On Saturday evening, Sept. 17, Cajun Cottage presents Levee Riders Zydeco at Homestead Hall, Jenkintown. Doors open for dinner guests at 6:45, and the evening starts with a catered Creole dinner at 7:00 p.m. A beginning Zydeco dance lesson will be taught from 7:30 to 8:30, followed by two sets of live Zydeco for dancing. [Ed. note 9/12: Dinner tickets are sold out].

Dancers, music lovers, and anyone who wants to enjoy a fun evening are invited to join us for the dance only; admission at the door will be $15.00 after 8:15 p.m. for those who want to hear and dance to Levee Riders Zydeco from 8:30 to 11:30. We will have our usual snacks for everyone throughout the evening, and you are welcome to bring your own beverages (beer and wine only, please).

If you have any questions about tickets or the dinner dance, please email events@cajuncottage.com or call 215-780-1993.

Our last Louisiana Dance Party of the season, held at Homestead Hall in Jenkintown on Saturday evening, June 25, was a huge success! Thanks to C’est Bon Cajun Dance Band for providing the terrific music that kept everyone dancing all night long … Barbara, Susi, Jane, Betsy, and Evie, with Paul on drums, really rocked the place. And thank you to special guest Jesse Lége, who sat in with the band for several songs!

Also, thanks to all the Philly area dancers who came out in force to enjoy the band and support our fundraising efforts. The Silent Auction included items that were purchased by those present for a total of over $1,100. When the money has been donated, we’ll post again about our chosen recipient(s).

Thank you to the volunteers who helped make this event run smoothly: Jay Lebenkoff, who made phone calls to help arrange auction items, came early to help set up and stayed late to help clean the hall; Jacci Schlegel, Karen Lerman, and Barbara Kirk who helped with the food service area and the admissions table, and my wife Cheryl, who helped with the Silent Auction table.

Thank you to everyone — dancers and volunteers—who helped make Cajun Cottage’s second season a fun time for me. A special thank you to Robert McLaughlin of The Centre for Well Being for hosting our New Year’s Eve party as well as our monthly dances from January through May!

I am looking forward to enjoying the summer break, with lots of dancing during July (see Events) and lots of relaxing in August. We will return with our third season of Louisiana Dance Parties in September. Keep an eye on this site for an announcement, by mid-August, with the date and details for our September event.

Sunday May 1 – Whiskey River Jitterbug Workshop & Dance

On Sunday afternoon, May 1, Cajun Cottage is pleased to present a special May Day Dance Party featuring a two-part Whiskey River Jitterbug Workshop taught by guest instructors Marv Resnick and Dianne Marinari. Whiskey River Jitterbug, a unique dance with amazing styling in the footwork, is actually a combination of two dances in one. The closed position is the unique part, with all the special footwork along and many moves seen only in this dance. The open position is good old fashioned jitterbug. Something old and something new.

The dance is done to a hard driving style of Cajun music. It is named after Angelle’s Whiskey River Landing, a dance hall in Henderson, LA where it is done regularly. During the workshop we will learn the entire dance, including many stylings and moves. At the end of the workshop, participants will receive a handout with reminders of what we learned, more information on the dance, and where to buy an instructional video.

An outline of the workshop follows:

1:30 – 2:15 Part 1 – All The Basics

• Closed position – plain footwork version and fancy footwork version
• Open position footwork (jitterbug)
• Transitioning between open and closed positions

2:15 – 3:00 Part 2 – Closed Position Advanced Fancy Footwork & Moves

For this part of the workshop we will progress at a comfortable speed. It is doubtful that we will learn all the moves listed below, so some will be saved for a future advanced workshop. The possible moves are:

• Fancy footwork options on the 5-6 (counts/beats 5 and 6) including the kick ball change
• Triple step fancy footwork option
• Right leg lift and touch
• Right leg lift and stomp
• Right leg stutter step
• Hip shift (butt wiggle)
• Alligator walk
• Fancy move – both the easier way a more elaborate way

Following the workshop, we will play a mix of Whiskey River Jitterbug and Zydeco, along with a few waltzes, from 3:00 until 5:30 p.m., for your dancing pleasure. Admission is $10 per person, which includes this month’s Cajun Crockpot and other snacks. Additional snacks and beverages are always welcome. For more information, please call 215-780-1993.

On Saturday evening, February 19, The Centre for Well Being in Northeast Philadelphia will host this month’s Cajun Cottage Zydeco Dance Party. We’ll begin at 7:30 p.m. with an introductory Zydeco lesson. Following the lesson, we’ll play a variety of great Zydeco music featuring some of the best Louisiana Creole bands from 8:30 until 11:30 p.m.

This month’s party will include something new. In addition to Zydeco music and dancing, our parties provide an opportunity to socialize with old and new friends. In order to get to know people better, we’re going to set up a “networking table”. We know some of you have businesses, or are artists or crafters. If you want to share a bit about your life beyond C/Z dancing, please bring something that you make or sell, or display business cards or literature about any products or services you’d like everyone to know about.

Admission is $10 at the door, which includes the dance lesson, dancing, How’s Cajun Crockpot, and a chance to win the door prize (this month it’s a free admission to hear Curley Taylor & Zydeco Trouble at the TK Club on Friday, Feb. 25.

The Zydeco Dance Party will be BYOB, and additional snacks are welcome. For a map and directions, click on The Centre for Well Being link in the right sidebar. For more information, call 215-888-7276.

Our first Zydeco Dance Party of 2011 will be held on Saturday evening, January 22 at The Centre for Well Being in Northeast Philadelphia. The party will begin at 8:00 p.m. with an introductory Zydeco lesson. Following the lesson, we’ll play a variety of great Zydeco music featuring some of the best Louisiana Creole bands from 9:00 until midnight.

The Centre for Well Being, located at 7880 Oxford Ave., Philadelphia, has been the location of some great Cajun and Zydeco parties hosted by its owner, Robert McLaughlin. Most recently, it was the scene of the Cajun Cottage New Year’s Eve Party, with nearly 50 friends and dancers welcoming the start of 2011. Some of our Cajun musician friends jammed a bit, we danced to music played by DJ Ray (thanks, Ray!), and toasted the New Year when the ball dropped.

The Centre is a good space for dancing, with a wonderful hardwood floor. Although it’s not as large as Homestead Hall, it’s way more intimate, and will be a regular venue on the Cajun Cottage agenda in the months ahead.

Admission is $10 at the door. The Zydeco Dance Party will be BYOB, and snacks are welcome. For a map and directions, click on The Centre for Well Being link in the right sidebar. For more information, call 215-888-7276.