HCDS, home of the High Country Cloggers, teaches classes in clogging, jazz, hip hop, and creative movement, and is the home of the Mini Mountaineers - Appalachian State University's youngest dance team.  The dancers at HCDS range in age from 3 to 63... they learn and perform with heart and passion, and are developing skills and fitness.  The cloggers are taught a dance style that evokes the roots and heritage of their home.  But, more than anything, the dancers are learning that they are somebody, and they can use their gifts to participate in their community. They are more than a team... they are a family, and they support each other and those around them unquestioningly.

The sense of self being instilled in the dancers at HCDS is what really makes the studio stand out amongst many.  Each child is given a chance to shine... and hard work is rewarded with the chance to challenge themselves and improve.  For some of them, the studio is a place of respite from a world of struggles at school, at home, or with social difficulties.  At HCDS, they can be proud of who they are and what they have accomplished through dance.

On a regular basis, all of the dancers of HCDS perform at local fundraisers for families in need, nursing homes, Special Olympics rallies, and Relay for Life events, and have even orchestrated food drives for hungry local school children.  Most recently, the dancers planned, staffed, and performed at a Chili Cook off to raise money to feed local families their holiday meals.  They earned 15 of these meal baskets and hand-delivered them to those families the day before Thanksgiving.  They have learned to use their skills to better the community, and that occasionally all it takes to change someone's life for the better is providing a smile.  After all, sometimes that is all we really need.