Like kids in high school, the dancers eye each other nervously as they line up to choose partners. Two lines form facing each other and the teacher patiently explains new steps as the dancers clumsily two-step around the tile floor. Another Arthur Murray class? No, it’s just another Wednesday night at Michaul’s, with about 100 to 200 Naval Reservists learning how to dance, Cajun-style.

Michaul’s, at 601 Patterson on Algiers Point, is the current mecca for Cajun music devotees. Dancing’s th...