Zydeco at the Golden Sails with Karen Redding
Folks, call those friends that may interested in leaning Zydeco! As usual, gentlemen are much needed for partners.
As far as the lesson goes, the first half hour is still going to be basic zydeco. The second half hour I'll cover the hand drag turn for the gentlemen, and the hesitation at the half turn for everyone, combining it with the hand toss.
Holiday Schedule at Golden Sails
Zydeco at the Golden Sails will be dark on Thanksgiving day, December 20 and December 27, January 3rd. Will resume January 10th. The schedule for the Golden Sails for the rest of the year and the beginning of 2008 is as follows:
November 8, 15 - Regular dance lesson and CD dance
November 22 Thanksgiving Day - NO ZYDECO AT GOLDEN SAILS. Enjoy your holiday!
November 29 - Regular dance lesson and CD dance
December 6, 13 - Regular dance lesson and CD dance
December 20 - NO ZYDECO AT GOLDEN SAILS Golden Sails Dark- Have a wonderful Holiday celebration!
December 27 - NO ZYDECO AT GOLDEN SAILS Golden Sails Dark - See you January 10th, 2008 - Happy New Year!
January 3, 2008 - NO ZYDECO AT GOLDEN SAILS Golden Sails Dark - See you January 10th, 2008 - Happy New Year!
What does this dance look like?
Is Zydeco dancing easy to learn?
What is the difference between Cajun and Zydeco music?
Where can we dance Zydeco in the Los Angeles/OC area?
Brief explanation of the evolution of Zydeco
What is Zydeco?
Zydeco music is quite possibly
the Happiest Music on Earth! Fast, fun and very upbeat, Zydeco is the Creole
dance music from the rural farming communities of southwest Louisiana.
The word "Zydeco" is an abbreviation for the Creole French phrase meaning "the
snap beans are not salty." This referred to the fact that this music has it's
origins in areas where money was tight. Snap beans were a staple food in the
diet for the area where this music originated. When there was enough money, salt
pork was used to season the beans. When times were especially hard, there was no
salt pork and the snap beans were not salty, thus the phrase, "the snap beans
are not salty."
Strongly influenced by Cajun music and culture, this music incorporates elements
of jazz, blues, and Caribbean influences as well. It is typically fast, fun and
very happy! This music and culture are very family and community oriented, and
at festivals and some dances, it's common to see several generations of families
attend together. Folks are very friendly, warm and welcoming and new people are
usually made to feel very comfortable.
What does this dance look like?
Her are a few videos showing zydeco dancing. There's one of Willie Bushnell from
Houston at a dance competition, one of Adrian Houser of Houston dancing in the
kitchen with his sister, and a couple at local festivals. Check these out:
Here's a clip of Willie Bushnell:
http://www.zydecoach.com/video.htm
Adrian Houser dancing in the kitchen with is sister:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8iz0Px8a5HI
Ed Miltimore of California at the Simi Valley Festival on Memorial Weekend:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lr62F_9yDWk
Dancing to Geno Delafose at Simi Valley:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yuT2gWpNLfw
Is Zydeco dancing easy to learn?
Yes! Zydeco is a two-step. It's basic step is very simple: slow, quick, quick,
slow. There are lots of fun variations that dancers can learn from there, but if
someone is very "dance challenged" and all they ever learn is the basic step,
they will be welcomed on any dance floor.
What is the difference between Cajun and Zydeco Music?
Traditional Zydeco features accordion and rubboard, and sometimes you will hear
the violin. It's characterized by a strong bass behind the other instruments and
a beat that makes it impossible to keep still! Zydeco tunes are 8 counts, Cajun
is 2 counts.
Zydeco lyrics are sung in Creole French, Cajun tunes in the slightly different
Cajun French. Neither Cajun nor Creole French bear a lot of resemblance to the
French most of us know. Most notably, you will always hear violin and usually
also triangle in Cajun music. Cajun melodies tend to be slower, more lilting,
and without the heavy bass of Zydeco. In contrast, Zydeco is much faster, songs
are belted out with gusto, there is an irresistible back beat that keeps you
moving!
Waltzes are featured in both types of music, and many songs are shared in
common. However, there is a subtle but distinctive difference between a waltz
done Cajun style and the same waltz done Zydeco style.
Where can we dance to Zydeco in our area?
In the Los Angeles and Orange County area, you can come learn to zydeco every
Thursday night at the Golden Sails Hotel at 7 PM at 6285 E. Pacific Coast
Highway. CD dancing follows till about 9:30. Cost is $7 and if you get there
early enough, you can also eat dinner FREE. The bar puts out Happy Hour food
from 5-7 with two hot dishes, chips and salsa, and veggies and dip.
There are dances in Gardena and sometimes Riverside with live bands on Sunday
evenings. Subscribe to the Gator Gazette for a full list of events. Send an
email to Karen Redding at
karinovations@verizon.net and ask to be put on the list for the Gator
Gazette! San Diego has Zydeco dancing at Tio Leo's every Thursday night with
instruction by Greg Benusa. The San Diego Bons Temps Club also does a monthly
dance at Balboa Park featuring a live band. Links are in the Gator Gazette.
There are small pockets of Zydeco enthusiasts in other parts of the country,
including Baltimore, Washington, DC, Portland, Seattle, Atlanta, New York, Los
Angeles, San Diego and the San Francisco Bay areas. You can even find a little
Zydeco in the midwest if you know where to look!
If you'll be traveling and want to know where to find Zydeco, you can email
Karen Redding at
karinovations@verizon.net or Google "zydeco in _________ "and insert the
name of the place you'll be visiting.
VERY BRIEF explanation of the evolution of Zydeco?
At it's beginning, Zydeco was referred to as "LaLa Dancing" and was also called
the Two-Step. Dances were held in churches to raise money for the church, as
well as at someone's home or farm to raise money if a family was in need. People
could also go to a dance hall to dance to a band. These dances were something
special, and people got really dressed up to go. The ladies put on their best
dresses, high-heeled shoes and the men donned their best suits.
Today, dress in the dance halls and festivals in Louisiana is very casual. If
there is a "style," it would be Western attire, though many people just wear
jeans and t-shirts. In Louisiana, you will see a lot of cowboy hats and boots,
with long sleeved shirts that are western plaids or with the "Wrangler" logo.
Ladies wear jeans, nice tank tops and jeans with cowboy boots.
While this music and culture originated in Louisiana, many Creoles moved to
Texas and the West Coast for better economic opportunities. Houston now has the
biggest Zydeco dance community outside Louisiana, and some of the hottest
dancers, Zydeco bands and clubs in the country outside Louisiana can be found in
there.
By the way, one of the very fun and traditional ways to go to a Zydeco dance is
to go on a Trail Ride! Ride your horses to a park where there's a band, have a
picnic or barbecue, dance, laugh, have a good time, then ride back home again!
Here's a video clip of a Zydeco trail ride:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=wTGexZJ3C-o
Bands and More Info:
I have contacts with many of the best
bands in the country as well as having a list of festivals. Please contact me,
Karen Redding, and ask to be put on the distribution list for my newsletter, the
Gator Gazette, if you would like to learn more . My email address is:
karinovations@verizon.net.
If you get involved with this dance and music, I guarantee it will enrich and
change your life forever! I now have Zydeco friends in Louisiana, Houston,
northern California, Baltimore, Atlanta, Minnesota, Seattle, Sacramento,
Portland, and all over the United States and Japan.
Check out a few of the Zydeco bands:
Here is the very popular Keith Frank:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=qHCdNbF3NX8
Geno Delafose in Lafayette. Louisiana:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=t0UT9Qt13gk
Jeffery Broussard and the Creole Cowboys playing Motor Dude Special:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vNyJKTniHQ&mode=related&search=
Here's Andre Thierry and his band Zydeco Magic playing in Alameda, CA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yuvTyAeW8Lc
There are many more videos I could share with you, but that should whet your
appetite for now.
Andre often comes down to the LA area to play these days, and we have regular
dances with live bands from Louisiana as well.
Zydeco Festivals!
We have several major festivals in southern California every year. In May we
have San Diego's Gator by the Bay on Mother's Day weekend, the Simi Valley
Festival on Memorial Day weekend, and the Long Beach Bayou Festival the fourth
weekend in June.
There are wonderful festivals in northern California later in the year, and a
plethora of fantastic festivals in Louisiana, Houston and all over the country.
Zydeco has spread to Europe, including London, England, the Netherlands, France
and Germany. It's also becoming popular in Japan and Australia! Jump on the
bandwagon! Learn to Zydeco! You'll be glad you did!
Please contact me
for more information:
Karen Redding
Gator Graphics Print Solutions
(562) 708-8946, (562) 438-1255
email:
karinovatios@verizon.net