Cajun SpotlightCajun and Zydeco Music and Dance in the Upper Midwest February 2004 MARDI GRAS AT THE MEDINA BALLROOMThe
Minnesota Cajun and Zydeco Music and Dance Association (the Krewe de Walleye)
present a Mardi Gras Dance at the Medina Entertainment Center on Saturday,
February 28th. Performing will be The New Riverside Ramblers, JJ’s Zydeco
Paydirt and The Faux Playboys. There will be free dance
lessons with Maurine McCort: Cajun at 6:30 pm and zydeco at 7:00 pm. there
will be a King Cake, costume contest and plenty of beads. Cost is $12 for
Krewe members, $15 for costumed nonmembers and $17 for nonmembers without
costumes. Music starts at 8:00 pm.
On
Friday, March 12 the Krewe presents Nathan & the Zydeco Cha Chas
at the Marion KC Hall in Bloomington. Don’t forget that before zydeco
dances at the Half Time Rec on Sunday night the Krewe presents a zydeco
lesson by Maurine McCort. To read about the Minnesota Cajun
and Zydeco Music and Dance Association go to www.krewedewalleye.com.
CAJUN MUSIC AT JOAN OF ART GALLERYThe
Cajun Hot Soles will play for a dance at the opening of a show by Amy
Sabrina on Saturday, February 14. Amy is a regular at local dances
and also organizes the dances held at the Dalbo Town Hall. Her pottery
and other ceramic work is shown in several area galleries. The new show
is at Joan of Art, a distinctive gallery at the west end of the Franklin
Avenue Bridge in Minneapolis. The address is 3020 Franklin Avenue. The
opening begins at 6:00 pm with a dance lesson at 7:30 pm and music until
10:30 pm. Admission to the dance is $4. For more information call 612-338-2511.
LOOKING AHEAD IN 2004Here
are the dates and lineups for area Cajun/zydeco weekends and festivals
in the first half of the new year.
CAJUN WEEKEND AT FOLKLORE VILLAGEThe
Cajun Music Dance and Heritage Weekend at Folklore Village in Dodgeville,
Wisconsin is April 23-25. On staff for workshops in accordion, fiddle,
dance and culture will be Robert Jardell, Matthew Cormier, Eric Mohring,
Charlie Terr, John Terr, Will Whedbee, Gene Losey, Karen Kleinspehn, Christine
Voigt and more. We will have details in the next issue. You can contact
Folklore Village at 608-924-400 or go to folklorevillage.org.
CAJUN/CREOLE WEEK AT AUGUSTAThe
staff for the Cajun/Creole Week (July 11 -16) at Augusta Heritage Center
in Elkins, West Virginia has been announced. Instructors this year include
Marc Savoy, Al Berard, Courtney Granger, Mitchell Reed, Joel Savoy,
Charlie Terr, Paul Daigle, Wilson Savoy, Jason Frey, Ann Savoy, Edward
Poullard, Michelle Kaminsky, Tracy Schwarz, John Terr, Jesse Lege,
Mona Wilson, Joely Bias, Chester Gremillion, Carol & Gerald Trahan
and Jackie & Larry Miller. The band Zydeco Force will
be on staff, with accordionist Jeffrey Broussard teaching zydeco
accordion. For more information call 1-800-624-3157 or check out
augustaheritage.com
DANCE LESSONSDavid
Jordahl offers regular dance lessons and occasional CD Dance Parties
at Four Season’s Dance Studio in Minneapolis. Zydeco lessons will be offered
on Sunday afternoons February 1, 8, 15 and 29 from 4 to 5:30 pm (no class
on the 22nd!). There will be a CD dance party following the lesson
on the 15th from 6 to 10 pm. Four Seasons is located at 1637 Hennepin Avenue
near Loring Park. For more information go to bayoudancer.com
WALTER MOUTON IN WISCONSINWalter
Mouton and the Scott Playboys make a rare trip north to appear at Swampngrass
in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin in February. The festival is February 12-14.
Also appearing over the weekend are Art Stevenson & Highwater, Sloppy
Joe and the Mil-Town Ramblers. Go to swampngrass.com
for more information.
2004 MARDI GRAS YANKEE-CHANK SWAMP JAMfrom
Nancy Weston
The
11th Annual Mardi Gras Yankee-Chank Swamp Jam takes place on Monday, February
23 at McGee’s Landing in Henderson, Louisiana at 11 am. For those of you
who have joined us before, this trip needs no introduction! For those
of you who have not been, what we do is this: drift for almost 2 hours
through the Atchafalaya Swamp on a motorized flatboat. You can jam
or dance. This trip is lots of fun and a chance to relax with
music and with friends from around the country. (There may be some smuggled
live Cajuns on the boat, such as the infamous “Tee Larry” of Iota!)
Don’t miss the boat! There will be two boats to accommodate more folks
, and spots are first come, first served; PLEASE INDICATE if you
are a musician, and what you play! This is very important to ensure
even and adequate numbers of musicians between the two boats. The
cost is $12 per person. Send me a check ASAP (made out to Nancy Weston)
to reserve your spot: 19 Purcell Dr., Danbury, CT 06810, and include
your e-mail (preferred) or a stamped self-addressed envelope for confirmation
and directions to the site. If you choose to wait until the
last minute, you can call me at the Millers (337-779-2456) on Sunday Feb.
22 to reserve a spot if there are any left, or find out about cancellations.
Please do not call there before February 22 as I will not be there!!
Up until February 20 you can reach me at 203-744-6823. After the
boat jam, those who would like, can stay to eat at McGee’s (open menu)
and can continue jamming and dancing. Do not try to reserve or buy your
ticket for the boat trip through McGee's directly. However, with notice,
you may join us at McGee’s even if you do not make the boat ride.
UPCOMING CAJUN/ZYDECO EVENTSNOTE:
Please call to confirm events more than six weeks from first item on calendar.
HAPPY NEW YEARChinese
New Year starts with the New Moon on the first day of the new year and
ends on the full moon 15 days later. The Chinese calendar is based
on a combination of lunar and solar movements. The lunar cycle is about
29.5 days. In order to "catch up" with the solar calendar the Chinese insert
an extra month once every few years (seven years out of a 19-year cycle).
New Year's Eve and New Year's Day are celebrated as a family affair, a
time of reunion and thanksgiving. The celebration was traditionally highlighted
with a religious ceremony given in honor of Heaven and Earth, the gods
of the household and the family ancestors. There is a twelve year
cycle in the Chinese calendar; each year associated with an animal.
The quiz this month features those twelve animals in song titles. Can you
match the song with the performer?
Back to Cajun Spotlight PageBack to Newsletter PageBack to Main PageNOTES & STEPS/CAJUN SPOTLIGHT is an independent newsletter
about Cajun, zydeco and other traditional music & dance events and
news in the upper Midwest and beyond. A one year subscription is $10.00.
E-mail: Notessteps@aol.com
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