Clogging
by Matt Ellinger
Matt Ellinger grew up in Austin, Texas and moved to San Francisco in 1986.He took a lot of dance as a child, but settled on tap dancing until he finally found clogging in his mid-twenties. It was like tap, but with fewer rules!
He is also a percussionist, and he the finds rhythms of clogging to be great fit and a great joy to him as a dancer. He began performing with Barbary Coast Cloggers in 1991. Slowly, he became more accomplished at clogging and now teaches the dance form throughout California. He has served as the Artistic Director of the Barbary Coast Cloggers since 1999.
Matt loves BCC and everything it represents - everyday men from all walks of life coming together to dance. He enjoys the group's historic connection with San Francisco, and he is most grateful that the group has earned the respect of presenters, festivals, and a diverse audience due to their high-energy spin on the Appalachian tradition and their exuberant yet highly polished presence on stage.
Matt is the youngest of nine children. He used to be a naturalist for the California State Parks, and an elementary school principal. Currently, he works as a teacher educator and researcher with the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching at Stanford University.
