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The Dancing! Besides the famous chicken dance, performed 400-plus times during six-and-a-half weekends, Big Bear Lake Oktoberfest features specialty dance groups every weekend. 2008 features an encore performance of the highly-acclaimed Cripple Creek Cloggers on October 4-5. The group’s performance is always an Oktoberfest highlight, drawing standing ovations from audiences thrilled by the fast-flying feet action. The renowned dancers have brought their foot-stomping energy to audiences through the Southland, including shows at the Los Angeles and Orange County Fairs and at the Irvine Harvest Festival. From stages at Disneyland to appearing at Southern California Clogging Association exhibitions in Ontario, Cripple Creek Cloggers has introduced this peppy dance to style to delighted audiences everywhere. For three years running Cripple Creek Cloggers has won overall adult titles during competitions in Arizona, and the group will dance at the National Clogging Convention in San Diego over Thanksgiving weekend. Clogging is best described as a cross between country western and tap dancing. It began as just a shuffle across a backwoods porch, but over the years ethnic groups have blended into clogging everything from Irish jigs to traditional African-American dances, and now true clogging includes standard steps that everyone does. The 20 member group plans to debut a new Irish-theme routine, “Strings of Fire” at Big Bear Oktoberfest. It will also present “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy,” a dance that helped it win in Arizona. Two Cripple Creek Cloggers are currently vying in competitions to appear on the hit television show “America’s Got Talent,” having made it to the top 40 teams. Cripple Creek Cloggers are scheduled to perform at 2 and 5 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 4, plus 2 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 5. Big Bear’s own Joyful Noise Cloggers will also perform on Saturdays, Sept. 20 and Oct. 11, at 5 p.m.
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