Tickets
Get your tickets and join us in one or more of our courses
Our new cycle is coming up!
Starting April 3rd, we have a whole new schedule and courses for you. Check out our schedule.
Scroll down for more details on each course.
Our classes start on April 3rd and will go until May 24th. We've added some new options this time, including progressive classes on Mondays.
The 8-week series options include:
- Basics 1 (Tuesdays at 7pm) with Alisson, Hermela & Sarah
- Basics 2 (Tuesdays at 8:45pm) with Ashley & Krystal
- Fundamentals 1 (Tuesdays at 7pm) with Ashley & Megan
- Fundamentals 2a (Tuesdays at 8:45pm) with Alisson & Megan
- Social Dancing Skills (Mondays at 8pm) with Adayl & Raven
- Head Movements 1B (Wednesdays at 8:45pm) with Adayl & Raven
- Solo Movement & Technique (Mondays at 7pm) with Elena
In addition, we have Wednesday 7 pm courses that will happen every other week starting on April 12th, with practicas on the weeks in between.
- Trios (Wednesdays at 7pm) with Guest Instructor Kuna Malik Hamad with Hermela, Sarah and Angelica
- Turns, Spins & Counterbalances (Wednesdays at 7pm) with Alisson & Raven
Wednesday classes will take place on: April 12, 26, May 10, 24.
Wednesday practicas will take place on: April 19, May 3, 17.
These two courses can be taken as drop-ins or as a series: Solo Movement & Technique and Turns, Spins & Counterbalances.
LOCATION
All classes will be held at DanceSport Dupont Circle
2201 P St. NW (GPS 1520 22nd St. NW)
The Church of the Pilgrims Fellowship Hall
(Entrance from the south side via stairs going down)
Washington DC 20037
Registration
Price $180
Ticket sales will open closer to the beginning of classes.
- 5% discount if you enroll in two courses (applied automatically)
- 10% discount if you enroll in three courses (applied automatically)
- 30% discount if you retake a course you've taken before (with code RETAKE)
- If you have credits from previous classes, contact us for a code to use your credit to sign up.
For our special courses this cycle, prices will be as follows:
- Solo Movement & Technique: $136
- Social Dancing Skills: $200
- Trios - followers: $90
- Trios - leaders: $100
- Turns, Spins & Counterbalances: $100
Taking Brazilian Zouk for the first time?
We got you!
If you've never taken Brazilian Zouk, this is where you start. Our Basics 1 course guides you through the essential foundations of the dance and it's an amazing way to get started. You can scroll down for more details on what's covered.
Safety Protocols
For all of our events we will be following the same safety protocols laid out here:
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Proof of vaccination required (must be two weeks from last shot). If you haven’t already verified your vaccination status at one of our events, we’ll ask you to show your vaccine card or a photo at your first class.
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Hand sanitizer will be provided.
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Masks are optional for participants who have received the bivalent omicron booster shot. Masks are required for those who didn't.
Did you know we have a Code of Conduct?
DZ's Code of Conduct helps us promote a safer and welcoming environment to the community.
When attending our classes, all participants and instructors agree to abide by the terms of our Code of Conduct. We encourage everyone to read it and get acquainted with its terms. The Code of Conduct also lays out the process one can follow in case of violations.
Learn more about our curriculum!
After years of teaching continuous progressive classes, organizing socials, workshops, and observing social dance dynamics in our community, we adapt and adjust the ways, the speed, and the order in which we teach Brazilian Zouk fundamentals.
Our current curriculum is then the result of continuous improvement, aiming to provide our students with the tools to connect all the Brazilian Zouk pieces.
The premise of our curriculum
Our main goal at District Zouk is to provide the tools to help you become a comfortable and versatile social dancer. That includes the techniques behind creating a comfortable dance both as a leader and a follower; solid foundations; musicality; use of the space and floorcraft; social dance dynamics, etiquette, and safety.
We built our curriculum to develop your social dancing skills beyond the knowledge of the movements, providing time to dance and practice in class with the guidance of our instructors and assistants. The curriculum is also built to allow the students to receive personalized feedback from the instructors and assistants.
How does the progression work?
Our curriculum presents all main fundamental patterns in Brazilian Zouk, along with their direction changes, lead/follow principles, and other body movements. We divided this content into 10 progressive courses of 8 weeks each:
Basics 1, 2, and 3
Fundamentals 1 , 2a, and 2b
Social Dancing Skills*
Head Movements 1a and 1b
Fundamentals with Head Movements**
Each of these courses covers a set of fundamental patterns, floorcraft, body movements, transitions, and general lead and follow principles. We also cover important aspects regarding social dance dynamics, etiquette, and safety. We’ve incorporated these other important elements into the curriculum to provide a complete learning experience.
*Social Dancing Skills is an ongoing course with rotating topics in each new cycle. Depending on our schedule some cycles might not have Social Dancing Skills.
In order to do the Head Movement courses you have to complete at least one Social Dancing Skills course and be approved by the instructors. Both of these courses are at a similar level though - just focused on different topics. Our Social Dancing Skills courses are the place where we connect all the pieces from the previous courses. Read more about it below.
**Following similar principles to Social Dancing Skills, Fundamentals with Head Movements is an ongoing course that aims to combine the fundamentals with the foundational head movements learned in Head Movements 1a and 1b.
This cycle, we will be offering 3 new courses that complement our curriculum and regular courses:
- Solo Movement & Technique
- Trios
- Turns, Spins & Counterbalances
In order to attend the Trios course, one must have completed Fundamentals 1.
In order to attend Turns, Spins & Counterbalances, one must have completed Fundamentals 2a and 2b.
See the descriptions for our new courses below.
Here is how it goes:
As seen in the picture above, one must:
- complete all Basics Courses in order to progress to the Fundamentals Courses; and
- complete all Fundamentals Courses in order to progress to the Social Dancing Courses.
- complete at least one Social Dancing Skills course in order to progress to Head Movements.
- complete both Head Movement courses in order to join Fundamentals with Head Movements.
The progression between groups of courses is NOT automatic. Students will need the approval of the instructors through an assessment to be done in class or on specific scheduled dates.
For the Head Movements Courses, the assessment is MANDATORY. Assessment will only be waived in case ALL instructors are in agreement that the student is ready for the course. Read more about it and its prerequisites below.
The Fundamentals 2a and 2b courses can be taken in any order or at the same time, provided you've completed Fundamentals 1.
The same applies to Head Movements 1a and 1b, provided you've completed at least one Social Dance Skills course and got approval from the instructors.
How is each course structured?
Each course is 8 weeks long, with one 1.5-hour class per week. Out of these 8 weeks, 6 are dedicated to teaching new content and 2 are dedicated to review, practice, feedback, and discussions about connection, music, social dance dynamics, etiquette, safety, and other exercises and challenges that will bring all the course’s content together.
Can I do two or more courses at the same time?
We strongly encourage you to take more than one course at the same time if that's possible for you. The different courses are progressive and complementary. So, for example, if you’re placed to do Fundamentals 1, you can reinforce your knowledge of any set of fundamentals by concurrently taking any of the previous Basics courses. If you take more than one course at a time, you’ll receive a discount on each course.
Fundamentals 2a and 2b can be taken at any order or at the same time. After you've completed Fundamentals 1, you can take Fundamentals 2a and/or Fundamentals 2b and boost your learning!
The same applies for Head Movements 1a and 1b, after you've completed at least one Social Dance Skills course and got approved by our instructors.
How do I know what course to take?
If you’re brand new to Brazilian Zouk, start at Basics 1.
If you've been dancing Brazilian Zouk already let us know so we can set up an individual assessment for you. With the assessment, we'll be able to verify what course(s) will work best for you.
Check out the main topics of each progressive course
At each course, we cover several aspects of Brazilian Zouk, focusing first on learning each of the main Fundamental Patterns
Basics 1
Here we start the Brazilian Zouk journey, teaching the first set of fundamentals with direction changes, basic musicality concepts, and body movements. Our main goal in Basics 1 is for you to have the timing and basic footwork solid. In this level we will cover, among other topics, the following fundamentals:
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Basic Steps (In Place, Side, and Linear)
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Viradinha and variations
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Lateral
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Body Undulations
Basics 2
Our second course teaches a new set of fundamentals, putting them together what was studied in Basics 1. In Basics 2 we open the dance and get to learn about the different tracks and how to navigate them. Our goal for Basics 2 is that students are able to dance comfortably in close and open position, knowing, among other topics, the following fundamentals:
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Elástico
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Lateral in open position
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Giro Simples (Simple Turn)
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Lunge
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Cuddle
Basics 3
Completing our Basics courses, Basics 3 brings a new set of fundamentals and variations. Our goal with Basics 3 is that students are able to dance to the main core of fundamentals comfortably, with timing, navigating between the different positions of Brazilian Zouk with more ease.
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Yo-yo
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Viradinha variations
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Soltinho
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Lateral Opening
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Traveling Turn
Fundamentals 1
After completing the Basics courses and getting the approval of our instructors, your next course is Fundamentals 1. Here we introduce a new set of fundamentals and concepts that will level up your dance.
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Bônus
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Balanço
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Viradinha with direction changes
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Traveling Soltinho
Fundamentals 2a
After Fundamentals 1, we will keep learning new fundamental patterns as well as study directions changes, and lead and follow principles that will help your social dancing evolve. We will have more time in class to practice and experience different possibilities and situations on the dance floor. For this course we will cover the following fundamentals:
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Gostosinho
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Yo-yo direction changes
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Abertura
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Raul
Fundamentals 2b
This is where we teach the last set of vertical fundamentals. We continue exploring the different dynamics in social dancing through our practices in class:
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Avião
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Manteiga
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Cambre
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Pião
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S (esse)
Social Dancing Skills*
After completing all Basics and Fundamentals courses and being approved in our assessment, you can join our Social Dancing Skills courses. Here we will put what you learned to the test with variations and fun changes to the fundamentals. On top of that, we will take a deeper dive into:
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Variations of Fundamentals
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Footwork and floorcraft
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Frame and elasticity
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Energy management in transitions
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Lead and follow principle of question and answer
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Adaptation
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Body movements
*Social Dancing Skills is an ongoing course that is offered every cycle.
The content of each new cycle of Social Dancing Skills is different from the previous one, with different variations, concepts, and exercises.
There will be some repetition over the course of time, having in mind reviewing and polishing the fundamentals.
Head Movements courses
After completing at least one cycle in Social Dance Skills, students will be assessed for their fluency with the basics in order to join our Head Movements courses.
Mainly, students must execute with ease and proficiency the following:
- Basics on the spot and Linear and respective direction changes;
- Viradinha and their direction changes;
- Simple Turns;
- Pião;
- Balanço;
- Abertura; and
- Undulations (Waves and Sways)
In case any of the above fundamentals and transitions are not executed with ease, meaning without struggles and hiccups, the student will not be able to attend the Head Movements courses.
Depending on our schedule at the time, you'll be able to join either Head Movements 1a or 1b, as they have a similar level of difficulty.
Both courses cover the foundations of head movements and considering that our priority is safety and comfort, we'll take some time to review and go deeper into the basic fundamental patterns.
Head Movements 1a
In our Head Movements 1a course we will cover the first set of foundations of head movements. We'll go over the related lead and follow techniques and then add it to some of our basics to create the most classic head movement patterns.
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Front and sideways Unlock and Release
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Balão Apagado
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Entrances and Exits for Balão Apagado
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Chicote (soft version)
Head Movements 1b
Head Movements 1b will cover a different and at the same time complementary set of foundations for Head Movements. We'll cover, among other topics:
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Diagonal Unlock and Release
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Side head movement openings
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Traveling Basics off-axis.
Fundamentals with Head Movements
This course will help you connect the head movements learned in Head Movements 1a and 1b, with the fundamentals.
We'll work on combining everything, transitioning between movements while practicing floorcraft, control, and balance. We'll also play with musicality to change speed, and dynamics, changing the way we execute and feel the movements.
Special Topics Courses
These courses offer an opportunity to refine your own technique or dive into rarely covered topics.
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Check the prerequisites for the Wednesday classes
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Drop-in or sign up for the series for Solo Movement & Technique or Turns, Spins & Counterbalances (you get a discount on the drop-in rate if you sign up for the series)
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Attend classes and practicas
Solo Movement & Technique
To dance well with a partner, we need a strong foundation. In this course with Elena Rovito we'll be working to make clean footwork, posture, and torsion part of our muscle memory. If you enjoy our warm ups and drills, here's your chance to get even more practice with it. We'll also use cross-training to develop our agility, vocabulary, and creativity. Take your social dancing, solo dancing, and/or Jack & Jill competitions to the next level!
Trios
Have you seen or tried dancing as a trio? In this mini-series with guest instructor Kuna Malik Hamad and District Zouk assistants Hermela, Sarah and Angelica, we'll demystify this type of dancing. You'll learn and practice how to dance with one leader and two followers. These four sessions in April and May will give you the opportunity to learn different patterns and pathways, footwork, and how to adapt to different partners and trios.
Prerequisite: completed Fundamentals 1
Turns, Spins & Counterbalances
In this course, we will be focusing on some Intermediate/Advanced techniques that aren’t part of our progressive classes, whilst improving and combining them with some of your previously learned foundation techniques and fundamentals.
This block we will be working on:
Turns - Axis, Balance and Control, when and how to use them, and Timing Variations;
Spins - Preparation, Leaders and Followers Axis, Positions and Exits;
Counterbalances - Foundation, Body Alignment, Flow and Control, and Exits
Those techniques do require a lot of foundation and fundamental knowledge in Brazilian Zouk and Body Mechanics to be done safely. For that reason, we require students for this course to have completed at least 12 months of classes or to have completed our Fundamentals 2A and 2B courses.
Lastly, it is VERY important to emphasize that Spins and Counterbalances are not essential or mandatory for a fun, pleasant and challenging dance in Brazilian Zouk. They are techniques that were firstly migrated into Brazilian Zouk for the purpose of shows and competitions but over the years have become an extra element to be used when done safely and comfortably. So, please don’t rush into learning it, since there are so many more fun elements that can make your social dancing very enjoyable without them.