Brazilian Zouk? – Never heard of it. What is that?
Many conversations start this way when we tell people that we teach or dance Zouk. Let's keep it short: Take the elegance of Salsa, the dynamism of Forro, the sensual moves of Bachata, the sensuality of Kizomba, the swag of HipHop, and add a pinch of head movements. Finish it off with some spontaneity and creativity from Contemporary dance, and you have Zouk as a kind of “best-of” all these dances.
Even though you find all of this in Zouk, it always depends on the music, your own style, and your dance partner which influence stands out at the moment. Speaking of music: Just like the dance itself, the music to which you dance Zouk is very versatile. Besides traditional Zouk music from the French Antilles, the range extends from lyrical songs to modern pop and Latin pop songs to RnB. But let’s start at the beginning: Where does Zouk come from, and why is it so versatile?
In the late 1980s, Lambada – both the music and the hip-shaking dance – was very successful for a short time and became known worldwide through the hit “Lambada” by Kaoma. However, the music was “out” shortly after and was hardly played in Brazilian dance clubs anymore. From this situation, Lambada dancers experimented with different music styles, chose the slower Zouk music, adapted the dance, and also used the music name for their dance. This introduced breaks into the dance, which created space for sensual moves – which 20 years later inspired Korke and Judith in Bachata Sensual. At the same time, the first courses for Zouk or Lambada started in dance schools in Rio de Janeiro and Porto Seguro, drawing on various established dances to enable systematic learning. As a result, influences from Salsa, Forró, Samba de Gafiera, Tango, and various other mainly Brazilian partner dances entered Zouk.
Another boost of creativity came to Zouk around 2000 with the emergence of the style Neozouk by Mafie and Ruanita, which features alternative footwork, leading through various contact points, and a more active frame – opening the possibility to dance on all levels of the music: in rhythm, on the melody, or on accompanying instruments, and to switch between them within a dance. This flexibility is the basis for later dancers from Contemporary and HipHop to shape their own style in Zouk and adapt it to their music.
The most well-known Zouk videos by Anderson and Brenda or Xandy and Evelyn, for example, show a Zouk style influenced by Contemporary dance, characterized by an endless flow of sensual and head movements. In contrast, Pedrinho’s style features clearly accentuated body isolations and varied rhythmic footwork from R‘n‘B. The classic Brazilian Zouk is more often associated with Kadu and Larissa, William and Paloma, or Bruno and Raiza. The current trend is set by a new generation of dancers from São Paulo, who have further developed the traditional style with higher tempo and physically challenging movements.
In our courses at bailastudio, we aim to lay the foundation for traditional Brazilian Zouk, as this is the basis for all other styles. After learning rhythm and basic figures in Level 1, Level 2 introduces variants, first body isolations and waves, as well as the basics for head movements. In Level 3, combinations of head movements and steps, spins, counterbalances, and other challenges are taught.
