By Joel Frady

The sound of tap shoes - approximately 80 pairs of them - will fill the auditorium at Ashe County High School

in West Jefferson this weekend when the Fleet Feet Cloggers prepare their annual show. The group, formed more than a decade ago by Kitty and Larry Honeycutt, features dancers from age four to 74 that will take the stage at 7 p.m. on Saturday, May 23, and again at 2 p.m. on Sunday, May 24.

Kitty Honeycutt said that the group performs around 10 to 15 times annually at different events, but this weekend's performance is their biggest show. Lessons are held in the gym of the old West Jefferson Elementary School from 5 to 8 p.m. on Monday and from 5 to 9 p.m. on Tuesdays, and the dancers are divided into seven groups based on clogging experience. Each year, they meet from the middle of August through the Christmas in July festival the following year. Approximately half the group is comprised of adults and the Cloggers have competed on both the state and national levels.

Larry Honeycutt said the group was formed approximately 12 years ago when, he, along with his wife, decided to teach their daughter how to clog.

"They we started teaching other kids, too," he said, and the group grew. He said that they teach "the history of clogging and the traditional, old-time clogging" along with more modern techniques.

Kitty Honeycutt said that, through teaching the old-time style, "it drives us to keep the tradition of our mountain heritage alive and well since this is where it started." She noted that they also try to teach "things other than clogging" and instill self-esteem and a sense of community into their students.

"Working with the dancers is a family event for us," said Kitty Honeycutt. "The people we have gotten to know over the last 12 years have become a second family to us."

Saturday's show will feature performances from all seven divisions of Fleet Feet Cloggers, as well as numbers featuring all 80 dancers at the finale.

In addition to the clogging, Larry Honeycutt said that the show will feature "characters and skits.

"We try to entertain people with that part," along with the dancing, he said. "We blend in a lot of other talent, along with our clogging show, to keep people entertained."

The show will also function as a fundraiser for the Project Graduation program at Ashe County High School that coordinates a safe, alcohol-free celebration for graduating students to enjoy. He noted that three of the group's dancers are graduating this year.

Above all, however, he said that he thinks the audience "will be entertained and impressed to see what some of the best clogging there is looks like."

Admission to the show is $6 for adults and $2 for children, and there will also be a silent auction. To find out more about the Fleet Feet Cloggers, contact Kitty Honeycutt at (336) 982-3272.