Footwork dancing is known in the Appalachian region by many names: clogging, buckdancing, flatfooting, hoedowning, or jigging. African-American, Native American, and European-American footwork styles blended over the centuries to produce styles of dancing that vary from one community to the next.

Cherokee traditional dances, often using the movements of animals such as the bear, beaver, or quail, were originally performed before a hunt, to give thanks to the animal for providing food, clothing, and tools. Today the dances are performed to demonstrate our close connection with the natural environment.

Since the 1840s, people have come from the mainland of Europe--Switzerland, Croatia, Bulgaria, Italy, and Hungary--to live and work in the Appalachian region and have brought their own dance traditions with them. The rich heritage of Appalachian dance continues to evolve as Hispanics, Hmong, Indians, Pakistanis, and people of other nationalities make the region their home.