One Man Dancing Creates Cajun Zydeco Festivals
From: Rhonda J. Miller
Series: Folk River
Length: 04:18
Franklin Zawacki discovered Cajun music when he was 19 and driving around the United States. In Lousiana, he helped a man with a broken-down car. The man was Cajun, a culture descended from French-speaking Acadians from Novia Scotia. The culture is mixed with African-American and Native American.
The Cajun man took Zawacki touring through Southwest Louisiana bayou country. They went to dance halls. The shy teenager could always dance. It was a life-changing experience.
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Related Pieces
Piece Description
Franklin Zawacki discovered Cajun music when he was 19 and driving around the United States. In Lousiana, he helped a man with a broken-down car. The man was Cajun, a culture descended from French-speaking Acadians from Novia Scotia. The culture is mixed with African-American and Native American.
The Cajun man took Zawacki touring through Southwest Louisiana bayou country. They went to dance halls. The shy teenager could always dance. It was a life-changing experience.
Transcript
One Man Dancing Creates
Cajun Zydeco Festivals
INTRO
Festivals book headliners to attract attention and local bands to fill in the crowd. But most people don't hear about men like Franklin Zawacki (Za-WOK' ee) who created and produced Cajun and Zydeco festivals for 30 years.
His footprints are on the ground in California and New England, where he started out as one man dancing, but got thousands of people to dance with him. Reporter Rhonda Miller has more on this San Francisco poet and high school teacher.
-----
If you follow Franklin Zawacki for more than a few minutes, you'll end up at the music. This evening Zawacki is at the home of friends in San Francisco.
That's Miguel Govea and his 17-year-old daughter, Cecilia Pena-Govea doing Malaguena, a song from Mexico.
.
Zawacki loves this music.
But it doesn't have to be traditional Mexican music to please Zawacki.
"One of t...
Read the full transcript
Timing and Cues
4:10 plus :08 music fade
Intro and Outro
INTRO:INTRO
Festivals book headliners to attract attention and local bands to fill in the crowd. But most people don't hear about men like Franklin Zawacki (Za-WOK' ee) who created and produced Cajun and Zydeco festivals for 30 years. His footprints are on the ground in California and New England, where he started out as one man dancing, but got thousands of people to dance with him. Reporter Rhonda Miller has more on this San Francisco poet and high school teacher.
OUTRO:Peg to local Cajun Zydeco festivals.....
Musical Works
| Title | Artist | Album | Label | Year | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Malaguena | Miguel Govea & Cecilia Pena Govea | Live. | 00:20 |
