Why Dancing on the 1?

I have a new publication called "Dancing on the 1" at dancingonthe1.substack.com. This is an introduction to what I intend to post there.

You find a loose little rhythm
Then you lock in tight
Yes you roll on it over and over
'Til it sounds just exactly right
You can learn to sing lead if you need to be a star
But the only way to groove is on a bass guitar
I said it fills out the bottom, dirty and mean
It's down right greasy when the soundman's clean
You know the eyes in the room they all lookin' at the star
The butts are all shakin' to the bass guitar.

— Todd Snider, "Joe's Blues"


If you are a swing dancer, you know what Todd means. You could be dancing to a drum beat, but often it's a groove in the music carved out by the bass guitar. Or a saxophone, or a trumpet, or a keyboardist. You find your groove somewhere in the music, and if it's a jazz tune the drummer just might be taking an extended break. What happened to the drummer? You keep dancing on.

Not true on the zydeco dance floor. The accordionist might start to introduce the tune. Some dancers recognize the melody and wander onto the dance floor. They stand on the dance floor and wait for the drummer. Twenty seconds later, the drum beat begins and the dancers are on it. The count of "1" starts each 8-count set of beats and the whole dance floor has found its tempo, and everyone in the dance hall rocks as one to the same tempo. Halfway through the song and you could swap dance partners with anyone on the dance floor and we would all still be dancing to the same tempo: the drum beat.

A friend of mine who leads a zydeco band swears that the music begins on "1" but the downbeat is a half count later. We're actually dancing to "and-1", he says. But as a dancer, I don't hear anything in the music but the drum beat. That's my 1 and that's where I land my weight change. Zydeco is a "street dance" without many rules, and dancing on the 1 might be the only one. Watch the dance floor. We're all moving in time with the drummer even though some dancers might look like their doing completely different dances. "If you're smiling, you’re doing it right," we say. But we're all on the 1…or someone is off beat.

So this is my little newsletter for Cajun and zydeco dancers everywhere, and "Dancing On The 1" is something most of us can agree on. The title is kind of poking fun at a dance we all love that isn't technical at all. I will share stories of Cajun and zydeco artists. Most of the stories I have found on the web or on the backs of album covers. I'm not claiming orginality, but trying to honor the people who make the music. It's my way of keeping the music genres alive through the stories I publish.

And I often stray off the topic and post a story of an artist we may have all heard of but maybe don't know much about. The story on Chris Hillman is a case in point. Surrounding himself with other artists that steal the spotlight like David Crosby, Roger McGuinn, and Stephen Stills, Chris Hillman is credited with creating the genre of country rock music that might not have happened on its own. I didn't write this story: it's 100% wikipedia, with some photos from Hillman's website and a book review from Amazon. It's an interesting story that has nothing to do with dancing. But it's about music that has been with us for half a century, and I found it interesting.

I always post a list of upcoming dance festivals. Dance festivals throughout the United States and in Europe bring people together to celebrate Cajun and zydeco music. Because of dance and music festivals, people all over the world know and love Cajun and zydeco music. Cajun and zydeco music originate from the 22 parishes of Acadiana in Southwest Louisiana. That's a great place to visit and be absorbed in the area's rich culture. But dance festivals thousands of miles outside of Louisiana continue to bring people together and to keep the spirit of Louisiana alive in music and dance, and create special times for people who love to dance. Come and enjoy the music of Louisiana at a festival near you, or where you want to be.

See you on the dance floor. — Jim Hance, August 2023