United We Clog! - Double Toe Times

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thing in the world,” Cook said. “He tried it for a little bit, but told me, ‘I don’t think this is for me.’” Clogging soon became his passion. “My brother started at the age of 10,” Brad Berry said. “He used to impersonate Michael Jackson and kind of got in (dance) that way. I did try tap dancing a year and a half after him. I didn’t feel comfortable, but I knew I wanted to do something similar. Clogging felt more comfortable to me. ... Once I got into clogging, I was just able to pick that up easier, as far as the body language.” He and his brother both found success with Joanne’s School of Dance, Brad winning a half dozen national clogging championships through Rising Star, and his brother capturing several national tap-dancing titles. Their mother said they were offered contracts at the age of 16 by Opryland in Nashville, Tenn., but “we didn’t take them up on that because they were still in high school. At that point, I thought this was serious. I always told them, ‘You may have to wait tables and dance in community theater.’” Instead, they were offered their first professional jobs with Common Ground, an Atlanta-based troupe of Irish step dancers. “They took off and they’ve been professional dancers ever since. They’re both doing exactly what they want to do now.” Brad Berry has made a profession of the dance form because “he’s a dedicated young man,” Cook said. Speakman said she signed her sons up for Cook’s dance school after Bryan Berry struggled academically. “He had such a hard time in school,” she said. “He couldn’t do anything right. ... One day he called and said, ‘Mom, I’ve got to dance.’” Touched by his pleadings, his mother supported his wishes and his sibling’s, as well. Cook follows the careers of the twins and her other dancers closely. “We’re very, very close,” she said. “When you know a child has talent, you push it to give him every advantage, and I’ve been very lucky. I must have some good kids.” Berry is thankful for Sharon Osbourne, one of the AGT show’s three judges, who made the group a wild-card pick, allowing them to move on in the televised talent competition. “We owe almost everything to her because even the wildcard episode she was our saving Above) South Carolina Clogger Harrison Barnes is ALL THAT’s youngest member and has performed with the group in Myrtle Beach and on America’s Got Talent Photo from Harrison Barnes (Right) The guys take a break during filming of AGT to pose for photos and dance in the streets for a segment lead in. Photo by AGT 14 www.doubletoe.com The Doubletoe Times Magazine of Clogging
grace again,” Brad Berry said. The troupe gained the support of a second judge, Howard Stern, to continue past the wildcard show. He said he’s enjoyed the experience, expressing gratitude to Carolina Opry, which has worked around the schedules of the four ALL THAT members under contract with the tourist resort entertainment venue. “We didn’t sleep,” he said, laughing. “We were dancing all the time, but we could never have paid for this exposure. I loved it, and the group loved it.” Even though the group did not advance to the finals, he counts himself fortunate to be doing what he loves as a career. “It’s absolutely incredible,” he said. “There’s really no one word big enough to explain what that is like. I definitely don’t take it for granted.” Harrison Barnes is the youngest member of ALL THAT. He started clogging at the age of 2 with Moncks Corner Dance studio in his hometown of Moncks Corner, South Carolina and has clogged for the past 22 years. As a teen clogger, Harrison was very successful as a solo competitor, winning grand champion at national competition and being named to Palmetto’s Finest, a recognition by the South Carolina Clogging Council, and also was named to the All American Clogging Teams by the America’s Clogging Hall of Fame organization. He was a member of the Corner Cloggers and the American Elite Cloggers, directed by his mother Vicki. As a junior in high school, Harrison was asked to perform in the Bailey Mountain Cloggers Spring Concert at Mars Hills College in western North Carolina. During this time he also was selected to be part of a clogging group featured in a music video by the folk group Uncle Earl aired on the CMT country music television channel. It was just before his senior year in high school that Harrison was approached about filling in for some of the guy’s with ALL THAT. That began daily trips after school to Myrtle Beach for rehearsals and soon Harrison was performing nightly at the Carolina Opry theatre, filling in as the full time cast was making their first appearance on NBC’s America’s Got Talent. Harrison’s natural stage presence caught the eye The Doubletoe Times Magazine of Clogging www.doubletoe.com 15
Page 1 and 2: The Magazine of Clogging Since 1983
Page 3 and 4: footwear@centurytel.net The Doublet
Page 5 and 6: The Magazine of Clogging Since 1983
Page 7 and 8: August 2013 Aug 3-4, 2013 Sunshine
Page 9 and 10: The Worlds! May 24-26 2013 all even
Page 11 and 12: has a history of community service.
Page 13: to four times a year for six years
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Page 19 and 20: tour the city before having an even
Page 21 and 22: front row rose to his feet and salu
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Page 25 and 26: Clog Dance Instructor and Director
Page 27 and 28: PENNY LICHTERMAN Clogger & Folk Dan
Page 29 and 30: VICKY CONRAD Clog Carolina 14109 E.
Page 31 and 32: LORI SHARPLESS Lori’s Dance Studi

United We Clog! - Double Toe Times

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