CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Carolina Classic Cloggers has been around since the 1990s, and members are happy to be clogging again after the pandemic. 

Cathey Franklin started the group that has seven seniors ranging from their 50s to late 70s making music with their feet.

“Rhythm, music, community, joy,” said Franklin. “I saw clogging at the North Carolina State Fair when I was in my 20s, and I’ve always been a rhythm and music nut.”

The American folk dance takes influences from all over the world, and first landed in America in the Appalachian Mountains in the 1920s, according to clogging experts.

Franklin says when she started Carolina Classic Cloggers, more clogging groups in the Charlotte region were enjoying the art, but since then the groups have faded away.

Franklin says she hopes Carolina Classic Cloggers can encourage other seniors to stay active and get involved in a hobby they enjoy.

The group performs at fundraising and community events free of charge.

“Just to see the joy that it brings to people’s faces. There’s nothing like it. That in itself is our reward, is the joy that we bring to the community and hope to bring for years to come.”