Clogging is a hybrid of three dance traditions: African, European and Native American. It is best known for its percussive nature and the emphasis of the dancer on the downbeat of accompanying music. Early European clog dancers wore wooden shoes, although these evolved to shoes made of leather with steel taps attached to the soles fairly quickly after it became especially popular in the Appalachian region of the United States in the 18th century. It was incorporated into square dances and, later, line dances. Modern clogging, while borrowing from other traditions, is a high-energy, competitive style of dance that does not differ significantly from the dances done hundreds of years ago.
Tap dancing is a percussive hybrid dance with similar origins to those of clogging: European (specifically, Irish and Spanish) and African. Early tap shoes had wooden soles and heels, but later came to be made primary of leather (with aluminum or steel taps) to allow for greater nuance of sound and flexibility of the foot. Modern tap dance has evolved along a slightly different path than that of clogging; while it is a percussive dance, it has more possibility of subtlety and nuance, borrowing greatly since the early 20th century from ballet and flamenco traditions and focusing on syncopation rather than percussion.
Tap dancing tends to be more musical, and is often lighter, than clogging. A style of tap dance called "hoofing," while closer to the roots of each dance and, therefore, to clogging, is nonetheless still more focused on syncopation than clogging, which is tied to the downbeats in accompanying music.
Clogging shoes tend to be more durably constructed than tap shoes because this style of dance involves more aggressive, heavier footwork than its counterpart. For this reason, clogging shoes tend to be reinforced leather, with a low, wide heel and thick steel taps; sometimes these shoes are even made with two taps on the ball of the foot and two on the heel for added percussion.
Tap shoes come in a variety of styles depending on the prevailing performance method of the dancer. Shoes may be similar in style to clogging shoes, with a low, wide heel and thick taps, or they may be thin leather with a thin heel several inches high and thinner taps for a cleaner, lighter sound (ideal for ballroom-style tap dancing). Taps vary in thickness and may be made of aluminum or steel. These shoes tend to be less expensive than clogging shoes because they are not as durable; the demands put on them are less intense.
While clogging and tap dancing have many similarities, it is important for a dancer to know which type of shoe best fits his needs. Whether clogging, jigging, hoofing or dancing "Broadway-style," the keys to achieving the goals of each of these historically rich dances are on the feet of the individual dancer.