BYU Syllabus Info

Here you'll find the Abbreviations used on Cue Sheets and the list of Clogging Terminology.

Clog Abbreviations for Cue Sheets

Abbreviations in cue sheets vary from one dancer to the next. In different parts of the country you can hear various names for one step! Here we have included a mixture of steps from traditional, buck and contemporary clogging. Listed are the most often used abbreviations you’ll find for these steps.

Basic Movements:

B Ball

BR Brush

BRK Break

CLK Click

CR Cramp Roll

DR Drag

DS Double Step

DT Double Toe

FL Flange

FP or FLAP Flap

HL Heel

HOP or H Hop

J or JUMP Jump

K or KICK Kick

LIFT Lift

LP or LOOP Loop

PVT Pivot

R (Rock Step = RS) Rock

S Step

SC or SCUFF Scuff

SLP or SLAP Slap

SL Slide

SLUR Slur

STA Stamp

STO Stomp

T Toe

TCH Touch

Directional Designators:
(written in parentheses following the basic movement)

b or bk back

bs beside

f front

fwd forward

ib in back

if in front

in toward the weight bearing leg

ins inside (beside the instep of the weight bearing foot)

o out

ots out to the side

out away from the weight bearing leg

s side

tog together

up raising of the foot

x uncross (usually follows xif or xib)

xib across in back

xif across in front

Foot Designators:
(written under the basic movements)

L for Left Foot

R for Right Foot

B for Both Feet

LR or L/R Both Feet

Timing Designators:
(written beneath the foot designators)

e marks a 1/4 count

& marks an upbeat (1/2 count)

a marks a 3/4 count

1 - 8 numbers a bass beat (full count)

Clogging Terminology

BALL
The transfer of the body weight in a stepping motion to the ball of the foot with the knee bent slightly.

BOUNCE
The same as BALL, but with a hopping motion instead of a stepping motion. You may BOUNCE on the same foot or use it to change from one foot to another .

BREAK
The entire side of the foot has been turned sideways and away from the other foot to become flush with the floor. Weight is borne by the other foot.

BRUSH
The foot is allowed to swing from the knee with a pendulum action. The ball of the foot produces a click by striking the floor and continuing in the direction of the swing (which may be to the front, to the rear, or crossing in front or in back of the opposite leg). Movement comes from the hip and the knee joint, and the knee of the BRUSHing foot always bends upward following the click (at the same time as the following heel movement).

CLICK
Describes a motion where the sides of your clogging shoes are touched together. As with slur, most choreographers assume that you will click your heels together on an upbeat and then sound a heel tap on the following bass beat. Several varieties of CLICK exist today and are further defined by the styling terms provided with the step.

DIG
A step (transfer of body weight) onto the back edge of the heel.

DOUBLE TOE
Two clicks are produced in the space of on upbeat of music. The ball of the foot strikes the floor during the forward motion of a short kick and the knee straightens (ankle is relaxed and foot angles downward). The knee bends upward immediately and the same foot swings backward with the ball of the foot striking the floor again in the same spot. The heel should not touch the floor. The two motions of the foot are considered to be one movement with no hesitation between them. Normally, the clicks occur slightly in front of the body, but they may be done in other directions as well.

DRAG
The foot is flat on the floor and the knee is flexed when the DRAG begins. With a springing motion which moves the weight of the body up and back, straighten the knee allowing momentum to lift you heel slightly off the floor and drag your foot back about half the length of the foot. The weight is distributed along the length of the foot at the end of the movement and there is no distinctive click. (This can also be done with both feet on the floor in the same manner )

FLANGE
A term used to indicate that the dancer has completely turned the foot over and outward to bring the area of the shoe which covers the last two toes flush with the floor. The heel is aimed upward and weight is borne by the other foot

HEEL
The weight of the body is already on the ball of the foot when the HEEL movement is done. Snap the heel down, producing a sharp click, and flex the knee downward, distributing the body weight along the entire length of the foot.

HOP
An extension of SLIDE used in describing any upward motion that causes both feet to lose contact with the floor. The hop occurs with the upward motion taking place on the upbeat of the music and the click produced on the bass beat when the foot comes back into contact with the floor. The knee is flexed downward as you land. Landing after the hop may take place on the same foot that did the push off into the air, or the HOP may be used to change the weight to the opposite foot depending on the demands of the step being done. A foot designator L or R beneath the word HOP on a cuesheet would indicate the foot change.

KICK
A variation of the BRUSH that simply omits the sound of the toe tap by eliminating any contact with the floor. Leg motion and action is the same as the BRUSH.

PIVOT
Describes a motion on the ball of the foot in a given direction. Usually occurs on the upbeat and does not necessarily include dropping the heel on the following bass beat. Therefore, the next intended movement should be written out as well.

PULL
Indicated that the dancer will "scrape" the tip of the clogging shoe along the floor usually toward the other foot. Can be done from the rear, from across in back, from across in front, etc.

ROCK
A click is produced by transferring the weight onto the ball of the foot slightly behind the body's center of gravity. The knee is in a flexed position at first, causing the body's weight to "rock" back slightly as the center of gravity changes. The opposite foot is always lifted off the floor during a ROCK. The heel of the foot doing the ROCK does not touch the floor, but the knee does straighten.

SCUFF (or Skuff)
A short forward brush with the heel tap striking the floor. Normally, the front portion of the heel tap is the area which produces the click.

SLIDE
A down and forward counterpart of the up and back motion of the DRAG. With the foot flat on the floor and the knee straight, roll your weight up onto the ball of the foot, letting your knee begin to go slack. As the weight of your body begins to drop forward and down, let the instinctive tightening of your thigh muscles save you from a fall by sliding your foot forward (bout the length of your foot) and then letting your heel snap down, producing the click and redistributing your weight along the whole length of your foot. At the end of the SLIDE the knee will be in a flexed position. (Also can be done with both feet on the floor in the same manner.)

SLUR
Feet will be slightly apart when a SLUR begins. On the upbeat, draw the toe tap along the floor (giving a slurred tap sound) toward the weight-bearing foot (usually ending across in back). Drop the heel to the floor producing a click on the bass beat. Originally SLUR was separated from the following beat, but today most choreographers assume that you will automatically include the heel sound when using the term SLUR.

STEP
Place the entire foot flat on the floor, producing a click with the toe tap and the heel tap at the same time and transferring the body weight along the full length of the foot while flexing the knee downward.

STAMP
A flatfooted TOUCH

STOMP
A strongly accented flatfoot step taking the full weight of the foot.

TOE
The ball of the foot produces a click while the heel remains out of contact with the floor. TOE implies that the body weight has been transferred to the ball of the foot. The knee should be basically straight.

TOUCH
A term used to imply the same sound and motion as that of a TOE, but the foot is immediately picked up again without transferring the body weight to that foot.

*List of terminology was obtained with permission from Jeff Driggs at http://www.doubletoe.com/About.htm , August 2007.

BALL The transfer of the body weight in a stepping motion to the ball of the foot with the knee bent slightly.

BOUNCE The same as BALL, but with a hopping motion instead of a stepping motion. You may BOUNCE on the same foot or use it to change from one foot to another .

BREAK The entire side of the foot has been turned sideways and away from the other foot to become flush with the floor. Weight is borne by the other foot.

DIG A step (transfer of body weight) onto the back edge of the heel.

FLANGE A term used to indicate that the dancer has completely turned the foot over and outward to bring the area of the shoe which covers the last two toes flush with the floor. The heel is aimed upward and weight is borne by the other foot

KICK A variation of the BRUSH that simply omits the sound of the toe tap by eliminating any contact with the floor. Leg motion and action is the same as the BRUSH.

PIVOT Describes a motion on the ball of the foot in a given direction. Usually occurs on the upbeat and does not necessarily include dropping the heel on the following bass beat. Therefore, the next intended movement should be written out as well.

PULL Indicated that the dancer will "scrape" the tip of the clogging shoe along the floor usually toward the other foot. Can be done from the rear, from across in back, from across in front, etc.

SCUFF (or Skuff) A short forward brush with the heel tap striking the floor. Normally, the front portion of the heel tap is the area which produces the click.

STAMP A flatfooted TOUCH

STOMP A strongly accented flatfoot step taking the full weight of the foot.

TOUCH A term used to imply the same sound and motion as that of a TOE, but the foot is immediately picked up again without transferring the body weight to that foot.