Let's Go Dancin': The Evolution of Louisiana French Music Venues

The journey from the bal du maison to the Blue Moon Saloon

January 29, 2024 3:00 PM

By Ron Stanford, from his book "Big French Dance".

Brush up on your Louisiana French Music history with the following articles from our 2024 Music Issue:

The Origins of Louisiana's French Music

The Instruments of Cajun, Zydeco, and Swamp Pop Music

The History of Cajun Music, 1930s to Today

The World of Louisiana Zydeco

Swamp Pop Should Go On Forever

In the earliest days of the Southwest Louisiana settlements, music’s place in the society was primarily as a storytelling mechanism within the home—the long, unaccompanied French ballads were brought forth from centuries of tradition, and adapted to suit the singers’ experiences in the new world. This form of song, more than the dance songs, was largely the realm of women—passed down from mothers to their children. It was a tradition already dwindling by the dawn of early recordings, though captured to some extent in Lomax’s collection.

In social settings, music’s role was centered around the bal du maison, or “house dance”. These gatherings of family and neighbors took place in the home, where furniture was moved and big communal dishes, such as gumbo, were prepared. In Black Creole communities, the French music performed at these events was referred to as “la la” music—an early antecedent of Zydeco.

Public dancehalls, or salles de danse, are documented as a part of part of community life as early as 1859, and within a century had almost entirely replaced the bal du maison tradition. These were usually in barns or warehouses with a bar at the entrance and allowed the economy of music making and professionalism to emerge in Southwest Louisiana. It also became the main site of courtship in Acadiana communities, as well as the resulting wedding celebrations. Some common features of these venues included, a “bull pen,” or la cage aux chiens, where men would congregate whenever they weren’t dancing, and bleacher-style benches from which chaperones could closely watch the interactions of the dancers on the floor. Often there were rooms set aside for babies to sleep, or to play cards. During their heyday, these dancehalls would have been segregated—Black Creole communities eventually came to refer to venues that hosted Zydeco performances as “the Zydeco”.

[Read this: "It Takes Two to Two-Step: Partner Dancing in Acadiana"]

Following changes in dance trends, the arrival of the jukebox, and a rising culture of violence in dancehalls towards the end of the twentieth century, the true Louisiana dancehall became an increasingly endangered thing. A few surviving ones, still offering regular performances of Cajun and Zydeco bands, include: the Vermilionville Performance Center in Lafayette, which hosts a bal du dimanche each week; La Poussière in Breaux Bridge, which has been around since 1955 and hosts live performances every weekend; El Sid O’s Zydeco and Blues Club in Lafayette, which has hosted some of the genre’s biggest names; the Blue Moon Saloon, a downtown Lafayette favorite for festival afterparties, and regular old Saturday nights, too; the Barn at Lakeview Park & Beach in Eunice—where Revon Reed’s live radio show was broadcasting its way to Ralph Rinzler; and Fred’s Lounge in Mamou—whose Saturday morning dance begins at 9 am sharp.

[Read more:

Since the late twentieth century, the restaurant-dancehall has emerged as an extension of the traditional, family-oriented dancehalls of old—which also catered to the growing tourism industry around Cajun culture. Some of the most famous in operation today are: Prejean’s in Carencro, Buck & Johnny’s in Breaux Bridge, D. I.’s in Basile, and the Hideaway on Lee in Lafayette. The first ever restaurant-dancehall, opened in a historic dancehall building in Breaux Bridge in 1980, was Mulates—which has been closed since 2011 (though the owners still operate a location in New Orleans). In November of 2023, former owner of the beloved, recently-closed Randol’s Restaurant and Dancehall, announced that the institution would be reopening in 2024 in the old Mulates, bringing the tradition of the Louisiana French Dance back into one of its most historic homes.

[Read this: "Allons Danser!: John Sharp is documenting the dancehalls of South Louisiana"]

Today, Louisiana’s rich festival culture has become the center stage of live Cajun, Zydeco, and Swamp Pop performances. Many of the region’s biggest events revolve around music—such as Festival Acadien et Créoles, Festival International de Louisiane, the Southwest Louisiana Zydeco Music Festival, the Swamp Pop Music Festival, Black Pot Festival, Le Grand Hoorah, and the Mamou Cajun Music Festival. But hundreds of other hyper-regional celebrations across Louisiana’s festival circuit almost always place local performances as a main feature of the day. In addition, since Dewey Balfa’s triumph at Newport, many career Cajun, Zydeco, and Swamp Pop performers take their art to the road—representing Louisiana’s place in America’s roots music at folk festivals the world over.

[Read more:

Recommended Reading/Resource List:

Related

"Come On, Joe"

The History of Cajun Music, 1930s to Today

The World of Louisiana Zydeco

Swamp Pop Should Go On Forever