The Appalachian style clogging group The Cross Creek Cloggers was formed in 1977. They performed that year at the 1977 Florida Folk Festival in White Springs, Florida and have performed there every year since during their 30 year history. The group preserves the Appalachian style of individual solo clogging as well as performing choreographed routines. They keep the tradition of dancing to live old-time string band music and preserve the tradition of clogging through teaching in classes and workshops.
The Cross Creek Cloggers are based in Gainesville, Florida. The cloggers have performed widely in Florida over the years. In 1985, however they widened their scope even further when they went to Novorossiisk, Russia in the former Soviet Union, performing as part of Gainesville's Sister City program. The trip was featured in the documentary about the Gainesville and Novorossiisk sister cities, "Ask Your Sister to Dance".
In 1997, the Cross Creek Cloggers performed at the New England Folk Festival in Natick, Massachusettes. The group performed annually in the 1980's at The Great Hahira Pick-In, in Hahira, Georgia and was filmed by Georgia Public Television in 1983 at Hahira and Maggie's Lake. Photographs of the Cross Creek Cloggers at the Florida Folk Festival, 1978 through 1992, are included in The Florida Memories Project, www.floridamemory.com. The Cross Creek Cloggers can be seen in the 2005 Florida Public Television production, Florida Folk Festival White Springs Jubilee, and were designated Legacy Performers for the 2006 Florida Folk Festival. They also annually perform at the Florida State Fiddler's Association Annual Convention.
Other performances in recent years include the International Conference for Engineering Education at the University of Florida and the American Association of Port Authorities Annual Conference in Tampa, Florida. As well as, the Spring Arts Festival in Gainesville, Florida, Barberville Settlement for the Creative Arts Fall Jamboree in Barberville, Florida, Pioneer Days at the Morningside Nature Center in Gainesville, Florida and the Fall Harvest Festival and Wild Azalea Festival in White Springs, Florida. The Cross Creek Cloggers danced in the 2005 & 2006 productions of Dancing at the Crossroads in Gainesville, Florida.
Cross Creek Clogger members have led teaching workshops at the Annual Sawgrass Fiddle Contest for Children and Teens in Micanopy, Florida, the Azalea Blossom Old Time Youth Festival in Tallahassee, Florida, the Morningside Nature Center Summer Children's Program in Gainesville, Florida and the Florida Folk Festival in White Springs, Florida. They hold periodic beginner classes at the Gainesville Music and Dance Association, www.gdma308.org, 308B W University Ave., Gainesville, Florida.
After moving to Gainesville, John Luna (who learned to clog from a member of the Green Grass Cloggers), really missed clogging because he couldn't find anyone in the area who was actively clog dancing. He decided that the only way to fix this was to teach a class through Santa Fe Community College. The first class was taught in the winter term of 1977. I was a student in that class and immediately fell in love with the music and the dance. We were all so excited about this dance that we looked for anyplace that would put up with us...we went to bars, had parties...anything to be able to dance. We were very fortunate to hook up with the Bucksnort Barndance Band who provided us with live music in our classes and parties. We decided to spread this wonderful music and dance and got our first job at a Micanopy Friends of the Library celebration. We put plywood on the ground and "did our thing". I think back now and know that we were not very good yet, but because of the enthusiasm and newness of the music and dance in this area folks seemed to love us and that was the start of many wonderful years of dancing. We performed for the first time at the Florida Folk Festival in 1977 and have been there every year since. We took every opportunity we could to be with the Green Grass Cloggers so that we could learn more of their wonderful style and to get to know them.
John continued teaching the classes and leading the group until he moved. I can't remember exactly when he moved, but he was here for about a year and a half. When he left, I took over teaching the classes and functioning as the choreographer/artistic director and treasurer of the group. Because I am so shy about speaking in public and because he is SO GOOD at it, Ed Hoovler became the group spokesperson.
While John was in town the group started the monthly square dances. After John left, David and I took over running the dances with sponsorship from the cloggers. At some point it became too much for the two of us and a group of us decided to form the GODS (Gainesville Old Time Dance Society). At that time the cloggers no longer had anything to do with running dances.
We did a lot of travelling in the early years - dancing at festivals in Virginia, North Carolina Georgia, and Florida. (We won an award at the Independence Fiddler's Convention in Independence, VA for best entertainment.) With a lot of hard work the group went to the Soviet Union in 1985 as part of the Sister City Program. It was a wonderful experience and we were received with a lot of enthusiasm.
I left the group in 1988 due to my mother's illness and death and then my father's poor health. We did have a Cross Creek Clogger/Bucksnort Barndance Band 15 year reunion at The Folk Festival in 1992. I do also want to mention that as the cloggers got busier and busier other local musicians started playing with us as well as the Bucksnort Barndance Band.