Dancin' in South Louisiana

Cajun and Zydeco music is, first and foremost, dance music. At the many Louisiana festivals, in the friendly Cajun and Zydeco dance halls and in many Cajun restaurants, you can hear live music and watch energetic dancers. You can also join the dancers. Novice dancers are always welcome and the "old timers" are happy to provide a little coaching for the beginner. Just ask one of the dancers on the floor for some help and be prepared to "pass a good time".

You will see several popular dances in TABASCO^® Country, especially the Zydeco Two-Step, Cajun Waltz, Cajun Two-Step and Cajun Jitterbug. In today's lesson we will learn the Cajun Two-Step.

The Cajun Two Step

The two-step is a traditional partner dance performed to fast, spirited music with a 4/4 beat. Couples move in a counter-clockwise direction around the floor-the man going forward, the woman backward. There are no turnouts, spins or other fancy moves in the traditional Cajun two-step.

Position:
Man: Left hand shoulder high, palm facing forward. Right hand on partner's waist.
Woman: Right hand in partner's left hand. Left hand on partner's shoulder.
Both: Tension/pressure on joined hand. Slight pressure on shoulder, pull at waist.

Dance:
Man glides forward with left foot on first beat, brings his right foot together with the left on the second beat, glides the left foot forward on the third beat and then touches his right foot at the side of the left on the fourth beat. (Step L, together, step L, touch). Do not put weight on the right foot during the touch. The right foot then glides forward to begin a repeat of the step, together, step, touch sequence (Step R, together, step R, touch). The woman does the same in reverse, starting with her right foot gliding backward. Each `step', `together' and `touch' move is one count.

The count is :
Step L, together, step, touch;
Step R, together, step, touch;
Step L, together, step, touch;
Step R, together, step, touch;
etc.

In addition to the foot movement, there is a slight up motion on the first and third beats and a slight down motion on the even beats. The count, using (up) and (down) to indicate the up and down body movement is now:

Step L(up), together(down), step(up), touch(down);
Step R(up), together(down), step(up), touch(down);
Step L(up), together(down), step(up), touch(down);
Step R(up), together(down), step(up), touch(down);

Dance lesson courtesy of Jim Porter