Dance

Traditional dance includes Southern squares, Round dances, New England contra dances, English country dancing, clogging, and flatfooting, just for starters.  Many communities had a dance tradition that included some or all of these forms.  Today you can access a wide dance community through web sites such as the Country Dance & Song Society and the Lloyd Shaw Foundation.  For more about square dances, go to Square Dance History.

Back Step Cindy plays for regular dances in the Washington, DC, Baltimore, and Annapolis area and occasionally travels to play for other dances and dance weekends outside this area.  We are happy to talk with you about playing for your dance.  Go to the Contact page for more information.

Kim Forry and Jan Scopel are world-class flatfoot step dancers and we are thrilled that they’ve added their percussion on Back Step Cindy’s new CD. They flatfoot on two numbers:  On   No. 1, Shelvin’ Rock, each takes a turn on the dance board each time through the tune. On No. 7, Cricket on the Hearth, they again alternate, including the “breaks”, but they dance together on the last time through the “B” part.  Perhaps you can you hear the difference between the two dancers?

Both of their styles have been heavily influenced by the team precision clogging style of the Green Grass Cloggers of North Carolina and the solo flatfooting style of Ira Bernstein, Eileen Carson Shatz, Rodney Sutton, and the contemporary clog stepper Burton Edwards.

Jan was a longtime member of the Footloose Cloggers of Washington, DC.   Kim was a co-founder of the Feet First Cloggers of York, PA.  Both toured internationally as team members and now, as solo step dancers. Kim and Jan have been regular ribbon winners in regional and national flatfooting contests, including the Appalachian String Band Music Festival at Clifftop, WV.

Together, Kim and Jan are known as “Step Jam” a clogging/flatfooting music and dance duo leading workshops and performances at festivals, concerts and private events throughout the Mid-Atlantic region, such as   “Watermelon Park Festival”, “Kennedy Center”, and ” Del Fest” to name a few.

Kim also is an experienced Square and Contra dance caller and calls for regularly scheduled dances in the Mid- Atlantic region. She enjoys the frivolity of teaching beginning dancers at Barn Dances, fund raising community events, as well as private parties. She instructs dances for school events with grades K-12 as well as Senior Centers.  She’d love to introduce or further your knowledge of this type of American Traditional dancing.

Jan has been president of the Annapolis Traditional Dance Society  for over ten years, and hosts the monthly Contra /Square Dance. He plays the bodhran (Irish frame drum) and rhythm guitar for regional dances.  He can be reached at janscope@hotmail.com

For more information about Kim and Jan go to their Soles in Motion WEB site.  Kim can be reached directly by e-mail.