by Tom Dempsey
"I had the most fun trip of my life," said one Seattle dancer who flew to California for the Napa Cajun Gumbo Ya Ya, April 29-30, 1995. These Cajun/zydeco festivals can be so addictive that some dancers even form organizations dedicated to their passion. Indeed, that was how a core of dedicated zydeco fans formed our Northwest Zydeco Music and Dance Association (NWZMDA) in 1994.
I put off going to Louisiana in favor of non-dancing vacations for several years. Finally this year, I claimed some frequent-flyer miles and flew to New Orleans. A dance partner and I drove to Lafayette, heart of Cajun/zydeco country.
In Louisiana, I had more fun dancing and eating than I've had in years. I loved eating gumbo, alligator, spicy boiled crawfish, bread pudding, and eggplant pirogue.
Rosie Ledet and Joe Walker played spirited zydeco at the free International Festival in Lafayette. You can catch this festival next year April 23-28, 1996.
Mulate's Cajun Restaurant offers dancing to live music every night of the week. We interacted with the excellent Breaux Bridge Playboys, who dedicated two songs to us, "the great dancers from Seattle," on the roomy dance floor. Next year, don't miss the Breaux Bridge Crawfish Festival, May 3-5, 1996.
During the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival (April 28 - May 7, 1995), the number of dancing events around New Orleans triples. We danced in high humidity to hot Beausoleil at the Muddy Waters Club, while a good zydeco band played across the street at the Maple Leaf Tavern. I soaked two shirts dancing to Roy Carrier and Beau Jocques at Mid City Bowling Lanes, known locally as "Rock & Bowl." On the non-zydeco side, we also heard mellow James Taylor sing "Shower the People" in a cool thundershower. A week later, 18 inches of rain drowned New Orleans in just 6 hours.
Visit Louisiana! Southern hospitality still thrives. "Yes sir & yes ma'm!" For a Lafayette packet call 1-800-346-1958. [Click here for A Zydeco Dancer's Guide to Louisiana.]
Zydeco music originated in Louisiana and derives from blues, Cajun, Creole, and Caribbean traditions. Zydeco partner-dancing offers great aerobic exercise to this high energy, syncopated music. You can learn the zydeco two-step and waltz easily and have fun in no time! [For a more detailed history of zydeco and Cajun music, click here.]