Couples spin and turn, rocking back and forth, swinging apart and then dipping close. An accordion alternates its pumping pulse with a funky bass riff, forcing your shoulders to jump in time to the beat. If you have an ounce of rhythm, your hips soon follow suit. So by the time the tickety-tick thrum of the washboard leaps in and the band brings the song around to the chorus, your whole body's shaking.
And what's that the singer is saying? "Put a hump in your back"? You bet. You're in zydeco and Cajun country.
The sizzle of zydeco and twanging sway of Cajun music emanate from Southwestern Louisiana's Acadiana, named for French settlers exiled from L'Acadie (now Nova Scotia, Canada) by the British in 1755. The descendants of the Acadians created Cajun music, while the Creole people of Southern Louisiana blended French musical forms with the influences of African music in the New World and thus developed zydeco. Today, music lovers tour the region to soak up the infectious sounds at their source.
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Lafayette, La., the central hub of Acadiana, will soon be host to its free and fabulous Festival International de Louisiane (www.festivalinternational.com). Hundreds of local and international artists will rock out on six stages in the heart of downtown Lafayette from April 23 to 27. Families make a day of it, strolling the streets and setting up picnic blankets at their stage of choice. Expect to be surprised by the breadth of music — from local favorites like Terrance Simien (who just won a Grammy for best zydeco or Cajun album), to Malian superstar Habib Koité.
Year-round, though, slightly gritty El Sid O's remains everyone's first choice for zydeco in Lafayette. Or join a big ol' Cajun barn dance at Mulate's (1-337-332-4648), Randol's (1-337-981-7080) or Prejean's (1-337-896-3247).
Many travelers in Acadiana focus on visiting the wetlands to the south, with their fabled bayous and cypress trees festooned with Spanish moss. But if you want to fall off the beaten track and into the sizzling epicenter of Cajun and zydeco music, head north of Lafayette to the Cajun Prairie. Rice farms and livestock spread across this relative highland, which is home to both Cajuns and black cowboys.
The small town of Opelousas lies unassumingly alongside Highway 49, north of Lafayette, but the quiet grid of streets is home to the world-famous-in-zydeco-circles Slim's Y-Ki-Ki (1-337-942-6242). Call to see who's playing, but most weekends you can sweat in this cinder-block cube to the world's best zydeco.
Sleepy Eunice's narrow streets harbor everything a Cajun music lover could want. Just east of town, the Savoy Music Center (1-337-457-9563), owned by renowned Cajun player Mark Savoy, hosts jam sessions and makes custom accordions. In Eunice, KBON (101.1-FM, 1-337-546-0007; 109 S. Second St.), the area's premier Cajun music radio station, pumps out the hits and welcomes visitors to meander along its Wall of Fame, which is smothered in musicians' signatures and photographs. Or just make faces at the DJ, live on air in the glass booth.
Down the street, the Liberty Theater's Rendezvous de Cajuns (1-337-457-7389; corner of South Second State and Park Avenue; adult/child $5/$3) gets to hopping every Saturday night in this vintage theater and is broadcast on local radio. Truly devoted Cajun fans complete their tour by spending hours poring over the detailed exhibits in the Cajun Music Hall of Fame and Museum (www.cajunfrenchmusic.org).
Since Lafayette, Opelousas and Eunice are so near one another, it's quite simple to hop from one to the other depending on who's playing and whether you are itching for a gentle Cajun swing or a sweaty zydeco rumble.
If you go
For those inclined to avoid the ubiquitous chain hotels surrounding Lafayette, lovingly restored La Maison de Belle Bed and Breakfast (1-337-457-7389; 610 Girard Park Drive; room and breakfast $125) lies alongside a verdant park.
The homey Blue Moon Guesthouse (1-337-234-2422; www.bluemoonguesthouse.com; 215 E. Convent St., Lafayette; rooms $70-$90, dorms $18) doubles as Lafayette's most popular nightclub, so be ready for raucous evenings.
