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The Fire-on-the-Mountain Cloggers
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The “
There are over 150 different ethnic foods, including Lebanese shish
kabobs and tabouli, Cajun 
gumbo and boudain,
Belgian mussels, Filipino lumpia, El Salvadoran pupusas, and Scotch eggs.
In addition to mouth-watering food for every culture, this three-day festival
features ten stages of exciting entertainment, as well as “Back
Forty” craft demonstrators: egg
decorating, blacksmithing, whittling, bread making, and more. The Fire on the Mountain Cloggers
have proudly participated in the Texas Folklife Festival for over twenty-four years. June 2006 marked the 35th festival, as well
as the 12th anniversary of a tradition which our team began.
In 1994 Fire on the Mountain Cloggers initiated the
“Giant Routine” which has become an annual ritual at the Texas Folklife Festival. 
We invite various ethnic groups to participate in a routine during one
of our performances at the Festival. 
Each culture designates one couple to represent them during this grand
routine. Although each dancer
demonstrates traditional steps from his or her ethnicity, the participants are
unified by common figures accompanied by bluegrass music. Fire on the Mountain Cloggers
dance alongside German and Scottish folk dancers. Lebanese and Ukrainian, as well as Belgian
and Norwegian, dancers display their elaborate costumes and intricate
steps. Hawaiian dancers hula in time
with the fast-paced music. Chinese
Lion Dancers wave multicolored streamers as they glide gracefully across
the stage. Dutch Klompendancers proudly flaunt their wooden shoes and
authentic costumes from 
The lively procession becomes a magical blend of ethnic cultures
following one steady rhythm. The
colorful group merges into a traditional mountain figure known as Rise and
Shine, where each couple gets to showcase steps of their choosing as they travel
down the center of the stage. Intermingling
of ethnic groups is common as Fire on the Mountain Cloggers
sometimes partner with Norwegian Vikings and Irish feet keep time with
Polish. Smiling faces fill the stands
and the crowd applauds for each couple that dances past. The Fire on the Mountain Cloggers’
Giant Routine is truly a group effort that represents the Texas Folklife Festival at its best, a tradition we hope to
continue for many years to come.
Mark
your calendars for Folklife 2008!! The Festival takes place
For more info
on the Texas Folklife Festival, visit www.texancultures.utsa.edu/tff
