J’AI ÉTÉ AU BAL

City Hall Arts Center
“J’AI ÉTÉ AU BAL begins as anthropology and becomes a celebration. It’s about the roots of Cajun music as it evolved in southeast Louisiana after French Acadians, exiled from Nova Scotia, settled there in the middle of the 18th century. It’s also about the roots of zydeco music, which is primarily black American, and how the two forms of music have sometimes cross-fertilized each other and yet maintained their separate identities. The anthropological part is discussed by musicians and historians, and the celebration comes with the Cajun and zydeco music that is played nearly nonstop throughout the movie, by people who talk about what they do with something of the same infectious joy and wit that their music expresses.” (Vincent Canby, The New York Times) 80 minutes. Community Partner: Vermont Public Radio. Post-film event: Director Les Blank will discuss the film. Review

• Saturday, March 21 6:30 pm