The Voice of the Key Peninsula

Tapping feet hit the floor on Monday evenings at the Key Peninsula Civic Center as cloggers practice fancy footwork to a variety of music from hip-hop to country western. Clogging is an American form of step dance that has roots in the Appalachian Mountains.

The group began at Olympic College in Bremerton with six students from the Key Peninsula. With local interest in the dance form and the suitability of the Key Peninsula Civic Center as a venue for classes, husband and wife instructors Mike and Watona Williams decided to start clogging classes at the civic center where they have been team teaching for the past nine years.

Men and boys usually make up about 20 to 25 percent of the group, and their ages in the past have ranged from 6 to 88. Children 8 and under must be accompanied by a parent or guardian, and the youngest current clogger is 10.

Watona teaches beginner level classes, which are typically offered twice a year usually winter and spring. Easy intermediate level classes are flexible and are offered year round. Steps are not difficult to learn. The class size is limited to 16 students.

Mike William’s said, “Anyone can come in and after six months they can do most anything. Sometimes it only takes four months. You can dance as hard or light as you want. It’s not as pounding as it looks.”

Sixty-seven year-old Maryann McDonald of Longbranch is currently the oldest member in the class. She has been clogging for almost 9 years and goes every Monday.

“Clogging is a lot of fun and is great exercise,” she said. “I gave up playing Bunco to dance. It is low impact exercise. Achilles tendinitis slowed me down for a while, but I was still able to dance. We have bunches of fun.”

Dress for exercise. Taps are not required for class, but are needed for performance dances. Watona installs taps on tennis shoes. Jingle taps are installed with Shoe Goo, and these taps don’t mark the floor.

Practice is every Monday evening from 6 to 8:30 p.m. The charge is by the quarter, or a $5 fee for an evening.

Spectators are welcome.

For more information or to sign up for classes, contact Mike and Watona Williams at

360-792-0631 or email them at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. "> This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .