Mission Statement
Dance Appalachia exists to celebrate, document, and share the living traditions of Appalachian percussive dance.
What began as a small effort to highlight the incredible dancers within the Appalachian community has grown into a place where people from around the world are discovering these rhythms for the first time. Through videos, storytelling, and educational resources, Dance Appalachia honors the dancers and musicians who keep these traditions alive while helping new generations find a respectful path into learning them.
This project is rooted in deep gratitude for the communities, gatherings, and festivals where Appalachian dance continues to thrive.
The Story Behind Dance Appalachia
Dance Appalachia began with a simple idea: create a place to celebrate the incredible dancers of the Appalachian tradition.
Over the years, I found myself filming beautiful moments at dances, festivals, and community gatherings—buck dancers trading steps, flatfooters driving the rhythm of a fiddle tune, and musicians and dancers sharing the floor in the kind of spontaneous magic that defines this culture. Many of those videos weren’t about me at all; they were about the dancers, the community, and the tradition itself.
Posting those videos on my personal page never quite felt right. So I started a separate page called Dance Appalachia, simply as a place to share and celebrate those moments.
What began as a small collection of videos quickly grew into something much larger. Dancers from across Appalachia and beyond appeared in the clips, and people in the community expressed how meaningful it felt to see these traditions recognized and shared. At the same time, audiences around the world began discovering Appalachian dance for the first time.
As the page grew, a new question started appearing again and again:
“Where can I learn this?”
People were fascinated by the rhythms, the footwork, and the connection between music and dance—but many had no idea where to begin.
Dance Appalachia is now evolving to help answer that question.
While the social media pages continue to celebrate the dancers, festivals, and living culture of Appalachian dance, the Dance Appalachia website is being created as a place where curious newcomers can begin exploring the tradition. Through tutorials, rhythm lessons, and educational resources, the goal is to provide a welcoming entry point for those who feel drawn to these dances.
At its heart, Dance Appalachia remains rooted in the community that inspired it. These traditions live most fully in the gatherings, festivals, and dance floors where the music and movement are shared face to face.
My hope is that by sharing these rhythms with the world, more people will discover their beauty—and perhaps find their way into the communities where they continue to thrive.
— Hillary Klug