We were lucky to catch up with Kim Ross and Zeb Ross N/A recently and have shared our conversation below.
Kim Ross and Zeb Ross, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?
Kim Ross, Director/Founder of the J Creek Cloggers, learned her craft of flat-footing from her dad at a young age. Kim is from Snowflake, VA, part of Scott County, VA. Dance and music were a large part of her life, including the Carter Family Fold in Hiltons, VA, which is home to the famous Carter Family. As Kim grew up, she also incorporated buck dancing into her style of dance. Once moving to Haywood County, NC, Kim had two children and taught both of them her style of dancing. One of her sons, Zeb Ross, put his spin on clogging adding in buck dancing, flat-footing, and Hillbilly C-walking. He went on to become a viral sensation on TIKTOK in March 2022.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
The J Creek Cloggers formed in June 2009 under the direction of Kim Ross, Director/Founder, with the emphasis on preserving freestyle flat-foot and buck dancing, as well as traditional square dance routines. Her son, Zeb Ross, became a viral sensation in March 2022 dancing with the J Creek Cloggers at Darnell Farms in Bryson City, NC. This internet fame has now shed new light on clogging again and is peaking the interest of people from all walks of life! Not only are they interested in the style of dancing, but also the history behind the music and dance. The J Creek Cloggers will now be offering workshops, not only to teach the dance, but also educate.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
The most rewarding part of being an entertainment artist for Kim, Zeb, and the rest of the J Creek Cloggers would be the fellowship they experience as a team, as well as with all walks of life when they are dancing.
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
One of the specific goals for the J Creek Cloggers is to preserve traditional freestyle dance for generations to come!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://jcreekcloggers.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jcreekcloggers/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063452415685
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCit6L161iUahyIl0vilw1TA
- Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jcreekcloggers
Image Credits
Stephen Wenzel Photography Rey Castillo Photography