Sounds like a cross between Appalachian clogging and what the Mummers do in Philadelphia (PA) on New Year's Day. In the early days of the Mummers parade, blackface was used by the comic troupes; nowadays it's a no-no, as is the former "men-only" policy.

Thanks for the info; it does help (a little). Further elucidation would be appreciated, but it seems to be a touchy subject. I don't intend to be a troll, but I really know nothing about this tradition and am interested to learn if people can talk about it without flaming!

See, I thought Morris was that finicky cat in the 9-Lives cat-food commercial...

SharonA