Big French Dance
to
Acadiana Center for the Arts 101 West Vermilion Street, Lafayette, Louisiana 70501

Ron Stanford
For two sweet, sweet years, Midwesterners Ron and Fay Stanford lived in an old home on a cattle and rice farm in the middle of Basile, Louisiana. Invited there by Dewey Balfa, the couple had agreed to spend some time in Cajun country documenting the distinct French folk music of the area. During the years of 1972–1974, the couple wandered into joint after joint across Acadiana, dance hall after dance hall, following the sounds of Cajun music, Zydeco, and Swamp Pop. The project came to fruition in the form of a record, produced by Floyd's Record Shop in Ville Platte, Louisiana, called J'étas au bal: Music from French Louisiana. The couple moved back to Iowa City, and continued on with their lives. Four decades later, Ron rediscovered a box of old negatives from his time in Southwest Louisiana, moments captured from all those nights in the Cajun dance halls. Using today's digital technology, he scanned and printed a massive collection of photos documenting a blissful moment of authentic regional music in South Louisiana.
This year, Stanford's photos were published in the book, Big French Dance: Cajun and Zydeco Music 1972–1974, and in September, they will be displayed in a special exhibition at the Acadiana Center for the Arts. Opening reception is September 14, closing reception is October 12. Learn more about the book and project at bigfrenchdance.com, and about the exhibition at acadianacenterforthearts.org.
Read more about Stanford's book, Big French Dance, in this article from our September 2019 issue.