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Providing Cajun & Zydeco information on the Web since 1995
©Andrea D. Rubinstein, 1995-2007
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Bay Area Calendar
(maintained by Ellen Papper)
This website is created and maintained by Andrea Rubinstein.
I've been taking Juice Plus+ since 1996.
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Cajun and Zydeco Movies and Videos:
 | Documentaries |
| Hollywood Films |
| Dance Instruction |
Documentaries
Public Broadcasting:
Forever My Love, Music from the Bayou, A Film by Pat Mire, with Gerry McGee (Dennis McGee's son), Michael Doucet, Zachary Richard, Steve Riley, Sonny Landreth, David Greeley, Bois-Sec Ardoin, D.L. Menard, Geno Delafose, Al Berard, Sam Broussard and more. This film really captures what it feels like to be traveling around SW Louisiana's backroads. Hang out with McGee and Mire as they drive around, sit a spell on lots of back porches, play music with some incredibly talented musicians and share tall tales about Dennis McGee. My favorite is a story related by Al Berard: he tells how someone asked Michael Doucet how he can listen to Dennis McGee's fiddle playing because 'he squeaks" and Doucet responds, , "Yes, but he always squeaks in the same place". 2001. Louisiana Public Broadcasting. To order email patmire@bellsouth.net.
American Roots Music, Episode 4, All My Children of the Sun. 2000. NPR. with Marc and Ann Savoy, Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys, Clifton Chenier. Includes some great scenes of SRMP performing at Whiskey River during Mardi Gras, and some wonderful stories told byMarc Savoy about Clifton Chenier.
The Mississippi, River of Song, Vol 4. Louisiana, Where Music is King. with DL Menard, Christine Balfa & Geno Delafose, 1999. Smithsonian.
American Patchwork Series: Cajun Country (Don't Drop The Potato), PBS Home Video, 1990 Hosted by Alan Lomax. Featured performers include Denis McGee, Canray Fontenot, Bois-Sec Ardoin, The Hackberry Ramblers, Dewey Balfa and Wade Fruge. Romp with a wild horseback Mardi Gras, cross the Atlantic to investigate Cajun roots in Western France, and see cattle drives, horse races and barroom dances while exploring the mystery of the Cajun sound and the heart of the modern Cajun cultural revival. The film also shows young Cajuns learning to speak the distinctive Cajun French of their grandparents and taking up the ballads and fiddle tunes of their ancestors. Available at louisianamusicfactory.com
Films by Les Blank:
J'ai Ete Au Bal (I Went To The Dance)
The Cajun & Zydeco Music of Louisiana, Les Blank, Chris Strachwitz and Maureen Gosling, Brazos Films, 1989 Historic
Sequences about: Joe Falcon, Amede Ardoin, Iry LeJeune, Harry Choates, John
Delafose, Boozoo Chavis, the Balfa Brothers, Dennis McGee, Michael Doucet and
Beausoleil, Clifton Chenier, Marc and
Ann Savoy, D.L. Menard, and many
others. 84 minutes.
Dry Wood, A Film By Les Blank and Maureen Gosling, Flower Films, 1973 A
fascinating look at black Creole life in French Louisiana, held together by the
wild, insistent music of
Bois-Sec Ardoin and Canray Fontenot. 37 minutes.
Hot Pepper, A Film by Les
Blank. 1973. Musical portrait of Zydeco King Clifton Chenier,
belting out his irresistible music in the sweaty juke joints of South Louisiana.
54 minutes.
Marc & Ann (1991) A
Film by Les Blank.
Portrait of Marc and Ann Savoy, Cajun musicians
who are dedicated to thepreservation and continuance of Cajun culture. Marc is
an
irreverent storyteller and accordion maker; his wife Ann is the mother of four,
and author of
the book Cajun Music: Reflection of a People. 27
minutes.
Yum, Yum, Yum! (1990) Les
Blank marries his passion for spicy, down home food and his love for Cajuns and
Creoles in this exploration of the
cooking and other enthusiasms of French-speaking Louisiana. Features tangy
music, Marc Savoy, Paul Prudhomme, and other great cooks. 31 minutes
Films by Pat Mire
(contact patmire@bellsouth.net. for more info & to purchase)
Wildflowers of the Cajun Prairie (1988, 39 min., color). Producer, writer, director. A documentary on the remaining parts of Southwest Louisiana's natural prairie habitat and efforts to restore its original biodiversity.
Anything I Catch...the Handfishing Story (1990, 30 min., color) Cajuns wade in murky bayous and catch huge catfish and turtles with their bare hands in this remarkable study of the relationship between cultural and natural resources. Friends and family accompany the handfisherman to the bayou banks for festive cooking, storytelling, and Cajun music. Aired nationally on PBS and the Discovery Channel.
Legends of Louisiana (1991, 60 min., 16mm. color). Consultant and segment director of Sandy Mortimer's travelogue on Louisiana's food, music, culture, historic sites, and visitor attractions. Aired nationally on The Travel Channel.
Dance for a Chicken: The Cajun Mardi Gras (1993, 60 min., 16mm. color). An entertaining inside look at the colorful and exotic rural Cajun Mardi Gras. Each year before the Lenten season begins, processions of masked and costumed revelers, often on horseback, go from house to house gathering ingredients for communal gumbo in communities across southwest Louisiana. The unruly participants in this ancient tradition play as beggars, fools, and thieves as they raid farmsteads and perform in exchange for charity, or "dance for a chicken". Aired nationally on PBS.
Sisters of the South (1994) Writer and director for a PBS promotional shoot for the Louisiana segment of the "Sisters of the South" musical tour which features Louisiana artists Balfa Toujours.
Dirty Rice (1997, 85 min., 35mm. color). Producer, writer, director. Mire's first feature film is set against the backdrop of southwest Louisiana's beautiful rice country, where he was born and raised. This contemporary drama is about a man who returns home to reclaim his Cajun heritage while struggling to save the family rice farm.
Swapping Stories: Folktales from Louisiana (1998, 30 min., color) The genres of traditional storytelling in Louisiana are presented in this charming cultural documentary. They include animal tales, magic tales, myths, legends, tall tales, and jokes.
Forever My Love, Music from the Bayou, 2001, 56 minutes. With Gerry McGee (Dennis McGee's son), Michael Doucet, Zachary Richard, Steve Riley, Sonny Landreth, David Greeley, Bois-Sec Ardoin, D.L. Menard, Geno Delafose, Al Berard, Sam Broussard and more. Hang out with McGee and filmmaker Mire as they drive through SW Louisiana's backroods in a 1976 Cadillac, sit a spell on lots of back porches, play music with some incredibly talented musicians and share tall tales about Dennis McGee.
Films by Robert Mugge
Not Available on Video (yet), but if you see them playing (usually at a film festival)... not to be missed. More info can be found at robertmugge.com:
RHYTHM 'N' BAYOUS: A Road Map to Louisiana Music (2000) a 2-hour
film exploring the music of north and south Louisiana with performances by
Kermit Ruffins, Hackberry Ramblers, Rosie Ledet, Dale Hawkins, Henry Butler,
Claude King, Nathan Williams, Sister Pearlee Tolliver, Jambalaya Cajun Band,
Henry Gray, Rod Bernard, Lil' Brian, Dale & Grace, Po' Henry & Tookie, La
Famille Viator, Rev. Gerald Lewis, Ever Ready Gospel Singers, Easter Rock
Church, Lil' Alfred, Warren Storm, Buddy Flett and Kenny Bill Stinson.
TRUE BELIEVERS: The Musical Family of Rounder Records (1994) an 86-minute
portrait of music label Rounder Records featuring performances by Alison Krauss,
Bill Morrissey, Steve Riley, Marcia Ball, Irma Thomas, Beau Jocque, Tish
Hinojosa, Jimmy King, Bruce Daigrepont & Johnson Mountain Boys filmed in Texas,
Louisiana, Tennessee, Kentucky, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania. (now available
on DVD)
THE KINGDOM OF ZYDECO (1994) a 71-minute film on the Southwest Louisiana zydeco
scene featuring Boozoo Chavis, Beau Jocque, John Delafose and Nathan Williams.
(Music from this film was released as: "Give Him Cornbread, Live!" by Beau
Jocque and "Live! At the Habibi Temple, Lake Charles, Louisiana" by
Boozoo Chavis (both on Rounder)
Other Documentaries:
Zydeco Nite 'N' Day, Island Visual Arts, 1991 Shot in Zydeco's heartland around Lafayette, Mamou, Eunice, and Opelousas, SW Louisiana, this film features old and new musicians, the famous and not so famous and offers a fascinating insight into the music of the French/Creole speaking black population of this region. Featuring the music of: BooZoo Chavis, Rockin' Dopsie, Buckwheat Zydeco, Terrence Simien, John Delafose, Nathan Williams, Clifton Chenier, Sam Brothers Five, Zydeco Force, "Bois Sec" Ardoin & Canray Fontenot, Ambrose Sam, and The Holy Ghost Church Choir. Approx. 70 minutes
Clifton Chenier - The King Of Zydeco, Arhoolie Productions, Inc., 1987
Everything But The Squeak, A Cajun Boucherie and other Louisiana Traditions with the Savoy Family Neighbors & Friends in Eunice, Fred's Lounge in Mamou, the pig, and More!
Zydeco,
A Film By Nicholas R. Spitzer, Flower Films, 1984 Shot on location in rural
southwestern Louisiana, Zydeco combines cinema verite style footage, interviews
and musical performance to present a portrait of the zydeco musicians and
their culture. Includes Zydeco performances in local clubs and a Mardi
Gras celebration and features interviews with Dolon Carriere, Armand Ardoin and
Alphonse "Bois Sec" Ardoin. Narrated in English, interviews in Cajun-Creole
French with English subtitles. 57 minutes. Available at
louisianamusicfactory.com.
Cajun Visits & Les Blues de Balfa, Two Films By Yasha Aginsky,
Rounder, These two 1983 films by Yasha Aginsky provide insight into the rich
music and culture of Cajun Louisiana. Cajun Visits was filmed at the homes of
six Cajun masters in southwest Louisiana (Nathan Abshire / Rockin' Dopsie /
Dennis McGee / Canray Fontenot / Wallace "Cheese" Read / Leopold Francois.)
These artists sing, play and talk about their lives, providing candid and
soulful insights into their American French culture. Les Blues De Balfa is a
history of the Balfa Brothers, the first Cajun band to take their music outside
of Louisiana, as told by the late Dewey Balfa. Through concert tours and
recordings, the Balfas introduced Cajun music to the USA, Canada, and Europe.
ISBN 1-884691-00-5.
Dewey Balfa - The Tribute Concert, Motion, Inc. On May 17,
1992 at the Liberty Theater in Eunice, Louisiana, a group of musicians came
together to pay tribute to Dewey Balfa, the great Cajun Fiddler. Features
performances by: Michael Doucet and Beausoleil with Canray Fontenot, Steve Riley
and the Mamou Playboys, Shirley Bergeron, Christine Balfa, and Jay Ungar and
Molly Mason.(59 min.) Available at
www.whatbayou.com
Cajun Country, A Musical Odyssey Through Southwest Louisiana, Hosted By Aly Bain, Shanachie Entertainment Corp., 1996 This
video takes you on a trip through Cajun countryside, visiting with
musicians and encountering many facets of this beautiful and fascinating
culture. Featuring: Queen Ida, BooZoo Chavis, Savoy-Doucet Band, Wayne Toups,
Dewey Balfa, and more...
Delta Blues / Cajun Two-Step (Featuring Canray Fontenot and Bois Sec Ardoin among others), Music From Mississippi and Louisiana Newport Folklife Festival 1966, Rounder, 1997
Rockin' Dopsie and The Zydeco Twisters, A Film by Jim Babour. Recorded March 24, 1984 at the Maple Leaf Bar in New Orleans. Running Time: 49:21
"Hollywood" Movies
Belizaire the Cajun, 1986. Dir. Glen Pitre. Armand Assante stars as Belizaire, a Cajun village healer in rural Louisiana, circa 1850 in this fascinating exploration of the uneasy relationships between the Cajuns and their "American" neighbors. With Michael Doucet playing at a fais-do-do.
Dirty Rice, 1997 a film by Pat Mire, follows the fortunes of
a young architect who leaves New Orleans to return to his parents’ rice farm in
rural Southwest Louisiana following the death of his father.
Eve's Bayou (1997) with Samuel Jackson. Summer heats up in rural Louisiana beside Eve's Bayou as the Batiste family tries to survive the secrets they've kept and the betrayals they've endured. Opening scenes shows a zydeco house dance.
Passion Fish (1992) directed by John Sayles. with Mary McDonnell, Alfre Woodward, David Straithairn. Music by John Delafose, plus a terrific soundtrack. Scenes shot at a outside house dance and inside Slim's Y-Ki Ki. A wisecracking soap opera star returns home to rural Louisiana after an auto accident leaves her paralyzed. Her cruel but hilarious humor and hard drinking drive away a succession of nurses until she meets her match in Chantelle. Together, they explore the Louisiana bayou, as well as the murkier waters of men, romance and family
The Big Easy. (1987) Dennis Quaid and Ellen Barkin star in this romantic thriller that is placed in a background of New Orleans politics and police corruption. A tasty soundtrack includes Cajun and zydeco music with some scenes shot at Tipatina's. Terrance Simian performs and Beausoleil is on the soundtrack.
The Apostle, (1997) Robert Duvall directs and stars in this
film about a Pentecostal preacher whose lust for life is as a is as great as his
love of God. If you pay attention you will see Steve Riley in one of the
scenes.
Dance Instruction
Michael Seider is a very popular dance instructor in Southwest Louisiana. Seider has taught Creole and Cajun dance styles in New Orleans and around the states for over a decade. A skilled interpreter and devoted student of these evolving dance forms, Michael incorporates the newest steps and styling into his dancing and classes. His authentic repertoire includes shuffles, one-steps, two-steps, jitterbugs, waltzes, baisse-bas, and other regional dance variations. An accomplished and entertaining instructor, Michael addresses different learning styles and levels of experience with his proven teaching methods. His latest video is Allons Danser - "The Whiskey River Jitterbug" (2003) which is all rage in many of the Acadiana dance clubs right now.
In 1996, Michael produced an instructional video with Pam Ardoin and Annie Simonson filmed at New Orleans historic Maple Leaf Bar and featuring the music of Willis Prudhomme, entitled "Zydeco Dance Primer". Appropriate for beginning through advanced students, the video covers the basics and intricacies of the Zydeco two-step and has been well received. It teaches the two styles of Zydeco dance -- coupled and "freestyle" moves. Addressing different learning styles, Michael demonstrates steps and moves showing how they fit into the pattern of the dance. He then breaks them down with easy to follow instructions, finally, giving pointers on leading and following.
Cost for the tapes are $25 plus $4 for shipping, etc. Total: $29. Order by sending a check or money order made out to Michael Seider 419 Washington St. Breaux Bridge, LA 70517 More info: Phone: 337-332-0862 Email: zydecowboy@earthlink.net
Mona "Zydeco Queen" Wilson's (R) Instructional Creole Zydeco video, 2001 featuring Zydeco-robics (R) Mona-robics (R) Style. This 86 minute video is jammed packed with good dancing, great music and a special live performance by Andre Thierry. The segments are Basics, Beyond Basics and Beyond Basics LIVE to Andre Thierry. $29.95 + $3.00 shipping and handling. (mention this website to get a $5 discount). Mona also has 1996 video called Zydeco Dancing, Etc.!! (An Entertainment Video) which features her students from the East and West Coasts as well as Creoles from SW Louisiana. Music is provided by Zydeco Force-Live. The limited number of these videos remain. $29.95 + $3.00 shipping & handling. (If you want both tapes, the discounted price is $25 each.) Make your money order or check payable to: Zydeco Dancing, Etc.! P. O. Box 61171 Houston, TX 77208-1171. For more info, email Mona at qnzydeco@aol.com or go to www.zydecoqueen.crazygator.com
Introduction To Cajun Dancing - Vol. 1, Cynthia and Rand Speyrer, Pelican Publishing Company, 1993
Advanced Cajun Dancing - Vol. 2, Cynthia and Rand Speyrer, Pelican Publishing Company, 1993
Learn To Dance Zydeco Tonite!, and Advanced Zydeco Dance Ben Pagac, Insectefex, Inc., 1995
More info and ordering info is at: http://users.erols.com/bpagac/video.html
I Love To Cajun Dance, Betty Cecil, 1988
