Fall 2024
Spring 2025
What’s the Count? Zydeco vs. Cajun Dancing | La Veillée
Cajun and Zydeco music are world-reknowned and catchy in their own right. But it’s the unique dancing styles associated with the music that grabs so many people’s attention and also keeps Louisianans in constant debate: How do you count? What’s the difference? This week we dive deep into the complexities of Louisiana culture by comparing two genres of music and dance that often exist in the same spaces
Tweet
La Veillée | BOUDIN, don’t Boudé
It’s festival season all over Louisiana. People are outside walking from booth to booth at their favorite festival, dancing nonstop to local artists, and finally leaving their mommas’ pots alone and trying the many staple dishes Louisiana restaurants put together in their mobile kitchens. If only there was one perfectly carb and protein balanced handheld snack available at these outdoor festivities to keep our energy and spirits up… well, there is! Boudin! This week, we head to Southwest Louisiana to the 12th annual Scott Boudin Festival and discover what flavors that make this festival snack worth all the hype.
Tweet
La Veillée | The Creoles of St. Martin Parish
The resurgence of Louisiana Creole heritage along Bayou Teche in St. Martin Parish through a museum, music, dance, and more.
Tweet
La Veillée | Vacherie: The Creole Language of the River Parishes
Louisiana’s French language does not exist in a vacuum, but instead has developed over time symbiotically with its sister tongue Louisiana Creole. After investigating the Bayou Teche and Pointe Coupée dialects of this cherished yet endangered tongue in previous episodes of La Veillée, we visited this week with speakers of Louisiana Creole from Vacherie in St. James Parish about what makes their dialect unique and how the language was crafted by enslaved Louisiana across generations.
Tweet
La Veillée | Doc Guidry and the Cajun Fiddle
These days, Louisiana French music is infused with the sounds of several key instruments, including the guitar, the accordion, and more. But in its early years, Cajun music was all about the fiddle, and Oran “Doc” Guidry was one of the first Louisiana violinists to define the genre. Through archival interviews with Doc’s contemporaries and an interview with his grandson, we learn about Doc’s role in the rise and fall of the Cajun fiddle as well as his ongoing impact on his family and community.
Tweet
La Veillée | Sheryl Cormier & The Women of La French Music
In this episode, we had the honor of talking with Cajun Queen and star accordionist Sheryl Cormier, along with her fellow musician Jane Vidrine, about Sheryl's legacy and her impact on the new generation of Cajun female musicians.
Tweet
La Veillée | A Cajun Meatery in the Creole City
We visit with Isaac Toups, an Acadiana chef adding new flavor to the New Orleans culinary scene. Isaac and his daughter Ivy talk about their Cajun roots and love of the French language.
Tweet
Loreauville: Beausoleil Broussard and the First Acadians
Acadian refugees deported from Atlantic Canada had an indelible impact on Louisiana’s food and culture. The first wave of these migrants arrived three hundred years ago in Iberia Parish. This week, we talked with descendants of these settlers and what it means to be Acadian.
Tweet