Zouk

Nayan and Sam discovered Zouk in Australian dance clubs and fell in love with this beautiful and sensual dance from Brazil. They flew across the world to learn from the most famous Zouk instructors such as Kadu Pires, Larissa Thayane, Tarcisio Teatini Climaco and Alisson Rodrigues Sandi. Nayan and Sam introduced Zouk to the UAE and started the first Zouk classes in the beginning of 2009 at Savage Garden, Capitol Hotel, Dubai.

They trained Aasim and Elena in Zouk, who started their own classes in December 2009 as demand for Zouk was growing. Nayan and Sam were joined by Pedro and Karen from Rio de Janairo, Brazil. Together Pedro and Karen bring Zouk Dubai the wealth of more than 20 years of dancing experience in Zouk Lambada, Samba De Gafieira, Contemporary, Ballet, Jazz, Forro, Ballroom and Samba.

A highlight was the visit of the famous Brazilian dance instructor Alisson Rodrigues Sandi from Perth, Australia. He did Zouk shows with Sam at the Annual Salsa Winter Ball and Savage Garden in December 2009. Alisson offered plenty of workshops and private classes for our students. He is an outstanding dancer and teacher and it was a great joy to have him with us. He is planning to return to Dubai for a few weeks in Fall 2010.

The Zouk community in the UAE is constantly growing, hence many more Salsa venues such as Barasti on Tuesdays and Zinc on Saturdays added Zouk songs to their playlists. Beside the Zouk Nights at Savage Garden on Sundays, Ahmed Salsa organises a Zouk Bachata Night on Mondays at Malecon and features Zouk Dubai at the Angel’s White Salsa Parties. 2010 is going to be a bright year for Zouk Dubai as many of the big names in Brazilian Zouk are planning to visit Dubai to conduct workshops and perform.

Check out our News and Events section or join our mailing list and Zouk-Dubai Lovers Facebook group for updates on classes and upcoming venues.

Zouk-Lambada (also called Lambada-Zouk or Brazilian Zouk) is a group of closely related dance styles based on or evolved from the lambada dance style and is typically danced to zouk music or other music containing the zouk beat. The name Brazilian Zouk is used to distinguish the dance from the Caribbean Zouk dance style, which is not related to the Lambada dance style. The two dominant styles of Zouk-Lambada are the Porto-Seguro style and the Rio-style. The word Lambazouk is often used to refer exclusively to one or the other style depending on the region you live. The word Lambazouk was originally used to refer to the dance style developed by Daniel and Leticia Estévez López. The Zouk-Lambada dancing styles are among the most popular non-ballroom dances for couples in Brazil.

Rio-style Zouk (also called Carioca Lambada meaning Rio-style Lambada), was first developed in Rio de Janeiro. It is mainly danced in Brazil (Rio and Brasilia), Australia, The Netherlands, Spain and some other European countries. It uses a modified, slower, smoother, even more sensual version of the lambada.

The Brazilian zouk dance style was first developed in the Ilha Dos Pescadores in Rio de Janeiro around 1989.

Unlike salsa, which is led with the hands; Brazilian zouk is led by more parts of the body, noticeably the glued-to-each-other hips of the partners. Thus, in a basic sideways movement, it is the hips that move first, followed by the rest of the body, and this is part of what makes the dance so sensual. However, in various moves the dance partners are also connected by eye contact, legs, arms, shoulders, head, etc.

When practicing zouk in dance classes, teachers generally warn women to be very careful with their backs and necks, as two of the most distinctive and commented-on movements are the cambré (arching backwards to a greater or lesser degree, sometimes even below the waist) and the specific ‘hair movements’ or ‘head movements’ for the woman. If not done properly this could lead to injury.

As of today Brazilian zouk is becoming well known and apart from the faster original style Lambada (Porto Seguro style) and the latter development Brazilian zouk.

The most wide-spread style of Zouk-Lambada is the Porto Seguro-style. It is mainly danced in North-East Brazil (Porto Seguro), Argentina, Spain and the UK. The Porto-Seguro style is closer to the original Lambada style than the Rio-style zouk, because, just like the Lambada:

• up-tempo music, is used,
• the whip-like movement of the body is central to the dance,
• the 1,2,3=”quick-quick-slow” counting is used.

One way in which the present Porto-Seguro style differs from the the original Kaoma-like Lambada style, is that the wiggling shoulder movements (also sometimes seen in Cuban-style salsa) have disappeared. Instead the shoulders are kept fixed while the hips are moving.

The Porto Seguro-style differs from the Rio-style in the way the steps are performed on the music. To put it simple, Rio-style zouk is danced on the dominant beat (1,2,3=”slow-quick-quick”), while Porto Seguro-style is danced on the small beats (1,2,3=”quick-quick-slow”). In general the Porto Seguro-style is more suitable for fast tempo music, while Rio style zouk is more suitable for slow tempo music. It is also very common practice to switch fluently between these dancing styles during a single Zouk music song.