Seattle Press on Line - Zydeco Community Keeps Dancing Alive in Seattle

Zydeco Community Keeps Dancing Alive in Seattle

By Sean Patrick Donovan

Malcolm Walker, of Li'l Malcolm and the House Rockers, a zydeco band from Louisiana.

Jan 26, 2000 -- "Welcome to the zydeco community." With these words, MaryLee Lykes greets the eager new dancers in her beginning zydeco class. For Lykes, Owner of Lykes to Dance, as for many of Seattle's zydeco enthusiasts--for whom dancing is a way of life--"creating community" is essential. Zydeco, an irresistibly spirited music, was forged in the Creole communities of southwest Louisiana. Earmarked by the signature sounds of the accordion and rub board (an old time washboard played with spoons), it is both passionate and joyful, bursting with driving syncopations and infectious rhythms. It's the kind of music which "inspires people to move, whether they dance zydeco or not," says Pamela Pollock, an instructor with Living Traditions. She continues, "In Louisiana, music and dance are just part of the cultural fabric."

Spearheading the effort to weave such a fabric here is the Northwest Zydeco Music and Dance Association (NW Zydeco), a non-profit, all volunteer organization founded over a decade ago to promote zydeco in the northwest.

To bring zydeco into the larger community, vice president James Mershon says NW Zydeco is working to "increase the number of dances and concerts" which are open to all ages.

But why build local community around a far off culture? Malcolm Walker, of Li'l Malcolm & the House Rockers, a Louisiana-based band that performed recently at the Tractor Tavern, sums up the zydeco scene best when he says: "It's nothin' but fun." The dance is delightfully playful, employing smooth hips and down to earth styling. Zydeco dancing "is very simple, yet captivating," says Pollock, and "has a groove that takes you somewhere other dance forms don't"--a groove some dancers describe as "transformational."

Furthermore, zydeco dancers are usually "more interested in movement than moves," says Mershon. "Learning how to move really well with the music and your partner," he says, is why the dance gets more interesting over time. And as NW Zydeco's Volunteer Coordinator Ken Sargent attests, "It's a nice way to meet people."

Marla Meyer and Sean Donovan dance zydeco at the Tractor Tavern.

Evolved from rural Creole house parties called "la-la's," this fluid, vital music and dance have been lovingly molded over the generations. Said to have origins dating back over 200 years, zydeco as we know it emerged after WWII, when Clifton Chenier--the "King of Zydeco"--added robust rhythm and blues to the more traditional mix of Afro-Caribbean, Celtic, and Native American rhythms and song patterns. Legend has it this deeply soulful music takes its name from the expression "Les haricots sont pas sale," or "The snap beans aren't salty." A phrase used in many Creole songs, it bespeaks hard economic times, when there was no salty meat to be had for spicing up the beans. "Les haricots" (pronounced "lay za-de-co") stuck to this lively music, as the snap beans sustained and stuck to the ribs of the Creoles.

Today, numerous volunteers dedicate their time and creative energy to teaching classes, organizing dance camps (such as "Zydeco 2000" in February; see below), and bringing authentic zydeco bands to play in the northwest. None work harder, according to Pollock, than NW Zydeco's President, Carol Schreitmueller. In addition to fashioning a solid network of zydeco contacts, Schreitmueller is working to secure an airline sponsor willing to donate the half-dozen seats per month it would take to fly bands in from Louisiana and Texas. Ultimately, she envisions a large zydeco festival, here in the northwest, with a "mix of Creole food, music, dance and people."

While the work at times seems daunting, anyone who's danced zydeco--and eased into that "groove"--would likely agree with instructor Holly Thomas when she insists: "When I'm dancing zydeco, I just can't stop grinning."

ZYDECO 2000!

The next big musical feast for dancers--and those interested in hearing and experiencing zydeco--is the "Zydeco 2000" dance weekend (Feb. 4-6), co-produced by Living Traditions and NW Zydeco (call 781-1238 for information). Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced dance workshops will be offered, and the teaching styles, says James Mershon, "will showcase some of the finest dancers from Louisiana and Texas." Also, keep an eye out for dances hosted regularly at the West Seattle Golf Club by Laura Taylor (owner of NW Lagniappe, and a co-founder of NW Zydeco), and at the Century Ballroom by Hallie Kuperman. Zydeco enthusiast Dan Cowan, owner of the Tractor Tavern in Ballard, often hosts zydeco events and is, according to Carol Schreitmueller, "one of the major reasons zydeco music is known in Seattle."

ZYDECO INFO: Living Traditions, registration and info on "Zydeco 2000." Call 781-1238 or www.ltdance.com. NW Zydeco/Cajun Hotline, 382-5586 or www.scn.org/rec/zydeco. MaryLee Lykes & Co., 729-2669 or www.marylee-co.com.

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