Marie-Isabelle Evangeline Pautz is a second-generation culture bearer. She grew up immersed in Louisiana French, bartering economies, and folkways with her grandparents, who lived across the street from her.
Since 2002, Marie-Isabelle has led programs and initiatives at EarthShare Gardens, Lafayette Hurricane Survivors Coalition, Center for Restorative Approaches, GNO Travelers Aid Society, UNITY for the homeless, Lycee Francais, and Louisiana Cultures Camp.
After an injury prevented her from dancing to the music she grew up with, she began fiddling like her grandfather and great grandfather.
Marie-Isabelle currently 1) provides Restorative Justice, Restorative Practices, and Trauma Informed Systems facilitation and training through Restorative and Resilient 2) Performs with her band, T Marie and Bayou Juju and 3) is a lead organizer for Louisiana Cultures Camp.
Her single “Dancing til the Break of Dawn” is about her lived experience with intimate partner abuse.
Marie-Isabelle hopes that everyone who hears her music is transported to the feel of a diverse community dancing in step – with floorboards creaking under the feet of our ancestors, elders, and the next generation. You can catch her on stage at dancehalls, dive bars, and festivals with her band T Marie and Bayou Juju.
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