Marriott to occupy hotel building
February 28, 2008
Troy Anthony Lirette
March 3, 2008
Twelve years ago, Nicholls State University librarian Anke Tonn came to New Orleans and learned how to dance to the Zydeco beat.
“Shortly afterward, I became involved in the Cajun French Music Association. Some of the members took me dancing all over Louisiana. I grew to love Zydeco music,” she said.
Tonn wanted to offer it to NSU students who, like her, hadn’t grown up listening to the Cajun/Zydeco tunes indigenous to south Louisiana.
“I offered to start this Cajun and Creole souvenir display. My then-director Mark Daganaar was so impressed with the display he wanted me to continue the event and open it up to the public,” Tonn said.
The display was a hit with the locals, she said, and the Cajun/Zydeco Dance and Music Exhibit took flight, never looking back.
The event is part of NSU’s Jubilee celebration, and is presented by the Ellender Memorial Library.
“The main purpose of the event is to bring cultural awareness to students that are not from south Louisiana. All the NSU student organizations participate in the event, which incorporates sounds from across the region,” Tonn said.
The jaunt through the Cajun culture begins with the 3rd annual Dinner Dance on March 28. It will be held in the Cotillion Ballroom (Bollinger Student Union) on the NSU campus. The cash bar opens at 6 p.m., and music master of ceremony Dr. Will Robichaux will entertain the crowd on the accordion. Dinner will be served promptly at 7 p.m.
Following dinner, Geno Delafose and French Rockin’ Boogie will perform from 8 to 11 p.m. Tickets are $40 for the public and $30 for students.
The 12th annual Cajun/Zydeco Music and Dance exhibit ends with a salute to Louisiana Women Musicians in Cajun/Zydeco Music on April 9 at the Ellender library from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., and the Cotillion Ballroom from 7 to 11 p.m.
Bonsoir, Catin and Rosie Ledet will perform for free at both venues.
Back in the day, it was unthinkable for a woman to play in a rowdy dance hall. But Lafayette’s five-piece Bonsoir, Catin is right at home on the stage.
Bonsoir, Catin, loosely translated as “sassy little ladies,” plays authentic Cajun music the band’s members say is energetic, passionate and heart-felt.
Band members are guitarist Christine Balfa Powell, accordion player Kristi Guillory, bassist Yvette Landry, fiddler Anya Burgess and drummer Jude Veillon – the group’s lone male.
“We realized that we shared the same vision that Cajun music should be unafraid and unabashed, full of energy and raw emotion,” said Guillory, the group’s spokeswoman.
Visitors are likely to hear a wide variety of Cajun music styles during their set. Local Cajun music heroes, including Powell’s father, Dewey Balfa, have influenced the group, according to Guillory.
She said Bonsoir, Catin’s music is an expression of what it is to be a Cajun woman – “feminine, classy, smart, brave, take-charge and, of course, no-nonsense.”
Lafayette band Bonsoir, Catin will perform at Nicholls State’s Cajun/Zydeco Music and Dance.
