Clog dancers finding it hard going in the heat

A clog dancing group said it had to adapt some of its performances as the UK experienced its hottest May day on record.

Norwich-based Fiddlesticks said its bank holiday Monday displays in Buckinghamshire had been affected as temperatures soared, reaching 34.8C (96.4F) in part of London.

Clog dancing is similar to Morris dancing but the dancers wear wooden clogs. On very hot days, routines can be a sweaty, stamina-testing challenge.

Julie Brown, from Fiddlesticks, said: "We've been modifying our dances a little bit, putting our most energetic dances at the start of our sets."

She said: "It's been really, really hot for both our band and our dancers... it's been tough."

The all-female group, which has a band made up of men and women, performed in Marlow and Waddesdon on Monday.

Speaking to BBC Breakfast, a group member said: "We knew the forecast before we arrived, so we knew we would probably have to [make changes to the sets]."

Fiddlesticks' members range in age from twenty-somethings to people in their 80s.

The group has about 20 regular dancers from "all walks of life".

Clog dancing, members said, was "very popular" with sides from around the country "getting a lot of pleasure from it".

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