Fun_People Archive
24 Sep
Macarena Zydeco

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From: Peter Langston <psl>
Date: Tue, 24 Sep 96 01:17:12 -0700
To: Fun_People
Subject: Macarena Zydeco

Forwarded-by: Keith Bostic <bostic@bsdi.com>
Forwarded-by: Keith Sullivan <KSullivan@worldnet.att.net>

MACARENA ZYDECO
	-- by Gary Hayman -- August 3, 1996

If you haven't heard of the "Macarena" you've either been spending your time
aboard a submerged naval nuclear submarine, on an extended spelunking trip
to some lost caves somewhere, or locked in a bank vault with your
certificates of deposit waiting for them to mature.

Come-on now, admit it.  You've seen the latest dance craze that is sweeping
the nation.  It's ubiquitous.  It's even everywhere.  You can't walk down a
street, shop at a grocery store, or drive the interstate without hearing the
song's pounding beat and the words "Hey, Macarena" echoing in your ears.

Just visit any night spot and you'll find this catchy tune being played, not
once, but over and over and over again.  People who have never danced before
are gyrating their hips in rhythm with each other in this peculiar line
dance that is destined to become an institution.  Why everyone, from two to
102 years old are doing it.  It has become the hit of the nursery and
retirement homes as well.

After the first few notes of the "Macarena," the dance floor is filled with
masses reaching in the air, crossing their arms, touching their hips,
grabbing their butts, and yes, dare I say it -- doing a pelvic thrust.

As a result, more and more people are coming out to night spots not only to
dance to the regular music, be it Country Western, Contra, Rock, Heavy
Metal, etc., but to dance to the "Macarena" at least 4 or more times an evening.

The dance is becoming so popular that it is effecting the businesses of our
nation -- especially in Louisiana.  For example, down in Louisiana the
Crawfish Shack of Henderson has change their controversial T-shirt saying to
read -- "Squeeze Me, Peel Me, Do the Macarena."  Countering, another famous
restaurant in Beaux Bridge LA now advertises -- "The Original Mulate's
Macarena."  Randols' restaurant of Lafayette LA has scrapped its Cajun
dancing and is now bringing in tour busses of blue-haired ladies by the
score for "Macarena" lessons and dancing.  Rand & Cynthia Speyrer, well
known dance teachers, are rushing to place, on the market, their two new
videos -- Beginning Macarena and Advanced Macarena (which includes how to do
the "Macarena" if there are only three people on floor with a dance
modification called the Troikarena.)  The famous Cajun restaurant, just
North of Lafayette, Enola Prudhomme's Cajun Cafe, had renamed one of its
most celebrated dishes, Macque Choux to -- Macque Macarena and has
completely eliminated its famous Crawfish Etouffe in favor of a new dish
development called Crawfish Hey!  Macarena.

Now here's the situation, and let me say -- it's serious; so please pay
attention.  The National Institute of Health has just released a report
stating that dancing the Macarena will tend to dehydrate the dancer and make
him/her immediately thirsty.  Not three and one-half minutes after the
release of this report to the public, it was faxed, by the Association of
Music Club Owners (AMCO) to all club owners throughout the United States.
The AMCO has recommenced to all of its members that the Macarena MUST be
played at least four times during the evening by the performing bands.  The
thinking is that if the people get up to dance the Macarena, they will
become thirsty, and therefore purchase more drinks from the bar.  This fact
has been of particular interest to Zydeco dance establishment owners.  It is
a well know fact that Zydeco dancers don't purchase many drinks at these
clubs and the owners have been complaining that they have been loosing their
shirts -- errr, T-shirts, by the lack of drink sales.  Thus this new ruling
is welcomed with open arms and wallets by the club owners

Richard's Club of Lawtell LA, was the first to demand that all of their
performing Zydeco bands include the Macarena (the 5 minute version) once
each hour.  They further announced that their normal "Party On The Green,"
an outside event, would include the Macarena played twice an hour in the 18
minute version (which is fifty-five seconds longer than Iron Butterfly's
1968 recording of "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida.")  El Sid O's of Lafayette has
changed it name to El Sid O's Zydeco, Blues and Macarena Club and has also
instituted the once per hour policy.  Fred's Lounge of Mamou, although
formerly known as a Cajun lounge, is now strictly Macarena and is open at 9
AM on Saturday mornings where hugh crowds have been lining up awaiting their
turn on the spacious dance floor to dance to that song over and over again.
And that's only the tip of the iceberg.

Caught in the middle between the pressure of the dancers wanting to dance
the Macarena and the club owners demanding that they play the Macarena, the
Zydeco bands of Louisiana are now often playing the famous Latin tune, but
with a Zydeco beat.  They have found that the 16 steps of the Macarena dance
easily lends itself to the Zydeco 4/4 (back-beat) over 4 measures of music,
so adjustments were not too difficult.  [Note:  if you have two left feet,
please double the above numbers.]

I believe it was Roy Carrier & The Night Rockers who first experimented by
putting new words to his famous Oh Bye Bye and Shake That Booty to develop
the more current Bye Bye Macarena and The Macarena Booty Shake.  That
started it.  The pounding Zydeco beat of Keith Frank which regularly seduced
the audience to yell out, "Keith-Frank, Keith-Frank, ...." over and over
again, a la James Brown, was modified to elicit a milder "Mac-arena,
Mac-arena, ....  Zydeco Force changed some words in their Zydeco Push song
to, "The Macarena is when you move your tush."  Robby Robinson of the Zydeco
Force said that he knows it doesn't rhyme, but he was forced to jump on the
Macarena bandwagon in a hurry.  Even little Rosie Ledet, Zydeco's
Sweetheart, re-recorded her famous tune and released, I'm Gonna Take Care Of
Your Dog -- Macarena Style.  People still don't know the meaning of the
words of this song.  It's something like the hidden meanings contained in
Don McLean's American Pie of yesteryear.  Now I would be remiss if I didn't
tell you, that in honor of this new dance, Steve Riley of Steve Riley and
the Mamou Playboys changed his famous variable hairdo to the Macarena Cut
and currently thousands of Louisianian men and women are doing the same.

Well, all is not lost.  We Zydeco dancers do have a couple of options:

First:  when the Macarena is played we can ignore it and keep our seats.
Perhaps use the time to visit with friends or change our T-shirts.
Personally, I agree with Linda Keenan, president of the powerful
Zydecodependents organization and developer of the famous 8-step program
(step brush step step step brush step step) for addicted Zydeco dancers, who
said, "We came here to dance -- so I Wanna Do My Thing."

Second:  we can give in and join the crowded dance floor and do the Macarena
with all its splendor, regardless of the fact that we may look like sheep,
become thirsty and would be forced to purchase refreshments at the bar.

Third:  we can grab a partner, get on the floor and do our own beloved
Zydeco dance step while the "others" are following the Macarena craze.  This
could create animosity with the less talented dancers who are doing the
Macarena and it is liable to get dangerous when they start bumping into you
and hitting you -- as they already do in Cajun, Country Western and Grunge
dancing.

Fourth:  (WARNING - kids, don't try this at home.  It is only to be done by
Real Zydeco Dancers -- professionals.  I take no responsibility for injuries
incurred while attempting to do the following.)  If you are able to chew
gum, pat the top of your head, and rub your stomach all at the same time,
plus know how to Zydeco dance, then you probably have enough coordination to
do the following.  Drink one of the Abita beers that you smuggled into the
club in your sports bag and get on the dance floor with the Macarena
maniacs.  Let your upper body follow the Macarena moves while your lower
body does your beloved Zydeco step.  While this will take enormous amounts
of concentration, at first, the beat of the music does lend itself to doing
two complete 8 step Zydeco moves during a chorus of Macarena.  The dancers
on the floor wont know that you are not dancing the same dance that they are
since they only look at your arms.  Therefore you will never get into an
altercation.  Since only half of your body is involved in the Macarena
dance, you will only become half as thirsty and perhaps not be forced into
purchasing liquid refreshments.  By doing this you can save your dignity and
some money at the same time.

As for me, I will do the fourth option while waiting till the craze
slows so that I can return to doing my LAMBADA ZYDECO.

========
Macarena
(16 counts to the dance)
========
 Counts  Action

   1     Right arm out (palm down)
   2     Left arm out parallel to right arm (palm down)
   3     Turn right palm up
   4     Turn left palm up
   5     Right hand to front of left shoulder
   6     Left hand to front of right shoulder
   7     Right arm behind right ear or back of head
   8     Left arm behind left ear or back of head
   9     Right hand to left hip
  10     Left hand to right hip
  11     Right hand on right tush
  12     Left hand on left tush
  13-15  Wiggle downward, rotate the hips or do a pelvic thrust
         during the three beats
  16     Jump quarter turn left (some groups do it to the right)

  Start over

                  -<< Take Care And Keep On Dancing!! >>-

Gary Hayman <bp911@yfn.ysu.edu>
Publisher of the Cajun/Zydeco/Swamp-Pop National Schedule and Articles
FREE MAILING LIST.  Send e-mail request to <ghayman@capaccess.org>

© 1996 Peter Langston