WHAT in the WORLD is Buck Dancing and why are they ruining their clogging shoes???

I'm not quite sure at what you are getting at about ruining shoes, but buck dancing is a style of clogging. For example canadian, buck, and shadow does traditional style. On a lot of competition teams you'll see a mix of quite a few styles in one dance. I hope that answers your question, if not feel free to ask more.

I was also wondering if you could elaborate on what you meant about ruining shoes.

Megg

Well, I don't know that much about Clogging; only what I've seen and what I've played with (really, just the basic step that would be comparable to shuffle step, shuffle step, shuffle step, ball change in tap)...but I would guess that the "buck dancers" here aren't doing it right. They wear cloggin shoes, but all they do is stomp around in time to the music...literally STOMP, flat-footed, and kick, but there are no "steps." Seems like it could loosen and/or crack their taps.

Buck dancing emphasizes percussive rhythms with a greater use of the heel and toe. The style uses a greater bent leg position that distinguishes it from "shuffle" clogging.

for instance a clogging basic is double step rock step
a buck basic is double step heel ball heel ball
or double step toe ball heel ball


Buck dancing is usually used in clogging. This may also help you:

TRADITIONAL CLOGGING TERMINOLOGY
All traditional clogging steps are made up of some combination of the following basic movements. The movements themselves fall into two groups -Toe Movements and Heel Movements. Each Toe Movement occurs on an upbeat of the music and is followed by a Heel Movement which occurs on the downbeat of the music. There are no silent or syncopated beats in Traditional Clogging. The rhythm of the dance is kept by the heel. Anytime the heel is sounded, the knee is flexed and then straightened on the following upbeat, resulting in the characteristic up and down motion of the dancer's body.

The word "click" is used in the descriptions below to indicate that a tap has contacted the floor. All clicks should have a sharp, clear sound, not scuffed or muffled.

HEEL MOVEMENTS These fall on the downbeat (or bass beat) of the music

HEEL
The weight of the body is already on the ball of the foot when the HEEL movement is done. Snap the heel down, producing a sharp click, and flex the knee downward, distributing the body weight along the entire length of the foot.

STEP
Place the entire foot flat on the floor, producing a click with the toe tap and the heel tap at the same time and transferring the body weight along the full length of the foot while flexing the knee downward.

SLIDE
A down and forward counterpart of the up and back motion of the DRAG (see TOE MOVEMENTS). With the foot flat on the floor and the knee straight, roll your weight up onto the ball of the foot, letting your knee begin to go slack. As the weight of your body begins to drop forward and down, let the instinctive tightening of your thigh muscles save you from a fall by sliding your foot forward (bout the length of your foot) and then letting your heel snap down, producing the click and redistributing your weight along the whole length of your foot. At the end of the SLIDE the knee will be in a flexed position. (Also can be done with both feet on the floor in the same manner.)

TOE MOVEMENTS These fall on the upbeat of the music

TOE
The ball of the foot produces a click while the heel remains out of contact with the floor. TOE implies that the body weight has been transferred to the ball of the foot. The knee should be basically straight.

DOUBLE TOE
Two clicks are produced in the space of on upbeat of music. The ball of the foot strikes the floor during the forward motion of a short kick and the knee straightens (ankle is relaxed and foot angles downward). The knee bends upward immediately and the same foot swings backward with the ball of the foot striking the floor again in the same spot. The heel should not touch the floor. The two motions of the foot are considered to be one movement with no hesitation between them. Normally, the clicks occur slightly in front of the body, but they may be done in other directions as well.

ROCK
A click is produced by transferring the weight onto the ball of the foot slightly behind the body's center of gravity. The knee is in a flexed position at first, causing the body's weight to "rock" back slightly as the center of gravity changes. The opposite foot is always lifted off the floor during a ROCK. The heel of the foot doing the ROCK does not touch the floor, but the knee does straighten.

BRUSH
The foot is allowed to swing from the knee with a pendulum action. The ball of the foot produces a click by striking the floor and continuing in the direction of the swing (which may be to the front, to the rear, or crossing in front or in back of the opposite leg). Movement comes from the hip and the knee joint, and the knee of the BRUSHing foot always bends upward following the click (at the same time as the following heel movement).

DRAG
The foot is flat on the floor and the knee is flexed when the DRAG begins. With a springing motion which moves the weight of the body up and back, straighten the knee allowing momentum to lift you heel slightly off the floor and drag your foot back about half the length of the foot. The weight is distributed along the length of the foot at the end of the movement and there is no distinctive click. (This can also be done with both feet on the floor in the same manner )

NOTE: Much of what is considered to be "traditional" clog dance styling depends on the part of Appalachia the definitions come from, but the following points are frequently raised:

Smooth flowing motions with a constant DRAG-SLIDE incorporated into the footwork- no head bobbing, no arm waving, no jumpy or jerky body actions.

Feet no more than 6 to 8 inches off the floor- no one but the floor should see the bottom of your clog shoes. No silent or syncopated beats -toe movements are executed on upbeats and heel movements on downbeats.



CONTEMPORARY CLOGGING TERMINOLOGY

Since clogging is a living folk dance, part of what the dance is will be defined by what folks are dancing at any given time. Accordingly, new movements and new ways of using traditional movements are constantly being developed. As well, liberties are being taken with the "rule" of toe movements on upbeats and heel movements on downbeats. At the same time, however, try to remain aware that there is a distinction between what is traditional and what is contemporary so that you can keep your students informed (as well as happy!).

With the above points in mind, the following are the Contemporary Clogging Movements you'll se around the clogging floor these days:

HOP
An extension of SLIDE used in describing any upward motion that causes both feet to lose contact with the floor. The hop occurs with the upward motion taking place on the upbeat of the music and the click produced on the bass beat when the foot comes back into contact with the floor. The knee is flexed downward as you land. Landing after the hop may take place on the same foot that did the push off into the air, or the HOP may be used to change the weight to the opposite foot depending on the demands of the step being done. A foot designator L or R beneath the word HOP on a cuesheet would indicate the foot change.

SLUR
Feet will be slightly apart when a SLUR begins. On the upbeat, draw the toe tap along the floor (giving a slurred tap sound) toward the weight-bearing foot (usually ending across in back). Drop the heel to the floor producing a click on the bass beat. Originally SLUR was separated from the following beat, but today most choreographers assume that you will automatically include the heel sound when using the term SLUR.

CLICK
Describes a motion where the sides of your clogging shoes are touches together. As with slur, most choreographers assume that you will click your heels together on an upbeat and then sound a heel tap on the following bass beat. Several varieties of CLICK exist today and are further defined by the styling terms provided with the step.

KICK
A variation of the BRUSH that simply omits the sound of the toe tap by eliminating any contact with the floor. Leg motion and action is the same as the BRUSH.

STOMP
A strongly accented flatfoot step taking the full weight of the foot.

TOUCH
A term used to imply the same sound and motion as that of a TOE, but the foot ins immediately picked up again without transferring the body weight to that foot.

STAMP
A flatfooted TOUCH

BREAK
The entire side of the foot has been turned sideways and away from the other foot to become flush with the floor. Weight is borne by the other foot.

PIVOT
Describes a motion on the ball of the foot in a given direction. Usually occurs on the upbeat and does not necessarily include dropping the heel on the following bass beat. Therefore, the next intended movement should be written out as well.

PULL
Indicated that the dancer will "scrape" the tip of the clogging shoe along the floor usually toward the other foot. Can be done from the rear, from across in back, from across in front, etc.



BUCK DANCE TERMINOLOGY
Buck Dancing has come to be recognized in clogging circles as a specific style of dancing that differs from flat-footing in that a buck dancer keeps his weight on the balls of the feet and produces clicks by the interchanging of heel and toe movements to make what has been described as a "patter" sound. In the mountains of West Virginia, where I come from, the term "buck dancing" is used to describe any solo freestyle dancing -whether it be traditional clogging, flat-foot or otherwise. By the same token, dancing with a partner is known as a "buck and wing" dance. .

The terms outlined below are used to described movements used in the heel -toe dance style commonly known as "buck dancing":

BALL
The transfer of the body weight in a stepping motion to the ball of the foot with the knee bent slightly.

BOUNCE
The same as BALL, but with a hopping motion instead of a stepping motion. You may BOUNCE on the same foot or use it to change from one foot to another .

DIG
A step (transfer of body weight) onto the hack edge of the heel.

FLANGE
A term used to indicate that the dancer has completely turned the foot over and outward to bring the area of the shoe which covers the last two toes flush with the floor. The heel is aimed upward and weight is borne by the other foot

FLICK
A short back BRUSH of the toe tap (usually following a heel sound from the same foot)

HIT
A touch of the back edge of the heel tap to the floor without any transfer of weight to the floor

POINT
A touch of the tip of the shoe (NOT the ball of the foot) to the floor behind the body (or across in front or in back of the opposite foot, etc.)

SKUFF
A short forward brush with the heel tap striking the floor. Normally, the front portion of the heel tap is the area which produces the click.

SKUFFLE
A short forward and back brush which produces two sounds from the heel tap in one beat of music (&a).

SLIP
A forward chug on the ball of the foot only -no heel tap sound is produced.

SNAP From a foot flat on the floor (normally done as a part of the DRAG on the same foot), the toe of the foot is raised slightly and then immediately dropped again to produce a sound of the toe tap.

Beautifully done, Jessica, beautifully done!

TapEstry -- it seems as if the "shuffle step, shuffle step, shuffle step, ball change" would be the equivalent of the "Lone Ranger" or "Alamo" in Traditional lingo and the "triple" in modern clogging lingo.

Some people consider the "Basic step" or the "Basic" to be:
Shuffle step, rock/ball step or, in Tap words, Shuffle step, ball change.

Good questions!

For grins and giggles, check out the Tennessee Walking step, a four-count step using the equivalent of 16th notes for each "sound" that the foot produces.

OK,
I did tap for quite a while so I can see where you're comming from. BUT... After I quit that I wen't to clogging and never looked back. You have obviously not done much or you would know that it is way harder that tap, and that buck dancing is a different type of clogging commonly mistaken for a harder version of clogging. Cloggers have many different stlyes unlike tap who can only shuffle off one foot at at time while we can do both. But the way I see it, if you have no idea what you're talking about you need to keep your mouth shut!!!!

Hmmm -- I think I missed something here... because somebody sounds all fired up and angry...

First of all, welcome to Dance.net. We strive to be a happy bunch here. Second of all, I'm so happy that you're so enthusiastic about clogging, third of all, I am quite unsure to whom you're directing all this vim and vinegar. Hopefully it isn't me.

I am quite interested in what you learned in tap, in comparison to your knowledge in clogging. I had the privilege of learning from someone quite special -- she had a great admiration of all percussive dance styles, not only Clogging, but Cape Breton, Quebecqois... She had taken Tap, all through her youth years, and then, later, She was learning modern clogging, when she was exposed to the traditional style. I had the privilege of studying with her for a number of years, and even becoming a member of the performance group on our clogging team. She shared some tap with us, steps that turned out to be quite interesting. E.g., the "flam-diddles, and the "para-flam diddles.

So, please release your finger from the trigger and kindly share with us what's getting your back up. Also, how did you like the buck steps that All That did in their performance on America's Got Talent?

S.

Blondiebunch2000 wrote:

But the way I see it, if you have no idea what you're talking about you need to keep your mouth shut!!!!

I most wholeheartedly agree.

I have done both tap and clogging (mostly tap though) and in my experience, the vast of majority of movements in tap and clogging can only be done on one foot at a time (wings and pickups and double-footed things in general) because YOU NEED A SUPPORTING FOOT. You know, that thing you place your weight on when you're doing something with the other foot. Unless you're hooked up to some sort of cable from the ceiling...?

NB I do not consider a fast changeover of weight (ie "double beat" one one foot and then a heel on the other) as "tapping with both feet at the same time" because technically it's not.

I have been trained in a large number of dance forms - tap, jazz, funk, hiphop, contemporary, flamenco, belly dance, salsa - and have found them all unique and challenging in their own different ways. Naturally some people will find some dance forms easier than others (genetics, personal style, personal likes and teacher/studio etc) but I think it's a huge overgeneralisation and lack of experience that leads one to say "oh ____ is so much harder than _____".

Have you ever seen Matt Sexton clog? He does indeed look as though he is suspended from a cable - ha! I don't think I have ever seen feet fly so fast!

Buck is just...fun! And fast!

Glitter -- how cool you've done both! I must admit, I am kind of lost with that last line in this comment, well, shout:

"Blondiebunch2000 wrote:

But the way I see it, if you have no idea what you're talking about you need to keep your mouth shut!!!!"

There are some movies that Gene Kelly danced in, and I was sure that both of his feet were moving at the same time. Of course, what with Gene Kelly, I just look at him (his feet) and drool, and wish I was half as talented as he was. I also learned from a number of sources that Tap is a close kissing cousin of Clogging.

"in my experience, the vast of majority of movements in tap and clogging can only be done on one foot at a time (wings and pickups and double-footed things in general) because YOU NEED A SUPPORTING FOOT. You know, that thing you place your weight on when you're doing something with the other foot."

-- this caused me to crack up quite a bit...

There are just SO many different names for things -- some traditional cloggers call ds ds ds r/s an "alamo." Others call that same step a "lone ranger." Modern cloggers call it a "triple."

I tried to find the notation for the "Tennessee Walking Step" in Ira Bernstein's book on Clogging and Flatfooting -- came up with the four-count step. well, anyway, both feet are on the ground, and you're either scuffing, chugging, or brushing:

1: step on Right
e: Heel scuff forward on left
&: chug backwards on right -- with a toe-lift
a: brush back on the left
2: step on left
e: heel scuff on the right
&: chug back on left -- optional toe-lift
a: brush back on the right

etc.

Or, there are always the double chugs, or drag-slides. But, I've noticed from when one of my mother's friends were over, tappers Do do chugs. I think it's just wild, because it seems to my uneducated eyes that tap dancing has its' own styles the way clogging does.

Interesting -- ya learn new stuff every day! That's the FUN part about it!!
Bob Macke Dance company:
members.aol.com . . .

hmm! This site looks really cool!

gah ok I'm stupid. I mentioned in my last post that "blahblahblah in general", when I meant to say "IN EXCEPTION TO THIS RULE ARE...". There are definately movements in both clogging and tap where you'd be moving both feet at the same time, they usually include some sort of jump or "stand" though (I know this movement in tap called a drive riff, it's where you end up with front foot balancing on heel, the back foot balancing on toe, I'm sure there's a clogging equivalent). Gene Kelly liked to include a lot of jazz movements in his choreography, so you'll see a lot of barrel turns etc (and then, his entire body is well off the floor ).

Shadow - I do feel lucky to have done both, even though I feel I've done almost zero clogging in comparison to my tap (which is essentially my forte). However I strive to explore and respect every dance form I come across (at recent count it's over 15 different styles, whoo) and ever anxious to explore more! I feel you have nothing to lose and everything to gain from trying new things. Every dance form is special in its own right, and as they all have vastly different cultural and historical roots I find it pure stupidity to try and compare one to another in a "this is better than the other" kind of way... there weren't ever on the same level to begin with!

*headdesk* I can't quite understand how and why some people feel the need to claim one dance form is better than another in the first place - it's like trying to claim one human race is better than another. We're all different. All dance forms are different. Accept it, love it for what it is, and move on...

"gah ok I'm stupid. I mentioned in my last post that "blahblahblah in general", when I meant to say "IN EXCEPTION TO THIS RULE ARE...".

-- NO putting yourself down in my company. That is strictly NOT allowed! Glitter, I'm quite confident that you have a very solid background in dance, and have explored quite a few styles. Besides, we're only human... I'll only expect perfection from you in your next incarnation...

In my perspective there are SO many different kinds of step dancing styles, and, these days, there are places where they rather overlap... There are clogging dances that have some Irish in them, there are clogging dances with some Cape Breton steps, I saw a clogging dance where I would swear that there was a couple of Quebecqois riffs...

"I know this movement in tap called a 'drive riff'"

-- welll, PLEASE! By all means, SHARE!!! That sounds like a completely awesome step! Do you slide with it?

"Every dance form is special in its own right, and as they all have vastly different cultural and historical roots..."

^^ That sounds like an extremely intelligent woman speaking...

On this note, I'm very curious to see how Tap Buck compares with Clogging Buck. I noticed some basic Buck combinations on that tap page link that I featured, and I tried to do some of them -- but I didn't see any toe-heel. I'm sure I missed it... I know with tap one has the option of dancing on the upbeat... whereas, most of the time (with exceptions, of course ) cloggers dance on the downbeat.

Don't you wish your life was twice as long, so you could experience as many dance styles available as possible? Wow! Wouldn't that be somethin'!!

{{Glitter}}

S.

with the drive rift - it's more of a balance movement but it is VERY similar to the position taken when sliding, but the back foot is on the ball of the foot rather than the toe (acting more like a "breaker" rather than "emergency break", if you will )

I'm not familiar with "buck" style tap (sounds American though) but not suprised to find it exists. With the exception of the competition-based dance forms (eg "modern" irish dance as opposed to traditional ceili/figures) and classical ballet, all dance forms freely evolve and are greatly affected by geographical location/cultural influences.

with upbeats and downbeats, tap dancers of an advanced level should also be able to dance across the beat, alternating between rhythms... OH actually I'll tell you about this thing in Flamenco... this is a bit random but somewhat related to beats.

There is a dance called "Sevillanas" and whilst I haven't had the opportunity to check, I'm pretty sure is a 4/4 piece of music (emphasis on first count I think). The choreography is across the bar in a 6/8 count (eg step touch step touch, swing foot behind), and the CASTANET RHYTHM go in a 3/4 rhythm on top of this ("Pi Ta Ri-a Ri-a"). It's crazy! lol



One last thing about tap notes - some tap syllabi call a "toe heel" a "ball heel" (and similarly, "heel ball" in lieu of "heel toe").

Going back to the original poster, the clogging taps "Stevens Stompers" are also referred to as "Buck Taps", because that's what you are supposed to do with them! It's not damaging the shoes or the taps at all.

A problem we run into is that lack of a standard in the names and notations of the steps, another regional issue, I guess. Once the instructor shows us the step we can say "Oh, that's a push-off" or whatever. But, nothing to lose any sleep over.

Styles vary in clogging. Where we are, Texas, we've seen the old fashioned "petticoat clogging", jigging, broadway flavor, the newer hip-hop stuff that Matt Sexton always brings with him, Canadian, etc. I love the diversity in all dance forms!