Cajun Music & Dance Weekend

Paul Daigle, Accordion

Paul Daigle was born in 1958 in the country near Church Point, Louisiana. He is fluent in
both English and Cajun French. Paul began playing Cajun accordion when he was ten years old. Paul is a member of a generation of Cajuns who, growing up in the sixties and seventies, recognized the beauty and passion of the music of their culture and decided to carry on a tradition that just a few years earlier had seemed in danger of dying out.

Today Paul is known as one of Acadiana’s most talented accordionists. He has performed with other renowned Cajun musicians such as Robert Elkins, D.L. Menard and Ken Smith. With his band “Cajun Gold, ” Paul performed at the World’s Fair and was
featured at the Louisiana Folklife Festival.

Cameron Fontenot, Fiddle

Cameron Fontenot, born and raised in Eunice, LA, discovered his passion for music at the age of 16 during the Experience Louisiana Festival at LSU in Eunice. Inspired by the sound of Cajun music coming from jam sessions at the festival, he purchased his first fiddle for $150 and began a journey that has spanned nearly a decade.
 
Over the past nine years, Cameron has immersed himself in the rich traditions of Cajun music. His fiddle playing blends the soulful styles of the “bal de maison” era with the classic dancehall sounds that have defined generations of Cajun bands. Drawing inspiration from legendary fiddlers, Cameron has cultivated a style that honors the past while captivating today’s audiences. He has performed on notable stages across the United States and Europe, including the Big Weekend Cajun and Zydeco Festival in Shropshire, England, and the Grassroots Festival in Trumansburg, NY, with Walter Mouton and the Scott Playboys.

For Cameron, music is a way to tell stories and evoke emotion, whether through traditional Cajun two-steps and waltzes or his own compositions. His deep connection to the culture and his commitment to preserving its legacy make him an up-and-coming ambassador in the world of Cajun music.

Ellen Keane, Dance

Ellen began social dancing at a very young age by standing upon her fathers’ feet. She enjoyed attending family dances for throughout her childhood and was turned on to Cajun music and dance in the 1990s. She aims to share the beautiful Zen that can be found and enjoyed by dancing to Cajun music. Ellen is a professional dance instructor and choreographer and is the Artistic Director of Keane Sense of Rhythm Tap Dance Company.