancing
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English clog dancing grew up in the Lancashire cotton mills and among the miners of Northumbria and Durham, with wooden-soled clogs beating out the rhythm. America has its own percussive tradition in Appalachian clogging, and beginners' classes on both sides of the Atlantic will start you in borrowed clogs or hard-soled shoes.
ModerateUnder £100 / $130MonthsIndoorsWith othersUK and US
Mill floors and mountain dances
Historic UK ties English clog dancing most closely to the 19th-century Lancashire cotton mills; Colne is where the term heel and toe was first used. Lancashire dancers used more toe, Durham dancers more heel. Dancing clogs were made of ash and were lighter than the alder-soled work clogs.
You can see clog dancing at folk festivals such as Whitby, and Skipton in North Yorkshire holds a festival of English step dance every July. Clubs such as Plymouth Clog dance traditional northwest clog dances to a live folk band.
Appalachian clogging, one US class says, stems from European, African and Indigenous influences. Beginners start with the basic shuffle step; one US class teaches eight basic steps in six weeks.
What beginners pay
| Where | Format | Cost (as last listed) |
|---|---|---|
| Plymouth Clog, Plymouth | Thursday practices from mid-September to early May; northwest clog dances and step-clogging | Free tasters, then about £30 a year |
| Broadstairs Folk Week, Kent | 90-minute Northern Clog Workshop in the Lancashire style; clogs provided (August 2025 festival) | £10 |
| Eclectic Cloggers, Seattle | Five Tuesday evenings of Appalachian-style clogging (August to September 2026 series) | $40 suggested donation |
| White Bear Center for the Arts, Minnesota (at 4th Street Dance Centre, tutor Pam Heaton) | Six Friday classes, Beginner Percussive Clogging for Adults (autumn 2026 term, now finished) | $70.80 members; $88.60 non-members |
Ann Arbor's 13-class beginners' course asks for tap shoes or leather-soled shoes; the Seattle class recommends hard soles and does not allow tap shoes in the hall.
How to start
- In the UK, use the Morris Federation's Teamfinder to find a team (a side) near you (search by dance style and look for teams that dance clog), and ask about taster sessions.
- In the US, look for a beginners' Appalachian clogging series at a community arts centre or a school district's adult-education programme.
- Wear hard-soled shoes to the first class and ask before buying clogs or taps; some halls do not allow tap shoes.
Where to go
- Morris Federation: Teamfinder UK
- Plymouth Clog: clog dancers (Just Plymouth listing) UK
- Eclectic Cloggers: Beginner Appalachian-Style Clogging Class (Seattle) US
- Ann Arbor Public Schools: Appalachian Clogging for Beginners (Michigan) US
We opened these links on 14 November 2026 and found them to be what we say. Dates, places and prices are on the official page, where they stay up to date.
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Pick a day, or a month, and we will set out how to get ready, step by step, with a date and a reason for each. Courses and classes have start dates and can fill up, so the plan begins with finding and booking one. Kit comes after the first session, once you know what you need.
Questions people ask
Do I need clogs to start clog dancing?
Not usually. Broadstairs Folk Week's beginners' workshop provided clogs, and US Appalachian classes ask for hard-soled or leather-soled shoes.
What is the difference between clog dancing and Appalachian clogging?
English clog dancing is danced in wooden-soled clogs and grew up in the northern mill and mining towns. Appalachian clogging is an American percussive dance, taught in hard-soled shoes or taps.
Is clog dancing related to tap dancing?
Historic UK describes tap, which developed in America at the end of the 19th century, as a mixture of clog, Irish step and African dance. It largely replaced clog in the music halls.
How much do clog dancing classes cost?
Plymouth Clog listed free tasters and then about £30 a year. In Seattle, Eclectic Cloggers asked a $40 suggested donation for five weeks.
Where this comes from: Historic UK, Clog Dancing: From Northern English Mills to Music Halls; Morris Federation, Teamfinder; Just Plymouth, Plymouth Clog (Clog Dancers); Are You Dancing?, Northern Clog Workshop (Broadstairs Folk Week); PhinneyWood, Beginner Appalachian-Style Clogging Class; Ann Arbor Public Schools, Appalachian Clogging for Beginners; Beginner Percussive Clogging for Adults (73386). Opened 14 November 2026.
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