Clog Dance (1959) | BFI National Archive

[@francescadixon2584]

I've read the comments below and there seems to be a lot of confusion that clogging is just Celtic. Clogging and folk dancing is common all across the British Isles. Clogs were ordinary British peoples' everyday shoes, so learning to dance in them was quite natural and when the ordinary Britons went to America they took their dancing style and shoes with them. Luckily that dancing has survived in the Appalachians where it was raised to new heights. Each country within the UK had its own style of dancing even down to different regions and they happily shared and learnt from each other. Let's not try to split and try to claim clogging as specific to one area or one ethnic group. Let's enjoy it.

[@jackx4311]

Well said, Francesca!

[@musicloverlondon6070]

Great comment and fascinating video. These little gems are what make YT such a wonderful library of cultural history.

[@marcphelan9883]

Not just people from British Isles and Britain's, but the Irish and people from the Irish Isles, but of course its mostly an Irish influence where all forms of set dancing Sean nos dancing, and Irish dance are still going strong and haven't died out like they have in Britain

[@j.503]

​@@marcphelan9883 "The British Isles" usually includes Ireland.

[@marcphelan9883]

@@j.503 if you're a British imperialist it does

[@jimbradshaw]

I love how these films were made with such care, patience and attention to detail - no hurrying, no 'that's 3 minutes, let's move on' that's so commonplace today. And, of course, this example was just pure joy to watch.

[@gillesguillaumin6603]

We can call it ”the good old time”.😊😊😊😊😊😊😅😊😊

[@Feeoryne]

This type of documentary reminds me of Mr Rogers!! (in a very good way)

[@margueritemurphy1884]

I don't find much of that "3 minutes and move on" attitude I have to say!

[@marksadventures3889]

Clog dancing was very popular in the local mills, mines and Weaving Sheds of Lancashire and Yorkshire.

[@henryb160]

Cumbria too.

[@JelMain]

@@henryb160 Cumbria was once part of Wales, when Mercia, Wessex and Kent were England. Anglia was Saxon, ie Fresian, and has it's own clog heritage, closely tied to seafaring, although rarely worn aboard, too slippery. The Bretons also have a celtic clog heritage.

[@henryb160]

@@JelMain Yes, I know.

[@spudspuddy]

my mum was irish but went to live in lancashire, she wore clogs to work in the 40s

[@patrickfoley4990]

Thanks to all the young boys and girls for the wonderful clogging.

[@kyoglesage]

Very much enjoyed this film. I was about 12 - the same age as these Welsh kids - at the time the film was made. I watched to the end and was surprised to see my cousin - Alan McCabe - was the camera operator. He went on to have a productive career in Hollywood and was one of the camera operators for The Charge of the Light Brigade.

[@JelMain]

He'd be welcome back here now. They started expanding Borehamwood and Elstree three years ago, and so were up and rolling when the Hollywood strike started. It's nor really strikebusting when the companies concerned aren't part of the American film industry because they're an online medium, use a far older acting heritage than Hollywood, and have different legal and contractual forms.

[@annieclaire2348]

How fascinating is that!!!! Amazing.

[@marijones9345]

I remember these clog dancers, some were in school with me, they use to win in the National Eisteddfod, they were well taught and dedicated, what a wonderful find on BFI films, a lovely surprise and takes me back to my youth in Borth y Gest near Porthmadog, happy days!

[@bagyanagar_wasi]

You must have had such a wonderful time growing up in those times. So, you knew all the children in the film... Is anyone still around and in touch perhaps. Thanks

[@richardkirk5098]

I love when people respect and preserve their culture.👍

[@pjmbidge632000]

My Mother was Welsh, but we lived in Manchester, one weekend we went to Porthmadog. Mum and I were looking around the shops, and a woman in one shop said to the shop owner ''Twristiaid gwaedlyd'' which means ''bloody tourists''! It was hilarious when my Mother turned round and railed at her in Welsh. The woman's mouth just dropped open and her face went scarlet! Miss you Mum RIP

[@WaitingforGodot]

Someone I know went through that in a pub in Wales. She sat and listened to her group being insulted and scorned for being tourists. As they got up to leave she turned and told them off in fluent Welsh and silenced the pub...... :)

[@llewev]

Not always that way. We are Welsh and moved to live in England in the early sixties. We used to go back to Nefyn for holidays as the full English tourist family bit - beach, shoes, shorts, nylon kaguls for the rain, etc. One rainy afternoon, we went shopping in Pwllheli and as we trooped into a record shop, one of the assistants said, in Welsh, "Here come the English tourists". The other one said instantly "No, they're Welsh". (We had not spoken a word in any language). Must be something in the gait - or perhaps we seemed too much at home in the Gwynedd rain - anyway, no correction needed!.

[@nikeshsolanki829]

She sounds like an absolute legend, good for her!

[@janestreeter8570]

Served her right, too. Deserved anything your mother handed her and more. Besides, I not one bit of patience for people who want to make money off people they despise. Can't have it both ways. If you don't like tourists, stay away from the tourist traps. I don't like them either, people tend to leave their brains at home for some reason when they go on vacation. So, I stay away from places that attract the idiots. And there's a lot more tourist traps to dodge here than there, trust me on that . You people are lucky, you don't have to deal with places like Disney or Sea World or Six Flags...or the literal hundreds of little places scattered all over the 3,531,905 square miles of my nation. Of course, we told the British where to shove it, twice. Second time they got the point. We fought two wars to kick them out and make sure they stayed out. I'm an American and damned proud of it.

[@susanolson3611]

@@janestreeter8570 😎

[@sharonallen6921]

I thought this might be boring. Boy was I wrong. Beautifully done, respectful, intelligent and timeless. I had never heard the history of clogging or that it existed anywhere in the world beyond the eastern states of the US. Many Irish, Welsh and German people helped build the US and they shared with us many beautiful dances, songs and cultures, among other things. My life is blessed because people were brave and decided to make a new life in a far away land. This is coming from a Native American who appreciates the cultures and gifts given by other people to shape us into 1 United States of America. ~Sherrie in South Carolina

[@STScott-qo4pw]

in western canada it is said native children learn how to "jig" before they walk. the jig: mainly scots-irish, pipes (rarely), fiddles, drums. i've seen teenaged native canadians jig and am astounded at the sight - it's as if you really can't see their feet move, they are simply there.

[@annedeline4421]

Wish we could teach our teenagers this wonderful dance!

[@pipfox7834]

@annedeline4421 where there a will, there's a way! You'd be surprised who will come forward to help when you put the word out, and make a start!

[@anniehope8651]

As a (former) harpist I love this! I was a child/teenage harpist when there was no internet around yet. I always knew I didn't really like the classical way of playing I was learning. We had celtic harps as children and of course we played some folk-like songs, but it was all just because those were relatively simple tunes. And we played from sheet music, all to prepare us to the pedal harp and to play in orchestras. I always knew I didn't want that. I wanted to play folk harp, even as a more advanced harpist. But these folk tunes were considered 'for children'. And I didn't know what true 'adult' folk harp looked like and sounded like. I heard about it, but I never knew how to really get into it. All I had was my teacher at the music school, a classical harp teacher. I went on to a pedal harp, because that was what you were supposed to do as an advanced player, but I never truly liked it, and eventually I quit when I was about 22. Now seeing this video, I finally know that this is what I was looking for back then. True folk, meant to dance to, played by an adult. If only I knew back then...

[@Laffingrl]

Those clogs look extremely well made! Kudos to the clog maker!

[@timjones7547]

I was 13 in 1959. The world has changed a great deal since then. No overweight kids! Great video of a time gone by.

[@joedempsey9554]

stilll plenty of clogging in the USA

[@2394Joseph]

13 in 1959 makes you and all your friends 1946 war babies. 1946 was a time of rationing and food shortages. No wonder there was "no overweight kids".

[@maggiegarber246]

I was 11. There were only 2 overweight children in my high school, out of about 250 students. We walked or rode bikes everywhere. There were no fast food places in my small hometown.

[@daydays12]

Me too! 13 in 1959. Living near Plymouth Devon.

[@ritagallard2179]

No? You must have been blind and deaf to have neither seen or joined in with the bullying and teasing.

[@mfrmll3786]

In 1966, I sang in a children's choir at the Llangollen Eistedfod and we all adored being part of that global singing and dancing competition. Helen Litz from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada brought us there. We were hosted in the town of Pennycae (spelling?) in 200 year old houses with roof tops that were extremely old and looked as though they could collapse.....I fell HARD in LOVE with Welch culture and music and left my heart and soul in those green and purple hillsides, with the woolly sheep and their lambs......Our beautiful hosts sang with us in the early freezing mornings. The bus driver was Welch .....Oh it was an incredible experience to compete there. Mrs. Litz donated the winning prize money to the Aberfan (SP?) town where a terrible mining accident took place, after the competition. We ate breakfasts there, I will never forget. THANK YOU.....I bought wooden clogs in Hastings, during that trip. And I owe a HUGE Debt of gratitude to Helen Litz for dedicating her life to the LOVE of MUSIC and Cultural Dance. I am so thrilled they are learning their language, still. My appreciation for music of the World remains immense. I KNOW what it is like to sing PURE music and what it does for the Spirit cannot be measured or understood by 90% of humanity, today. THANK YOU Wales.

[@donnacameron4515]

How lovely to read of your experience, from Roland Mb Canada

[@SmutchyBritches]

I used to clog when my boys were very young and got them clogging, too. Doing things like this with your children is clean fun and keeps them out of the wrong crowds.

[@deborahbarry8458]

I 🇨🇦 would love love to learn to clog with you!

[@getthegoods420]

If you try to do that now days, someone gonna ask what set you claim foo cryp walking like that n shit cuz sawhooo !!!!

[@jonahchiro2609]

I read this as “I used to clog with my boys”

[@elisabethm9655]

I’m close to the ages of these dancers…so they’re all in their 70’s or 80’s now. I wonder where they are today🥰

[@nigelsheppard625]

Clogging survives to this day throughout Wales. It's featured in both the Eisteddfod yr Urdd and Eisteddfod Cenedlaethol Cymru and amongst thousands of small groups in towns and villages.

[@albertreed966]

Today is the 3 of May, 2019. I watched this with much nostalgia, if that's the proper word. I couldn't help but think of the more simplistic days of My youth,(I am 73) and the speed down the tracks hell bent for leather life we have today. The only ex time is exercise that the much younger generation gets in the present day is in their thumbs. I propose that in the gathering places...few left, we put small kiosk's that would place scenes such as this to remind or perhaps for the first time, show how life used to be and doesn't have to be lost. Alas, I dream!

[@VerbranntiChaib1]

Yes we should build a kiosk We need to regain that has been lost within us. And build a shelter of wood and stone.

[@jackmorgan8931]

Hey, Albert... Today is 06/06/19. I'll be 67 in a little less than two months. And it's a special day for me, 50 years since I graduated from high school. I went out of my first date that night. And when I took her home, before she got out of the car, she slid across the seat...and kissed me...my first kiss! You are so right, of course. It is the simplicity of life in what "old guys" like you and me those "good ol' days," for me, beginning in the '50s, that simply vanished. And there is no going back. You stay safe and take care of yourself.

[@cliffc2546]

This documentary is actually really beautiful, even if a bit hokey. As time goes on, it gets even better.

[@robertbrawley5048]

Reading your comment on the 6th of May 2020

[@chetyoubetya8565]

Rubbish there was never a simple day.It was that things were never dealt with or spoken about.Ignorance is only bliss when you choose it to be.

[@nocilantro_gack]

I used to live in Swansea, South Wales.. The Welsh people are the best...I love heaaring the Welsh accent again...I love Mumbles and Brecon..so many beautiful places to visit..

[@TheAuntieBa]

James Kristoff One of my doctors had a Welsh partner; when he spoke I couldn’t understand him: I was too busy listening to the beautiful lilt of his speech!

[@aucourant9998]

The clog-maker was a real craftsman. The speed and accuracy was great to watch. I wonder if anyone has this skill today?

[@leighmac1625]

There are still a few clog makers in the U.K., sometimes to be found demonstrating their skills at heritage museums

[@louislungbubble]

he was lucky to keep his fingers so long too

[@carolilseanne2175]

Volendam and areas in Holland 😍

[@majajh]

@@carolilseanne2175 Hmm, never saw that in Volendam when I was there in 86. Not in the tourist part?

[@geraldgetkate2572]

@@majajh Volendam is just for show. The real clogmakers live in the village of Enter. In the eastern part of the Netherland

[@pennywaters2740]

wonderful film - i remember when this country was like this with all these kind grown ups - i bought a pair of shoe clogs when i was 24 (1973) in lancaster market from the man who made them - the most comfortable pair of shoes i have ever worn - made by a craftsman - the modern world is not a patch on those good days - and the people in lancaster were as wonderful

[@Feeoryne]

This is a cute documentary! Very 1959 style!! I must admit that my knees hurt just by watching!!

[@fredrickaappletree3402]

This is wonderful what a rich heritage we have (or had) anyway bless Britain and her people . Love the clog delivery 😊

[@potdog1000]

as a Yorkshireman i remember being taught clog dancing at primary school in the 50s

[@vicgallimore6756]

ME too, in Lacashire, late 40's early 50's.

[@StephenNu9]

Wow, I've never seen that wood shaping tool anywhere. Dam clever, particularly on soft wood.

[@TheMariemarie16]

So many forms of art are becoming lost. I would love a future that incorporated new technology with a very back to the earth living style where artisan pursuits are just as valuable as high tech ones.

[@michaelkullas2031]

Alder is still one of the hardwoods. Furniture etc. The blades he is using are very sharp. Original miter boxes for cutting house trim were much the same. A lost technology.

[@mvies77]

It is wonderful to see how creativity and love of dancing has evolved throughout the generations into all branches of dance, clog, Irish jig, American clog, folk, tap, modern dance, etc, etc, etc.

[@ernestberry-songsrestored5637]

I cried with laughter, joy and a deep sense of loss

[@therealzilch]

As a musical instrumentmaker, it was a pure wonder to watch John Edwards, Master Clogmaker, at work. That's masterwork, that's why we do it. cheers from autumny Vienna, very nice work, Scott

[@AML2000]

Porthmadog (the official spelling now) is in the north of Wales. Even today, 75% of the population are Welsh speaking, so the kids here probably had Welsh as their first language. The result of that is that when they speak English it resembles upper class English with a Welsh musical lilt, because they learn it in school. The teacher had a very mild Welsh accent.

[@nocilantro_gack]

The Welsh accent is the best..I lived in Swansea and it took me a while to get used to some of the real hardcore speakers there..I hope they keep that language alive

[@duckweedy]

Go back now and they are speaking Welsh in the streets and the shops.

[@deborahbarry8458]

@@duckweedy what joy that many of the languages that were once dying are making a comeback!

[@peterwilson3161]

“9

[@WildwoodTV]

When my mum was young it was still frowned on to speak Welsh except at home... maybe at chapel

[@birdsaloud7590]

That was the most charming and educational films I have seen.

[@marineHumanitoo7139]

A nice breath of fresh air, what talent! They all exude the joy of living. Thank you very much for this video !

[@jwwmitchell]

It takes a lot of discipline and training to become this good. Sheer brill to watch !

[@ttaibe]

I wonder if these people featured here realised that people would still be watching them dance and so on 60 odd years later.. These were the days before video tapes etc. They might have only seen this once or twice themselves.

[@StephenRBeet]

Yes, and I wonder how many are alive. The kids must be in their 70's now!

[@eduardobraivein8496]

A priceless treasure! A testament for future generation!

[@davecan1103]

Sure they did. But they figured we'd be watching it on ducane model 600 16 mm projector... they would have thought you were crazy if you'd have told them you'd be watching it on a phone. Lol!

[@wayinfront1]

@elmosmidlap : Do you mind? I'm at least 5 years older than the youngest boy in that video - he can't be more than 10. And Mick Jagger and Keith Richards are at least 2 years older than me! So eff off ( 'scuse my Welsh)!

[@davidgm1000]

@@wayinfront1 was the comment you are referring to deleted? if so pity, not least cos when fo!llowing your 'excused welsh,' there was no mention of taking comment with him when doing so - but there you go, or rather, there goes elmosmidlap, cheers

[@gunnarbiker]

The Geico commercial brought me here! LOL What a treasure this video is!

[@katiesprague1476]

I'm not usually a fan of commercials, but that one makes me smile every time I see it.

[@brittnar]

I love that ad

[@Pteromandias]

What does this have to do with a Geico commercial?

[@sharonandrews9687]

What a treasure this video is. I wish life could be so beautiful and simple again. I have just started clogging in Australia. Thank you for this ❤❤

[@Marcygr]

lost art, the clog maker. Hope the dancing continues. Forever.

[@Alanoffer]

I was a school in the fifties in south London and once a week we did country dancing . I remember dreading it because we had to be paired with a girl to dance with . Mind you we were only eight years old . It’s like looking back to a another planet

[@wholefoodplantbasedmama5398]

i remember documentaries like this being showed at the cinema as a child!

[@beccabbea2511]

So do I. Pathe News. That’s giving my age away. The narrator's is what completes the film. Loved those old Pathe News films as they gave us a window on the world.

[@colliecoform4854]

I remember them also. Now all you get is adds. Haven't gone to the movies in years, Lord of the Rings I think. Better watching in the comfort of home!

[@wallyboy6666]

I loved this video so much :) Thank you for sharing it. I live in the United States (Pennsylvania), but videos like this can transcend oceans, borders, borders & time, to share life experiences. It sure makes me miss the times gone by & traditions that have almost vanished. This was a joy to watch. Thank you! :)

[@brentwoodbay]

Pennsylvania was once the 'Welshiest' US state. Look at all the Welsh place name surrounding Philly. That area, IIRC known as the Welsh Tract, had the heaviest concentration of Welsh Immigration in the US.

[@freedomatlast8756]

I used to live in South Western Pennsylvania.

[@wallyboy6666]

@@freedomatlast8756 Wasn't sure if you were replying to me or gelli :) How long did you live in Pennsylvania? It is a very pretty state. I live more towards Cook Forest area. Used to be a popular fishing and hunting area - not so much anymore. During the first week of trout fishing, it was hard to drive down the roads around here - cars parked on the sides of the roads, people carrying fishing pools, coolers, canoes, walking in all different directions. A driver had to be very careful because they were all concentrating on vacation, camping & fishing - people darting back & forth, not watching their kids ... but, they were all having a good time :)

[@pennyparaskevas7831]

I'm from Chicago, but met a "long-lost cousin" in Wales two years ago. To say I love Wales would be an understatement! Can't wait to return to that magical place.

[@larscain3263]

I am 2nd generation welsh from Pottsville penna near the welshest city in the USA. Mount pleasant and didn’t realise how much it looked like wales until I went to Swansea

[@learntocrochet1]

Ahh I hope that master clog maker taught someone well as I'm sure he has passed by now. It would be a shame for this trade to disappear.

[@franktoledo9356]

CLOG SHOES MADE BETTER THAN TODAY'S.

[@arctichare8185]

This video serves to pass it along.

[@FoodNerds]

I sister had a pair of wooden clogs. She loved them and wore them for years.

[@karinlerew6542]

I watch this video and it does remind me of simpler times: not times where you had nothing to do. Just times that didn’t fill up your day with empty things. It makes my memories as a child seem that much richer!

[@pennyk2798]

I'd have had only 8 fingers left it were me being the clog maker. 8 fingers at max.

[@shelski4218]

Simple Times, great fun, 1959 was a great time it really really was!! I wish there was time travel I'd go back to that time and stay there 😃👍❤️

[@lendaly294]

@Big Bill O'Reilly Saddo

[@schifahrer123]

@Big Bill O'Reilly People like you represent all that is wrong with the world.

[@davidh9844]

I had a great time in 1959 - I was 9 years old at the time. And no, I don't remember ANYTHING being even remotely like this!

[@Cola64]

I bet you couldve drank the water straight from that river

[@trimule]

@@Cola64 Well friend, you would have been deathly sick within 24 hrs. Remember this was before there were any health considerations for industrial pollution. The coal mines and Railroads in South Wales were dumping chemical filth by the ton onto the hillsides to wash straight down into the rivers. About this time one of those slag heap mountains collapsed and buried a school killing many children. One of the worst domestic tragedies ever in the UK.

[@headfirst6227]

Watch closely at what the horse is looking at as he passes through the gate. He’s watching to see that the cart makes it through.

[@nct948]

it seems to be a very thoughtful gentle horse. How delightful.

[@johnsmith-bx4rn]

about time Wales received a bit more recognition for their music dance and culture ect

[@talon1706]

john smith This was made in 1959. lol

[@nannyogg2586]

@@talon1706 Yeah, we didn't mention England enough, so they wouldn't let us make another :D

[@mikequirk6879]

Yeah some really good drum and bass from Anglesey and Gwynedd. Just ignore the "washing machine techno". Xxx

[@SimirJohnson]

john smith Yes, the sheep can finally relax.

[@welshpete12]

sylw ffôl ! @@talon1706

[@niteowl365]

You can see the relation to the Appalachian clogging - neato!

[@rayniemi5864]

niteowl365 I was just thinking that same thing!

[@Automedon2]

The Appalachians derived from Scots Irish and all the Celtic dancing styles are related.

[@willyspinney1959]

Very interesting.

[@rogerc.roberts4705]

@@Automedon2 Technically not correct. The Gaelic Celts use "soft" soles which flex and solid soles which are a bit different then. "ours". The Cymrieg use only hard soles which prevent the foot from flexing, thus the limited heal and toe tapping. Surprised the video did not mention WHY the solid wood clog soles? Back in the early days of the industrial revolution Cymru, at first, saw more industry move in/develop then most of the rest of the British Isles. People seeking employment came from all over Cymru seeking work in the southern valley. That introduced the varied local dancing styles to people whose homes were elsewhere ( in Cymru). When they had a chance to go home the newly learned dance styles went with them. But why clogs? #1 SIMPLE, a good many of the jobs meant working in a damp or wet environment. Flexible leather soles would rot due to the water, wood soles did not. So flexibility of the feet was traded for dryer feet. #2 And let's face it, no one had several pairs of shoes in their closet, and that led to clog dancing. Other clog dancing moves such as the use of a broom were more common in Cymru then Ireland and Scottland. Dancing while holding the broom parallel to the ground with knees bent, as in Russia, was common to Cymru and not the Gaelic Celts. The dancing while "jumping the broom", as I understand, has more to do with the Brythonic Celts beliefs then of the Gaelic Celts. So of the Celts, whose dancing was picked up by the more modern "clog dancing" of the United Stars? Long argument. However, Canadian "step dancing" is mostly the clog dancing of Cymru AND what became tap dancing of the United States. Why? When the Brutish, er British, tried to force the Accadains out of Canada those people fled into the hills where they mixed with the Irish, Scots, and Cymru who had as much "dislike" for the English as the French. Cultures were altered(?) A large bit of my knowledge on the subject of clog dancing came with the chance to mix with a band of Accadains known as Barachois out of Prince Edward Island who would come down and perform at Celtic Festivals in the States. While watching them dance I could not help but see a connection with the clog dancing (NOT "CLOGGING") of Cymru. Other factors came out as I don't know anything about the Accadains but we somehow seemed to be "neighbors". In this case it turns out the 2nd largest minority of people in Prince Edward Island are the CYMRIEG!

[@frankpallister]

@@rogerc.roberts4705 clogs and the industrial revolution began in northern England

[@pronkerpronker6708]

Utterly charming in subject and photography, thanks for posting!

[@ТатьянаСизикова-ю7ч]

Люблю народные танцы. В них душа народа.

[@tweetiebirdin-pdx645]

Fabulous video, thanks for the history lesson.

[@mikeowen657]

Welsh forbear left the poverty there to Carolina long ago, but I recall clogging at parties from long ago. This vid warmed my soul - thank you!

[@AudreySmallcombe]

Just beautiful! Everything about this film is wonderful! Thank you! X❤

[@desdicado999]

thank you for posting this , very delightful such a simpler time

[@alfredlawrence3182]

God bless them all. The UK meant something to the individual, the industries and the world in those days.

[@Automedon2]

The import of American trends hasn't done Britain a lot of good that's for sure.

[@MTknitter22]

Alfred Lawrence Wales such a special place!

[@MTknitter22]

Gathering No Moss They gave us a few too that proved not so great. Its not all one country’s fault what has happened.

[@cliffc2546]

@@Automedon2 Oh, come on. You're implying the UK is some kind of victim. You know, the Beatles and Stones could be thought of as the beginning of the debauching the US, too. Culturally, the US is always 5 to 10 years behind the UK, IMO.

[@buddyduddyful]

@@Automedon2 Americans were essentially English in 1959 and even now to a lesser degree, since the push for white erasure.

[@drchrisdavies2941]

Amazing to see a lot of the film focused on where I live in Beddgelert. Most of the houses and other buildings remain virtually unchanged to this day!

[@georgealderson4424]

...but some new inhabitants

[@trimule]

@@georgealderson4424 Ooooooh, I see what you did there! Are you intimating that the place smells like curry now?

[@georgealderson4424]

@@trimule No not at all. Talking of curry I wonder if these were the houses The Mahatma visited when the cotten problem was around?

[@suzannelawson9215]

Do they still use the horse with carts in the small villages?

[@Mercmad]

The Welsh ,as i told by a couple of Welsh,are English with an Indian accent....@@trimule

[@sharonneethling7778]

This is incredible . and so interesting. .Thank you for sharing with us

[@alisonwunderland9900]

Not a car in sight - wonderful...

[@antonkider7360]

Oh, only one in the main street.

[@chickenmanedbrown8054]

I didn't see nobody with a cell phone either

[@joan7823]

I thought I saw one just at the end of the film? ,behind the wagon. About 14.45?

[@Jonascord]

No money, no industry, food rationed, yeah, just effen spiffy...

[@Dr.VonBraun]

Several cars insight. Get yer eyeballs checked. ;)

[@Dang3rMouSe]

I'm marveling at Mr Edwards' level of skill from decades of experience making clogs.

[@g.a.c.4139]

An amazing look at this culture. I like it, but you can see that today's world (especially kids) would have barely supported this lifestyle That why River Dance, and other groups like it, was so critical in rekindling this art form, and the World loved it. I think this dancing will live forever.

[@emaus2011]

So romantic. Loved it. Thank you for sharing. Those kids are probably grandparents now.

[@frankwilkinson6328]

Thanks for this. Porthmadog has changed a bit but not that much. One of my favourite places in Wales but then all Wales has a place in my heart.

[@tolkny]

Excellent thank you for posting and to those involved for recording their efforts in the first place.

[@imari2305]

Reminds me of the clog dancing I'd seen growing up in South Carolina as a child. I love the art of dance and all its' varying styles.

[@keithdonnellan5564]

Nice to see old things that bring back memories!

[@kenharrison741]

This art form is alive and well to this day.

[@walteralter9061]

Would be interesting to learn what effects this Welsh tradition had on Appalachian clog dancing in the US, particularly in the coal mining regions.

[@sheikowi]

Terrific! Clog survived longer in Appalachia, but with less "low" dancing. Wonder why.

[@OrganisedPauper]

There's Cornish and Lancashire clogging/clog dancing too I believe.

[@ohmyblindman]

The Appalachian region is very remote, with few people coming and going, therefore the communities are rather insulated. Even to today there is no cell phone service into the more remove "hollers.'

[@sandyhendricks3120]

This is one of the best films I've ever seen on the Tube. Thanks so much for posting it.

[@trxxxtr]

Wow...I actually enjoyed that! Thanx so much.

[@carolynellis387]

A few years ago on a Welsh programme it showed that there was only 1 clog maker left in North Wales. I don't know if this still continues. Lancashire mill workers wore them etc so it was with many folks around the world. I wear them at home as they are much warmer than slippers

[@gringagringa3307]

🌵 the Shoemaker. what an artisan. it was beautiful. his tools were extraordinary. I've never seen those kind of shoe tools. I would like to have had a pair made by him. is the art, the craft still being passed down to his great-great grandchildren? 05-02-19. 1:14 pm pdt. 131,953/205

[@MacHamish]

That's a lost art right there. I can only hope he had ancestors or apprentices that carried on those skills and tools.

[@gringagringa3307]

@@MacHamish 🌵🙋💥🎯💯🍒 05-06-19. 4:41 pm pdt. ca., 🇺🇸

[@shinnam]

Yes, lovely tools. In Sweden there are still a few clog makers, but the ones in this video looked more practical. Like you could wear them for everyday and walking in the muck.

[@2degucitas]

You could find a blacksmith to make those tools for you. Or attach blades to wooden poles and add a hook to the end. A large "eye" screwed into a sawhorse and there you go!! Some clever person could help you.

[@Betty_Virago]

some of us still wear clogs, theres a clog shop in Yorkshire who hand makes clogs, very comfy. www.clogs.co.uk

[@bassmeisterD]

Clogging is part of the tradition of the southern Appalachian Mountains in the U.S. It can be seen at festivals and fairs around the south. I did not know it came from Wales.

[@Bella-fz9fy]

It came from English and Welsh immigrants to there.It was incredibly popular in England but then has died out so much.Even Bob Hope and Stan Laurel (real name Stan Jefferson)were part of clogging groups when they went to America!

[@ruthfreedman]

Beautiful. Only yesterday, I saw this in today’s version, in BBC’s “Escape to the Country” with the same dray horses and clog dancers. (Minus the shoemaker, And that delightful Welsh Harp.)

[@Donna-cc1kt]

So wonderful. Thank you. Interesting, entertaining, educational, winsome and a wish for a return for simple times.

[@royjeffs6538]

Love the way he delivers the clogs!

[@sheerluckholmes7720]

yeah-like chucking the rolled up newspapers back in the day ! 😂...plus while riding a bike 🤣...✌

[@porkscratchings5428]

I know Porthmadog very well having spent my childhood summers in the early 80’s there near Beddgelert in Nantmor with the spooky long disused tunnel we’d hide in and scare passers bys etc, Did realise as a kid that Portmerion crockery was from there, then I buy some stuff from I think the outlet shop or whatever it was as the prices were way cheaper than Harrods where I clocked them and sell it on to my parents friends etc etc lol. Do they still charge a shilling to cross the bridge there? I recognise some of the buildings on the high st Edie I ally the steps. Went back there about 15 years ago with my kids to show them where and what I got up to when I was younger. Great clog dance, I suppose very few locals will remember that.

[@blmi5591]

Story how the Russian sailors taught the Welsh sailors to dance Cossack style. Funny enough that it is only for men to dance this Cossack way, but Welsh girls decided that they should do it too. Crazy.

[@louiscaruso4167]

This is just wonderful..I could watch this all day...people don't dance today...my last was The Hustle and the Discos of the seventies...

[@williamroberts9263]

Happy time's children more contented with simple pleasures than children of today, with all there gadgets etc.

[@nobodynothingberg4886]

Undoubtedly, modern mobile tech has destroyed street life and ruins both kids and adults minds.

[@aucuneideejsp8891]

True. Good cardio too

[@nct948]

it would make you long for these past simple pleasures of communal folk dancing. Even though I am not Welsh, my heart goes to this friendly way of sharing the delight of traditional music and traditional dancing. What a heartwarming documentary portraying a past era.

[@jom7604]

My Great Grandparents we're Scotch-Irish and my Great Grandfather could clod dance incredibly. Miss him so! Had precious time with him until I was almost 11 yrs old. Boy could he dance. Maybe that's why my Mother became a professional dancer and then teacher. 🤩

[@pipfox7834]

Lovely! Scots Irish is what I think you mean. Anything else refers to a bottle of whisky, LOL

[@tonylynch.4563]

Well blow me down! I thought that this was going to be a doc set in Holland. On my mum's side, Grandad Williams was Welsh. He used to have a Clog, it was hollowed out, he used it as an ashtray.

[@nancyhobson9710]

Loved the Clog Dance. Simple rural lifestyle

[@angeliquenomade4353]

Magnifique ! !! Merci pour cette publication !

[@mcbeeze]

Which is why clogging was so popular in Northern Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee because the greatest portion of the settlers there were Scottish and Irish (with some Germans and English thrown in). it is extremely an interesting form of dance where ever it is!

[@wallyboy6666]

:) You've described my family perfectly :) My Mother's side is Scottish & Irish :) My Father's is German. They all settled in the Appalachian mountains & foothills of Pennsylvania. Grandpa (Mom's Dad) was a coal miner - died of Black Lung. Family gatherings and reunions (when I was very young) were so much fun - the air was filled with fiddles & banjos ... sack races, games of horseshoe, penny pitches, (to raise money for the next year's reunion), door prizes, seemingly endless amounts of food, homemade breads & jam, some even brought moonshine :) I have/had 37 first cousins on my Mother's side of the family, then all my Great Aunts & Uncles had large families, too. We all had wonderful times when we gathered for the reunions. So many attended that at times it felt like a fair. :) This video brought those memories back for some reason :) All of the older generation in my family is gone. Grandma & Grandpa's house was bought years ago & made into a camp.

[@kittymervine6115]

the young girl looks so much like the young girl in the US "clogging" Appalachian video. Same face!

[@MoonFlux]

Never know they might be related

[@larryhagemann5548]

@J A C I picked up on that, too. Mary Ann is the name of the girl in the David Hoffman video on Appalachia.

[@luciehanson6250]

@@larryhagemann5548 we love Hoffman!

[@jmscott177]

That is what I thought as soon as they showed her.

[@adversary0932]

I thought that too. Weird.

[@rextucker3184]

When teachers wore pearls.

[@wilber9735]

That was fun. Thank you.

[@forthfarean]

The Lancashire clog dance was very popular. It travelled to the US and became tap dancing

[@zelphx]

Society has become what it is at the price of losing activities like this for the kids. Tech is strangling culture.

[@rodmcdonald4707]

My dad laminated the same sentiments regarding "Rock & Roll".

[@lisahinton9682]

@@rodmcdonald4707 do you mean "lamented"?

[@esmeraldagreen1992]

Have you ever heard of libraries

[@daisymayer6102]

Tech is the new culture. Though, I agree that a more organic lifestyle would benefit today's youth.

[@taunteratwill1787]

@Lisa Hinton No his father 'laminates' everything. Even his sentiments! :-)

[@irinakhudyakova6985]

Потрясающе! Это было совсем недавно! Где же ты , старая добрая Европа

[@fordprefect4345]

I thought I was watching Monty Python for a minute then I realised they were serious

[@wendyarchergym]

I remember being taught country dancing at junior school. Brought those memories back.

[@pleasedontwhipmemaster2353]

When ever you have a clog in your sink just do the clog dance.

[@bethelshiloh]

So much forgotten history. And it’s amazing how blended traditions can become.

[@elderlypoodle9181]

I think Doc Martins should have wood on the soles! That cobbler was a master 🙏🏻

[@richardyoung4616]

If I were making those shoes I would be known as "3 finger Jack".

[@Pro1er]

No kidding! The first thing I did was to count his fingers! I started to close my eyes!

[@Pro1er]

No kidding! The first thing I did was to count his fingers! I started to close my eyes!

[@charleswalker1185]

I had a friend who traveled in Europe doing clog, under the aegis of Mitt Romney...the stories were the best!

[@Mr-Tibbster]

What a craftsman!

[@rredhawk]

Looks very similar to the Appalachian dances performed here in the USA which no doubt originated in the UK and were brought over here by colonists and immigrants many years earlier.

[@janethampton9089]

George was still doing his version of clog... Dance your little heart out! If it don't hurt anyone... Be happy, & U can never do no wrong! Thank you George! You make me smile:)

[@meruliouslacrimens5154]

This has got to be the epitome of people having a really good time.

[@waynewenck4760]

Deary me Francesca i'm an Aussie and clogging is of Celtic origin like both our countries. There is always room for improvement in all walks of life, just lighten up and enjoy it I fall over now at 78., how I wish I was 20 years younger. Wayne Wenck Townsville Queensland, Australia

[@tubemagpie]

I think that there are several things that need to be straightened out here. South Wales is not the only region of the British Isles where step dancing in clogs was extant. The Northeast of England and the Northwest are the homes of several distinct styles. And here I must point out that most of the music and dance of Appalachia has its origins in England.... besides the clog dancing traditions there are stepping traditions from other (rural) areas of Britain, Devon (Dartmoor) Norfolk (including the fishermen's dances) Suffolk, Sussex. These dances were danced in shoes.... maybe in earlier days in clogs, who knows? It has been said that everywhere in the English speaking world there are/were traditions of step dancing. Bringing in Scotland : Stepping from Fife... mind you Scotland appears to have lost most of its hard shoe dances... there isa tradition of stepping from Cape Breton Island which stems from Scotland as far as I know (there are examples on KZbin) Where to next? Tap dancing? I have seen and heard claims that , variously, this items from Native American Dancing and that it is purely African American.... things are not that simple... if one watches film of Bojangles Robinson then one can see that his tap dancing has its roots firmly in British (English even) clog dancing.... the late same Sherry (q.v.) observed that Bojangles style "was Pure clog"... Sam was both a clog dancer and a tap dancer.... It is not true to say that Tap is an African American dance taken over by white men such as Fred Astaire and so forth..... in fact both Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly were taught by Ann, the daughter of Jack Liscombe who was teaching clog dancing back in the 19th Century/early 20th century...... And we haven't even mentioned traditional Irish dancing... some traditions of which match step for step some English traditions....... The whole picture of step dancing is complex and one of cross fertilization.... as is that of so much traditional music and dance. Earliest record of a clog dance (possibly).... 1691 there is mention of The Lancashire Hornpipe being danced.... and those dancers probably wore wooden soled shoes.. i.e. clogs

[@deborahkelly1489]

tubemagpie my dance instructor, ( she was 60 ) was a student of Bojangles Robinson. I had the pleasure to learn from her the Bojangles style dancing. This was 50 years ago . I taught his style as well, until I had to stop due to health issues. At that point I went into nursing ( had to make a living ) but still have my shoes .

[@SpeegBJ]

Yes, it's complex...the history of clog, step, hard shoe.

[@MatthewOlwell]

Yeah, super complex process of blending styles and traditions that gives rise to Appalachian clogging and tap. Definitely a fusion/mix that includes all of the styles you mentioned *including* African American and American Indian. I have heard American tap and clogging claimed as both solely English and African, respectively. I think efforts to flatten it and diminish the fact that it is a hybrid of European and African forms miss the point and are not born up by the evidence.

[@Knappa22]

Did anyone in the video say "South Wales is the only region of the British Isles where step dancing in clogs was extant?" No. So there's nothing to be 'straightened out'. This just happens to be a video about the Welsh tradition.

[@2Irishgurlz]

tubemagpie Thank you! I enjoyed your history lesson... :)