Bios of Instructor Talent on Zydeco Cruise 2008 Marla Meyer: Marla started her formal dance training at age seven. She has since had classes in everything from ballet to belly dancing. These varied forms of dance are what have formed her personal dance style. She began Zydeco dancing after a trip to Acadiana where she saw the dance for the first time. After many classes in Seattle, her former home, she traveled to Louisiana to study the dance. She began teaching in Seattle and was invited to teach on the Original Zydeco Cruise in its early years. After deciding a major change in her life was needed, Marla moved to Louisiana and now teaches in Lafayette with Richie Gauthier. In addition to Zydeco, Marla teaches Whiskey River Jitterbug and Cajun dance. Marla also teaches a women’s movement class which meets with rave reviews. She keeps her dance style fresh by dancing at the clubs, festivals and trail rides of Acadiana. She has been invited back on the cruise year after year for her enthusiastic, friendly approach to teaching. Her ability to teach in a variety of ways and to problem solve makes her popular with students Willie Bushnell: Dancer, instructor and choreographer, Willie "Zydeco King" Bushnell began his reign at the age of three in the historic Ville Platte region of Louisiana, winning Zydeco dance contests in night clubs, trail rides, festivals, and dance contests throughout the Gulf Coast Area. A native Creole and fluent speaker of Acadian French, Willie has spent his professional dance career sharing the gift of Zydeco dance and music with hundreds of other zydeco dancers and dance instructors, thus preserving a vital part of American music and culture. In demand as a performer and instructor internationally since the 1990's. Bushnell has taught Zydeco dance from coast to coast in the U.S. as well as throughout the Caribbean. Past winner of the highly recognized Original Southwestern Louisiana Plaisance Zydeco Festival Dance Championship, and two time Winner of Texas Zydeco Dance Championship, Bushnell has also served as choreographer and dance instructor at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo and for the Victor Nunez film, Coastlines. As an instructor he is patient, positive, and highly skilled at tailoring his lessons to the various learning styles of his students. His teaching details a broad range of movements enabling each dancer to create his or her own individual style and have fun while getting exercise. Students learn basic hip movements, undulations, shimmies, isolations, traveling steps, advanced combinations, techniques, and choreographies. Willie's classes provide a supportive learning environment so that you can explore your creative potential and feel beautiful no matter your age or dance ability. His attentive and nurturing teaching style makes even the most difficult dance skills accessible for students of all levels, and makes having fun an equal priority to developing strong dance technique. Willie also teaches students that are at professional level that have been, plan on, or are performers. The subjects vary and may include staging, projecting, message, layering, varying mood/s along with crowd control, structure, floor, critical work and more. Barbara Davis: has attitude and signature moves that are so hot, you just have to see her dance to believe it. Barbara will teach her signature moves and fabulous styling and also will get you in the groove with the latest moves. Willie and Barbara’s dancing and teaching ability are a winning combination, whether you're taking your first Zydeco steps or you're ready for some really advanced moves. Come learn the groove, the moves, and the style from two of the best Creole Zydeco dancers anywhere. Don’t miss it! Janine Dugas - Janine was named Best Female Dancer in Louisiana at the 1986 AOC Cajun Dance Contest in Lafayette, LA. Her nickname is "Janine the dancin' machine". In 1987 she founded the first Cajun dance Mardi Gras krewe in Louisiana, Krewe de Canaille. The Krewe has grown from being a small group of 30 local dancers to now having more than 200 members worldwide. For the next three years, she became a professional Cajun Dancer, dancing as part of the Cajun Connection show band in Branson, Missouri. She joined the Cajun Folklore troupe Renaissance Cadienne in 1992 and has been performing and teaching dance with this group throughout the United States, Canada, France and Belgium. Janine has taught dance workshops in Louisiana; Little Rock, Arkansas; Huntsville, Alabama; Nashville,at Buffalo Jambalaya Camp in West Virginia and Maryland; at the Dance Vortex camp in Menton, Alabama; in Haute-Savoie in the French Alps; and in Cork, Ireland. She lives in Lafayette, LA. Chris Trahan - Chris started dancing at an early age in his hometown of Lafayette, LA. In 1986, he began dancing regularly at Mulate's Restaurant in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana, where a bronzed pair of his shoes hangs on the wall today. He's an original member of Krewe de Canaille. In 1987, he performed with the Cajun Connection band in Branson, Missouri as dancer, M.C., and humorist for the show. Moving to Baltimore, Maryland in 1989, Chris started teaching Cajun dance workshops in the Baltimore - Washington D.C. area. In addition, he has taught at both the Baltimore Folklife Festival and the Washington Folk Festival in Washington, D.C. He's conducted dance workshops in Louisiana; Nashville, Tennessee; Richmond, Virginia; Little Rock, Arkansas; Huntsville, Alabama; Gulfport, Mississippi; at Buffalo Jambalaya Camp in West Virginia and Maryland; and at Dance Vortex in Menton, Alabama. You may have also seen him dance on the Mary-Chapin Carpenter video, "Down at The Twist and Shout". Chris has been a member of the Cajun Folklore troupe Renaissance Cadienne since 1994. He lives in Lafayette, LA. Harold Gillory: is definitely Zydeco authority and is a unstoppable ball of energy. His reputation as a entertainer is such that he even had his own television show called Louisiana Zydeco Live. A weekly show that featured Zydeco dancers and musicians. His dancing is sublime and he consistently rates as one of the most popular instructors wherever he teaches whether it's in United States, Japan, Europe or England. Harold is the grandson of Bois-Sec Ardoin, a legendary accordion player whose cousin, Amede Ardoin, who played such a crucial role in the development of both Creole and Cajun music. Also, adding to the family tree is his Uncle Lawrence Ardoin, and cousins Dexter, Chris and Sean Ardoin. This is as authentic as it gets. Richie Gauthier: With 'Allons Danser' being his catch phrase, Richie Gauthier's favorite past time is dancing. He first discovered Zydeco dancing in 2001 when he enrolled in a Ballroom Dance course at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette while pursuing a degree in Kinesiology. Along with jitterbug, salsa, foxtrot, and the waltz, Richie experienced the unique styling of Zydeco. Richie picked up this form of dance quickly, and was asked back the next semester as a teaching assistant. A few semesters later Richie received his Certification as a Ballroom Dance Instructor. Over the last seven years, Richie has danced all over the region to the great Cajun and Zydeco music found in Acadiana and has become known as one of the smoothest dancers around. Go to Angelle's Whiskey River or anywhere Geno Delafose is playing, and look for the fantastic dancer with the big smile on his face; that will be Richie! Currently, he is teaching Zydeco and Whiskey River Jitterbug lessons in Lafayette with Marla Meyer. He is very skilled at breaking down moves and explaining how to achieve the 'look' of these dances with hip movement and creative tips on leading. Richie makes learning to dance fun!