Gary Larsen
Gary Larsen's Connection to Clogging*
"Clogging in the urban environs of Utah2, where I was raised and first introduced to this dance style, was very popular and widely recognized by the general population. It was viewed, by many in the area, as a wholesome activity where talents could be developed in an aerobic and recreational manner. The conservative nature of the community greatly supported this and other similar types of recreation and performing, especially for the youth. One could see clogging groups performing at many various venues throughout the region, from parades to Christmas festivals. There were many studios that each claimed a geographical area of the region and vied for the best students.
"My personal connection to clogging began in a rather interesting way in 1985. Earlier in that year my mother had seen a performance of clogging by a group called the Wild West Cloggers. Impressed by the obvious excitement of the performers and the intense aerobic exercise that was involved, she decided that it would be the perfect thing to keep a young boy out of trouble. I was less than enthusiastic at her proposition and determined immediately that I was not going to be a dancer. Contrary to my pleadings, I was enrolled and began attending lessons with the Wild West Cloggers of Sandy, Utah. Perfectly aware of how boys who danced were perceived, I tried everything in my power to avoid going, being very creative in my efforts. My persistent mother, who had become hardened through years of raising three older brothers, had to literally drag me to class each week. A compromise was finally reached when she promised me that if I was to go to classes for one season, lasting from September to June, I could do as I pleased and quit if I desired. I was prepared to show my mother how miserable I could be and started counting down the weeks and months before I was done with this silly dancing thing.
"I don’t recall exactly when I stopped counting down, but it was somewhat around the time when the girls that I was dancing with (there being a girl to boy ratio of 8:1) began to catch my eye. I also began to receive words of encouragement from teachers and fellow students for my execution of the dance movement. It is truly amazing what words of support and praise can do to an impressionable youth seeking balance and acceptance. Not long thereafter I entered my first clogging competition. I must admit that my first moments on stage were filled with anxiety and terror, but the desire to compete again the next time was fueled when I received an award for doing well.
"I continued to learn and improve, moving up in the organization of the group, competing in team, couple and individual competition events. The competition seemed the main focus of the dancing that I was involved with. Although I enjoyed competing, its dynamic giving me the desire and drive to work hard and improve, I felt that there was more to dancing than this. I had reached a very high level in the local, regional and even national competition circuit, yet I felt that there was something missing in my experience. I joined a group that had no desire to compete; their emphasis was on the performance and perpetuation of an older style of clogging as well as other early “traditional” American dance forms. This they would take to dance festivals primarily in Europe to share the stage with other groups from throughout the world who were sharing their traditional forms of dance. These folk dance festivals were a breeding ground for my desire to dance and learn about the fascinating world in which I lived. This gave me the ability to look at what I did and enjoy it in a broad worldwide framework. I desired to better understand the history and place of clogging in relation to other forms of recreational and competitive dance.
"I have been teaching clogging since my senior year of high school in 1991. With the traditional and contemporary clogging training I had received, I developed a unique teaching philosophy. I begin the introductory classes with the older style of clogging and proceed forward through time in terms of innovation and change as the class progresses." (2 “Urban” Utah is comprised of a 100-mile corridor of large cities that follow along the base of the Wasatch Range of the Rocky Mountains in a North and South orientation.)