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14 -- PORT PERRY STAR -- Tuesday, December 13, 1988 ~The Littlest Clogger has 'dancing in her blood Amber-Jewell Heayn, the littlest clogger, could dance almost before she could walk. At least that's what her parents, Vickie and Bill Heayn of Scugog Island, say. Now all of six years old, Am- ber-Jewell is the youngest mem- ber of one of Canada's most popu- lar clogging show teams, A Step In Time. : Although the team is based in Oshawa, founding artistic director Darryl Linnington, 21, points out that six of its 11 members live in the Scugog area. "To a large extent," he explains, "Port Perry has been our back- bone." A Step In Time was founded in January 1987 with a handful of members and now, almost two years later, boasts 120 (only 11 are members of the group's show team). - Recently, three more cloggers were added to the team, including Amber-Jewell who started in Sep- tember. The Grade One student at Prince Albert Public School was intro- duced to clogging by her grand- mother, Betty Heayn, who thought the dancing would appeal to Amber-Jewell, and promptly signed her up. Vickie says, "I thought Amber would be too shy to do it," but MEATING PLACE -- OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK -- 5 180 QUEEN ST., PORT PERRY -- Phone 985-2818 BAKERY - DELICATESSEN - FRESH MEAT - COFFEE SHOP gel Qe SRN (BR E-]{=]TaV.VH:; Having an office party or entertaining for the holidays? Leave the work and worry of food preparation to us! For your dining pleasure we can supply ... MEAT or CHEESE TRAYS (over 40 kinds of cheese) VEGETABLE & PICKLE TRAYS B.B.(. CHICKEN & HOT BUFFET ENTREES including ... Beef Stroganoff, Sweet & Sour Meatballs, Lasagna, etc. A full selection of CHRISTMAS PASTRIES oe from our EUROPEAN BAKERY the youngster obviously doesn't mind dancing in front of large crowds. "She obviously has music in her bones or something," Amber- Jewell's mom adds. "I don't have to ask her to practise--I have to: make her quit. Formally, Amber-Jewell practis- es with other show team members between four and five hours a week, but the littlest clogger uses every spare minute to practise--in the living room, in the kitchen, in her bedroom--all the time. "Cause I like dancing," she says with a shy smile. Next summer, there's a good chance Amber-Jewell will be tour- ing Canada with the rest of the team, dancing at venues like the Pacific Exhibition in Vancouver, the Calgary Stampede, the Big Valley Jamboree in Saskatchewan, and the Festival by the Sea in St. John, New Brunswick. Darryl is still confirming dates, but expects the troupe will be on the road from June to September. In November, the team will be going to Nashville, Tennessee. It was the only Canadian team invit- ed to participate in what Darryl calls "a kind of clogging extrava- ganza"---sort of a mammoth clog- ging convention with attendance by invitation only. Last year A Step In Time per- Food Baskets are available for Holiday Gift Giving. formed sixty times--and in almost every case, they were paid (unless they were doing benefit dates). The money isn't enough for members to get rich on, Darryl says, but it does pay expenses. Cloggers on the team stay in the best hotels and eat in the finest re- staurants while on tour. And although there are other clogging teams across the country (especially in Eastern Canada, where it is extremely popular), A Step In Time is doing well be- cause its members, specifically Darryl, are agressive in pursuit of bookings. "There are other people who are sitting back and waiting for some- one to knock on their door," he says. "We're going out and knock- ing on doors. With the way things are going, Darryl believes that as early as next summer, clogging members will be able to rely on their danc- ing for income. But money, of course, is not why clogging is so popular. "It's a very family-oriented kind of activity," Darryl says. "There's definitely a real spirit of friendli- ness that abounds in clogging. It attracts the kind of people who can let their hair down and have a good time." Audiences also love to watch cloggers in action but Darryl isn't sure why. "It's definitely infectious, but it would be neat to find out exactly why people like it so much. I'd love to have a psychologist sit in the audience and figure out just why it is so popular." Clogging is performed to coun- try and western style music with a lively beat, and its roots stem from step dancing. Cloggers wear bright costumes and special clog- ging shoes (although Amber- Jewell hasn't got a pair yet--she still relies on her good old reliable tap shoes). Amber-Jewell has taken to clog- ging like a duck to water. Her first performances were at the prestig- ious Royal Winter Fair, and al- ready her mom says "It's in her blood. She can't stop clogging now." Other members of the team in-. clude Carol Doyle, Tracey Doyle, Karen Doyle, Pat Millson, Da- nielle Millson, Barry Van Camp, Sheree Gagnon, Diane Richard, Wendy Collingwood and Karen Knight. =~ ~ "Rocking around the Christmas tree" at the home of Bill and Vickie Heayn of Scugog Island Is "the lit- tlest clogger"--six year old Amber-Jewell Heayn, and the founding artistic director of one of Canada's most . popular clogging teams, Darryl Linnington. If all goes according to plan, Amber-Jewell, Darryl and the other members of A Step In Time will be touring Canada and parts of the United States with thelr dazzling clogging shows. See story for detalls. The Most Loved Film Of AliTime At last on videocassette from MCA. ning seaso - HOLIDAY HOURS - ee Christmas Eve - 11 AM to 9 PM r=. Py Christmas Day -- CLOSED « A December 26 - 11 AM to 1 AM (By New Years Eve - 11 AM to 2 AM AN . . . that makes Square Boy pizza taste so good. 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