Mary Beth Yakoubian, director of the City Stompers, first learned to clog in the 1980's as a student of Pat Cannon. After clogging classes were discontinued with Pat’s departure from NY, Mary Beth switched to tap, a related style of percussive dance.  Finally in 2004, when Mary Beth retired from teaching high school, she brought clogging back to New York City with the formation of City Stompers. Mary Beth Yakoubian keeps up to date with the world of traditional flatfoot clogging through classes at Swannanoa and Ashokan, and also with precision clogging through C.L.O.G. workshops.

The following feature article was written by Josie Syzman and originally published in the Jersey Journal, November 3, 2004:

FORMER DANCE INSTRUCTOR BRINGS HER LOVE OF CLOG DANCING TO HOBOKEN

Mary Beth Yakoubian of Hoboken says there’s no dancing like clog dancing. A retired high school physical education teacher, Yakoubian teaches clogging at the Hoboken YMCA every Saturday.
“Nothing is as much fun as clogging, and it’s great exercise too,”  Yakoubian told me as we walked into the uptown Starbucks recently. “Clogging is an American folk dance based on a step dance style that developed from Southern Appalachian flatfoot dancing,”  she explained. 

Mile Square Cloggers working on "Save A Horse Ride A Cowboy" featuring Mary Beth, Ethel, Diane, Betsy, Mary

The elements that identify clog dancing are loud, fast footwork; feet become percussion instruments with the shoes often having taps.

Clogging is done to all kinds of upbeat music, including old-timey, bluegrass, country and even rock. “I’ve always loved bluegrass music, and that’s probably what led me to clog dancing. It’s easy to learn because it’s not very technical, and it’s not physically demanding,” said Yakoubian, who has always been physically active. “I know 80-year-olds who enjoy clog dancing.”
She explained that “each person can dance based on his/her ability. The knees can be bent, or held straight, and you only lift your legs as high as you are able.”  Clog dancing is good for all ages, from school children to seniors “and you are burning about 400 calories an hour,” she added.

Mary Beth Yakoubian

Yakoubian belongs to the national organization of clogging instructors known as C.L.O.G. and enjoys attending their annual conventions. “Clogging is very popular in many different places, from North Carolina to Canada and even Australia”  she explained. Clog dancing was included as a competitive dance sport in the AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) Junior Olympics in 2003.

A former Arthur Murray dance instructor, Yakoubian has been married to her husband, non-dancer Daniel Cox for 18 years. Dancing has always been a big part of Yakoubian’s life. She also enjoys Middle Eastern-style dancing, tap and Cajun dancing, she said.

Yakoubian, who grew up in an Armenian community in Stratford, CT, remembers wonderful summers in Asbury Park where the Eighth Avenue beach was a center of Armenian social life. Since her retirement , she has found many interesting activities, including writing classes at the New School in New York City and piano lessons with Hoboken music teacher Phillip Dieckow. “Retirement is the best. It’s too bad you can’t do it when you’re young,” she said with a laugh.

Yakoubian is very dedicated to spreading the word about the joys of clogging. “My class is mostly made up of beginners,” she said. “I don’t know anybody who couldn’t learn to clog – you’ll be in good company, and you’ll have so much fun!”