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FESTIVAL DANCERS

JUBILEE AMERICAN DANCE THEATRE

NATIONAL/ETHNIC IDENTITY: Cajun, United States
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR: Hilary Roberts
First Appearance in SF EDF: 2000
Website: www.jubileedance.com

Cajun music is a blend of instrumental sounds and playing styles from Louisiana's early settlers and incoming immigrants. Black Creoles contributed percussion techniques and improvisation styles on washtubs, soup spoons and washboards, while North American Indians influenced the high-pitched, wailing vocal quality. The Spanish contributed the guitar, the French, the violin and triangle, and the German-Jews, the Austrian accordion. Acadians, Creoles, Irish and Anglo-Americans further invented new tunes. All of these cultures contributed to the gumbo of musical sounds that has become known as Cajun music.

Cajun music is dance music! It inspires the feet to stomp and folks to fly around the dance floor. Jubilee American Dance Theatre recreates the scene of a 1940s era local community hall gathering where farmers and laborers congregate to celebrate the war's end. At these events, called fais do do, literally meaning "go to sleep my little friend," people gather to play cards, gamble, socialize and eat, while mothers lullaby their babies to sleep before the late night dances begin.

Under the Artistic Direction of Hilary Roberts, Jubilee American Dance Theatre was formed in 1999 to fill a void in the dance community—namely, to create a company devoted to the preservation and presentation of traditional American dance. With an eye on research and keeping true to tradition, Jubilee's vision is to open windows into the understanding of American historical dance and music, the stories which surround them, and the way of life of the people who lived them.

2005 PERFORMANCE

TITLE OF PIECE: A FAIS DO DO; DANCES FROM THE BAYOU
CHOREOGRAPHY: Jerry Duke
DANCERS: Jill Breslauer, Dee Brown, Anil Comelo, Rebecca Davis, Mary Ann Davis, Lew Douglas, Travis Engle, O.J. Erickson, Debbie Evenich, Phillip Garrison, Marija Hillis, Joe James, Bhakti Klein, Bill Lidicker, Marjorie Nugent, Monica Oakley, Tirtza Rosenberg, Steven Rottell, Mark Ryken, Erik Schutter, Paul Strogen, Ruth Suzuki, Barbara Vernon
MUSIC: Chip Curry (fiddle), Hap Engle (bass), Dan Falsetto (triangle), Chris Martin (guitar), Tony Phillips (fiddle), John Remenarich (accordion)
SINGERS: Rebecca Davis, Ralph Nelson, Tony Phillips, Mark Ryken, Lianne Venner

Jubilee presents a suite of four parts created by a noted Cajun authority, San Francisco State Professor, Jerry Duke. The opening depicts local gentleman rounding up the townspeople from their homes and accompanying them to the social hall. Once inside the hall a lullaby entitled, Fais Do Do, is sung to put babies to sleep, followed by a waltz to segue into the evening's festivities. The third section portrays married couples and singles dancing together to the upbeat Contra, the Colinda, said to be an old Caribbean song brought to the region by slaves. The concluding dance is the well-loved Cajun two-step. Brought to the Bayou in 1910, it is heavily influenced by Caribbean dance rhythms and is noted for its fast-paced twists and turns called, the "jitterbug."

All the costumes are original 1940s garments and are typical of the simple yet formal attire that people wore to dance in. The lyrics of the songs are nostalgic reminiscence of aspects of Louisiana's folklore or a person's childhood memories.