THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, July 14, 1994 TAG: 9407130142
SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN PAGE: 20 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY FRANK ROBERTS, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: FRANKLIN LENGTH: Medium: 70 lines
Jeff Hill's advertising budget for the County Line Cloggers is $0.00.
``Most of the shows we do are the result of word-of-mouth,'' Hill said. ``That's how we got to Kings Dominion.''
Hill's young troupers clogged there Saturday morning, on a stage sandwiched between the theme park's fountain area and its mini-Eiffel Tower.
``The kids had a great time,'' he said. So did the Dominion. ``They've asked us to come back sometime in the fall.''
How did they get there in the first place? Good, old word-of-mouth.
``We danced at the Smithfield Ham and Gourmet (Food) Festival in April,'' Hill said. ``Kings Dominion had representatives there. Then they contacted us. Put on a good show and people will contact you.''
They obviously put on a good show at the theme park, turning up the heat on a heat-choking day, entertaining family and friends who came along, plus Kings Dominion visitors who stopped by to satisfy their curiosity and stayed on to enjoy the performance.
It is a high-energy, variety-filled show mixing the traditional with the music of today.
``The mix makes for a better, more well-rounded show,'' Hill said. ``It's better than just getting up there, lining up and dancing. Clogging is an old-style form of dancing. And we've taken some of the pop and rock songs the kids love.''
Some of the Saturday numbers that are seldom affiliated with clogging groups included ``Hit Man,'' the theme from ``Beverly Hills Cop'' and, from that same movie, ``Be There.''
Traditional numbers included ``Kameula Breakdown'' and ``I'm Ready To Go.''
The County Line Cloggers are always ready to go. They do about 30 shows a year, mostly local. Some involve travel, including the Orange Blossom Hoedown Festival in Orlando and two gigs at the State Fair in Richmond.
One thing they do not do very often is get involved in competitions.
``I'd rather see the audience smile than have someone else tell us we do a good job,'' Hill said. ``We know we do a good job - audience reaction.''
The reaction Saturday at Kings Dominion was typically enthusiastic, he said.
Hill said his dancers are not marathon-minded.
``Some teams get up and dance one number for 12 minutes,'' he said. ``Our dances last about three minutes each. You watch any one thing for too long, you get bored. We don't want people to get bored with us.''
The nine-year-old group, which boasts 57 active dancers and more than 120 students, meets in the old State Theater in downtown Franklin.
Basic lessons will start Sept. 12.
``If you have two left feet, I'll sell you two left shoes,'' Hill said. ``I'll make a dancer out of anyone who can move.''
The County Line age range is 3 to ``she won't tell me,'' he said, referring to 60-plus Hazel Clark.
``We were doing a July 4 dance in Branchville a few years ago,'' Hill said. ``She decided to join us.''
Another student became Mrs. Jeff Hill about two years ago.
``That,'' he said, ``won't happen again.'' MEMO: For information on the County Line Cloggers, call 357-3765.
ILLUSTRATION: Photo by FRANK ROBERTS
The County Line Cloggers entertain energetically at Kings Dominion
despite the heat. The dancers have been invited back to give another
performance in the fall.
by CNB