Lively two-steps and lyrical waltzes are at the core of Cajun dance music.  Through generations, Cajuns of all ages have danced and made their music and dance part of the social fabric of their culture and heritage.  You can dance any night of the week at any one of many dance halls in Southwest Louisiana, from Eunice to Iota, and from Mamou to Lafayette!  Friendly, social people will greet you and talk with you and even give you a dance lesson or two. 

Come to The Midway Ramblers First Friday Cajun dances, held October through May, and you’ll think you’ve been transported to a Cajun dance hall alive with music and friendly atmosphere.   Friends and guests dance and socialize.  We do a little dance instruction to the two-step, waltz, and even attempt the Cajun jitterbug and zydeco steps.  Hot stuff!! All the more to enjoy the experience, and you don’t need to come with a partner.  Hey, cher, it’s custom in Cajun country for everybody to dance with everybody else!  And come casual, the better to move about on the dance floor.  Don’t dance?  Come anyway and enjoy some of the best authentic Cajun and zydeco music in Chicago!

The time has come for us to say farewell to our First Friday Dances at the Irish Center.  We've held the dances for ten years and will have left the dance scene in much better shape than when we started in 2001.    There is no one reason for wanting a break, just a feeling that this is the right time to move on. Many of you started your "careers" in Cajun music and dance at the Irish Center, and some of you go at least as far back in decades as we do with our love of Cajun dance music. We thank all of you for attending our dances over the last ten years.  We certainly grew as a band and many of you made new and lasting friendships.  We will be happy to host any guest band dances that come our way and in the future may schedule one dance in the Spring and Fall for the Ramblers as well.  Please check our calendar page and come to one of our events.  We'd be happy to see y'all!