Forge Mountain Cloggers: About Us

Forge Mountain Cloggers is an intergenerational contemporary clogging team based in Mills River, N.C.

We offer beginning, intermediate and advanced clogging lessons at The Old Homeplace on North Mills River Road. Our recreational clogging team performs at a variety of festivals, fund raisers, churches, retirement facilities and other events throughout the year.

We clog to many different types of music — pop, hip hop, classic rock, oldies, country, bluegrass and anything else our dancers enjoy.

Melissa Orr teaching a clogging class

FOUNDER AND DIRECTOR
Melissa Orr began clogging with her daughter Kendra and fell in love with the dance. She is a certified clogging instructor (CCI) through C.L.O.G., The National Clogging Organization, Inc.

Established in 2005, Forge Mountain Cloggers has grown from a handful of dancers into one of Western North Carolina's largest recreational clogging teams. Melissa's sons, Levi and Rudd, and husband Bryan have also joined in on the fun.

Melissa enjoys teaching dancers of all ages in a fun, family-friendly atmosphere. She believes anyone can learn to clog, even if you have two left feet and no rhythm! If you can move your feet, you're never too old or too young to learn!

When she's not clogging or choreographing, Melissa can usually be found homeschooling her three children, making lovely things, spinning wool or tending to the award-winning Shetland sheep on her family's farm.