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Show A The dreams come true for Country Rhythm Cloggers in trip to France i i J" travelers, but for many it was their first trip away from home. "It's hard to get homesick when you are having so much fun," was the common statement. On returning home, the group received a letter from Bernard Rouhaud saying: "...everywhere you performed in France, the audience greatly appreciated your talented group. With the broadcasting broad-casting of your show on the first TV national channel, millions of French people know 'the Country Rhythm Cloggers' and hope to see them very soon." For a small group of children in Pleasant Grove, American Fork and Orem, it really is "a small world after all.". The Country Rhythm Cloggers have taken a new dim,, PKa recently, when the William Wf moved to Northern California Hf group is now directed bv r!' 7 Smith of Highland, in rL,01 e I with the Williams' in CalifoS 5 The past five years have been .k most memorable years in th7 k Al of many adults and children ? result of their affiliation wilh Country Rhythm Cloggers t l have been proud to be frnJ!:' 3(it Pleasant Grove area " ' representing their city k country throughout the world Hf If you are ever in Turkey or some other far away country? spy a youngster wearing "Strawberry Days" baseball J you 11 know they are friends of I Country Rhythm Cloggers. Country Rhythm Cloggers perform at a festival in St. Maurice, France. After five years of hard work and dreaming, the Country Rhythm Cloggers represented the United States at the "Children's Festival of Peace" in Matha, France this summer. This group of cloggers, under the direction of Mark and Debbe Williams, made this trip following a 1985 tour to Tokyo, Japan. The children, ranging in age from four to 14, became ambassadors of peace for the United Stales to the people of France and 10 other countries. Those other countries participating included Turkey, Poland, Hungary, Yugoslavia, Andorra, Canada, Cuba, Greece and several provences in France. The most notable aspect of a trip such as this is the friendships that were made. A European folkfestival means spending every day and night with companion dancers from other countries. Even though you can't speak the same language, you can communicate through your love of dance. Hands and body become your "voice" as you "converse" with new friends. The most interesting part of this particular festival is that it was for "des groups folkloriques d'enfants" of children's groups exclusively. The average age for the participants par-ticipants in the festival was from nine to 10, with a range from four to 16. The "Children's Festival of Peace" is one of the only festivals of this type in the world. Although the groups were young, the quality was extremely high. Watching the Yugoslavians do their unique acrobatic dances, you would never know they were children except by their size. The Country Rhythm Cloggers also performed at other folk-festivals folk-festivals in France causing audiences to dance right alongside of them. Following the festival, they spent 10 days touring Southern France and dancing for capacity crowds wherever they performed. This portion of the tour took them to the small villages in the tops of the Pyrenees Mountains and a brief visit to Spain. Whether in the tops of the mountains or the seaport cities, the cloggers gained a great love for France, its people and customs. Most of the group' were veteran v i i - t J I si The Country Rhythm Cloggers stop in the filming of their portion of the television special in Matha, France to have their picture taken. |