High Steppin' Cloggers Orangeburg, SC Director: Celeste B. Smith Sponsored by the Orangeburg Parks and Recreation Department
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					Celeste B. Smith Director/Instructor
		Celeste Smith, director of the High Steppin' Cloggers, began her dancing career at the age of 6 when she was enrolled in tap classes.  At age 11, her mother convinced her to try clogging.  Celeste was not really interested but agreed to go for just one lesson and then decide whether she liked it or not.  After one trip to Barnwell, SC for lessons, there was no going back to tap!  She had found a new love...CLOGGING! In 1981, her family found a building in Springfield, SC to rent and an instructor from Augusta that was willing to come to teach them.  The Clog Hoppin' Cuties were formed!  They began to perform at festivals and community events.  They also had the opportunity to perform on Mr. Knozit's TV show. By 1982, the instructor from Augusta quit coming to Springfield and Celeste took over the role of instructor.  In November 1982, Celeste and her duet partner won the Junior Talent Competition at the Exchange Fair in Augusta, GA.  During this year Celeste also performed at the Spoletto Festival in Charleston, SC and began dancing with the Palmetto State Cloggers. In October of 1983, Celeste went to Nashville, TN with the Palmetto State Cloggers and performed on the stage of the Grand Ole Opry.  They entered the Hee Haw Clogging Competition where Celeste placed in the top 25 of 150 contestants in the 11-14 age group.  She and her duet partner placed 8th out of 500 duets. In 1983, Celeste also began to broaden her horizons by going to other towns in the area to teach: Pinehill, Salley, Norway, and North.  Celeste began teaching with the City of Orangeburg in 1987.  She started out with a handful of students and has built her classes to over 175 cloggers in 2005. Celeste and her husband, Darren, live in Orangeburg with their 4 children: Corey, Chelsea, Cassidy, and Connor.