Sometimes called American Folk Dance or American Step Dance, clogging began in the Appalachian Mountains in the 1800's. Immigrants from Europe and the British Isles danced for evening entertainment after their hard day's work. In the 1939, clogging gained national attention when Sam Queen's Soco Gap Dance Team from Maggie Valley, North Carolina, danced for the King and Queen of England at the White House. Since that time the dance has been constantly changing. The wooden clogs once worn gave way to heavy work boots with reinforced steel cleats worn by the mountain people. These boots have now evolved into leather shoes with double-action steel "jingle" taps. The freestyle fancy footwork has given way to organized "line dancing" or precision clogging. Clogging is an extremely popular and well-known form of entertainment and exercise. Its popularity is no longer confined to the southern states. There are thousands of clogging clubs nationwide, in Canada, and even in Europe and Australia. Clogging workshops, conventions and competitions can be found all over the country every weekend of the year.