THIBODAUX – With musicians Bonsoir, Catin, Rosie Ledet and a night of dinner and dancing with Geno Delafose and the French Rockin’ Boogie, the 12th annual Cajun/Zydeco Music and Dance Exhibit at Nicholls State University promises to be a lively experience.
The festival, presented by Ellender Memorial Library, celebrates and preserves the musical heritage and culture of the Cajun and Creole people of south Louisiana. This year’s theme is “Louisiana Women Musicians of Cajun and Zydeco Music.”
Featured musicians will include Zydeco sweetheart Rosie Ledet and the Zydeco Playboys. Known for her bluesy, sexy voice, Ledet sings in both Creole French and English.
Joining Ledet will be Bonsoir, Catin, playing authentic Cajun music – energetic, passionate and heart-felt.
And in a special encore performance, Geno Delafose and the French Rockin’ Boogie will return to Nicholls for the third consecutive year. The son of the great Zydeco accordionist John Delafose of the Eunice Playboys, Delafose is an accordionist who sings in both French and English and has developed his own sound by combining Creole and Cajun standards with a new Zydeco energy.
The complete schedule of events for the 12th annual Cajun/Zydeco Music and Dance Exhibit includes:
Friday, March 28
6 p.m. – Third annual Cajun/Zydeco Festival Dinner and Dance featuring accordionist Geno Delafose and the French Rockin’ Boogie, with performances by John Babin on fiddle, Will Robichaux on accordion and Patrick Sylvest on dobro. The dinner, dance and cash bar will take place in the Cotillion Ballroom of the Bollinger Student Union. The menu includes Tchoupitoulas salad, cochon de lait (roast pig), sausage jambalaya, tomato haricot vert, French bread and bananas foster served over French toast. Admission is $40 for general admission and $30 for Nicholls students and persons under 18 years-old. Call (985)448-4648 for tickets.
Wednesday, April 9
5:30 to 6:30 p.m. – Opening reception in the first-floor lobby of Ellender Memorial Library, featuring live music by Bonsoir, Catin.
7 – 7:30 p.m. – Ben Sandmel, musician and writer, hosts a live interview with the musical stars of this year’s festival in the Cotillion Ballroom.
7:30 to 9 p.m. – Zydeco sweetheart Rosie Ledet and the Zydeco Playboys spice things up in a performance guaranteed to make everyone move. Location: Cotillion Ballroom.
9:30 to 11 p.m. – Come experience unabashed Cajun music, full of energy and raw emotion, as the ladies of Bonsoir, Catin perform in the Cotillion Ballroom.
The Cajun/Zydeco Music and Dance Exhibit at Nicholls is supported by grants from the Louisiana Division of the Arts, the Office of Cultural Development and the Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism, in cooperation with the Louisiana State Arts Council as administered by the Houma Regional Arts Council and the BTNEP.The event is part of the 10th annual Jubilee: A Festival of the Arts and Humanities at Nicholls. For a complete schedule of Jubilee events, which run until April 22, visit the Jubilee website at www.nicholls.edu/jubilee or call (985)448-4273.
