Cajun Jig or Cajun One Step is among the simplest of

Cajun The Cajuns (; French: ''les Cadjins'' or ''les Cadiens'' ), also known as Louisiana ''Acadians'' (French: ''les Acadiens''), are a Louisiana French ethnicity mainly found in the U.S. state of Louisiana. While Cajuns are usually described as ...

dance forms. It has only one

basic step The basic step, basic figure, basic movement, basic pattern, or simply basic is the dance move that defines the character of a particular dance. It sets the rhythm of the dance; it is the default move to which a dancer returns, when not performing ...

. The Cajun Jig was popular in

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

in the late 1980s and early 1990s, but remains a mainstay of dancers. Often, this step pattern is alternated with other styles, during a single song, particularly among those who are regular dancers, in urban and non-traditional settings, or those who are also

Zydeco Zydeco ( or , french: Zarico) is a music genre that evolved in southwest Louisiana by French Creole speakers which blends blues, rhythm and blues, and music indigenous to the Louisiana Creoles and the Native American people of Louisiana. Al ...

dancers. The Cajun Jig is danced to fast or slow.

Cajun music Cajun music (french: Musique cadienne), an emblematic music of Louisiana played by the Cajuns, is rooted in the ballads of the French-speaking Acadians of Canada. Although they are two separate genres, Cajun music is often mentioned in tandem w ...

played under or timing, associated with the two-step, rather than one-step blues time or timing associated with a

waltz The waltz ( ), meaning "to roll or revolve") is a ballroom and folk dance, normally in triple ( time), performed primarily in closed position. History There are many references to a sliding or gliding dance that would evolve into the wa ...

. The Cajun Jig shares vague similarity to Merengue. Despite the single-like step, variations of the handhold combined with turns give the dance infinite

dance move Dance moves or dance steps (more complex dance moves are called dance patterns, dance figures, dance movements, or dance variations) are usually isolated, defined, and organized so that beginning dancers can learn and use them independently of each ...

options. The dancers' handholds can be uncrossed (i.e., the right hand of one partner meets the left hand of the other one and vice versa) or crossed (i.e., joined right hands over left, or left over right).

Basic step

To begin: *Start marching one-two, one-two, left-right, left-right: in place, sideways, forward, backward. *Now pretend that to have a nail in one boot that hurts your heel, so that this foot steps on a toe, and you march in a limping way. This limping also gives you this slight bob-bob-bobbing up and down. It doesn't matter which foot limps; you can freely switch during the dance. *When stepping on your toe, you push a little bit up on count "One" and on "Two" simply drop onto the second, flat foot. Note that this description creates an exaggerated hobble often seen with newer dancers. The effect of the step is not to avoid stepping down, and not to appear as if one is stepping up, but to provide more weight on a "planted foot", allowing the other to move freely. For the man, the weighted foot is the right foot/leg; for the woman it is the left. This weighted-stepping pattern facilitates turns and swirls, and swing-outs, due to the freedom attributed to the unweighted leg; as well, it does not impede the traditional Cajun dance patterns. These traditional patterns include those in which partners hold hands, and turn or move in concert or in opposition, including: the

cuddle A hug is a form of endearment, universal in most human communities, in which two or more people put their arms around the neck, back, or waist of one another and hold each other closely. If more than two people are involved, it may be referred ...

( sweetheart), (

hammerlock An armlock in grappling is a single or double joint lock that hyperextends, hyperflexes or hyperrotates the elbow joint or shoulder joint. An armlock that hyper-extends the arm is known as an armbar, and it includes the traditional armbar, pr ...

), tie

pretzel A pretzel (), from German pronunciation, standard german: Breze(l) ( and French / Alsatian: ''Bretzel'') is a type of baked bread made from dough that is commonly shaped into a knot. The traditional pretzel shape is a distinctive symmetrical ...

s, turn inside out from face-to-face to back-to-back, or just simply walk around each other for a change in any of

dance position Dance position is a position of a dancer or a mutual position of a dance couple assumed during a dance. Describing and mastering proper dance positions is an important part of dance technique. These dance positions of a single dancer may be furth ...

References

External links

Audio_clip_of_Marc_Savoy
_and_Michael_Doucet.html" ;"title="Marc Savoy">Audio clip of Marc Savoy
and Michael Doucet">Marc Savoy">Audio clip of Marc Savoy
and Michael Doucet performing a traditional Cajun song, ''One-Step De Chameau'', in traditional Cajun style.] {{Louisianarootsmusic Cajun dance