Clog Dancing is a form of Morris Dancing and originated in the mill towns of the North West of England, especially Lancashire and Cheshire where clogs were worn in the cotton mills. Girls standing to do their work at the looms would sing choruses and do stepping to lighten the monotony. On summer evenings they would dress in colourful skirts and process through their villages, dancing. The sticks they carried are symbolic of the cotton bobbins and shuttles used in the mills. The dances are often ‘processional’ rather than being danced in static sets, and are mainly a tradition of the north of England (where clogs were mostly worn.) The interest in clog-dancing has been the saving of some of the specialist clog-manufacturers, who would otherwise have gone out of business!

 

 

History of Clog Dancing