District Zouk

Join us for our next monthly event at Glen Echo. This time we'll have a Brazilian Zouk Bootcamp for those new to this dance, a workshop with Gui for experienced zouk dancers and an evening class and social. 

Finding Zouk w/ Gui Prada

The Premise

20 years ago, Brazilian Zouk was a very different dance. The socials, the music, the vibe, the techniques, the patterns – many things have changed a great deal in the last two decades. 

Most people in Washington, DC, and the US don't know what made Brazilian Zouk become the dance it is today.

Unlike other social dances like Salsa and Argentine Tango, which managed to keep dance, music, and vibe closer to their origins as they spread, Brazilian Zouk diverged considerably. The dance branched out into several styles, all expressing the same movements in their way.

Despite this, as a cultural expression and form of art created to be enjoyed in a social setting, we must not dismiss how the dance came to be. Many people and movement forms took Brazilian Zouk to where it is now, and knowing more about it all will provide a larger, more authentic picture of this dance and increase your references and options.

The Workshop

Gui created Finding Zouk to showcase how Brazilian Zouk was before the Social Media Era, and the movements, dances, styles, and the Brazilian partner dance culture that brought Brazilian Zouk to this point. Most importantly, Finding Zouk will explain why Brazilian dancers are still the biggest references to this dance.

We'll not only hear about everything, but most importantly, we'll dance through everything!

We will talk about the music Brazilian Zouk was originally danced to – Caribbean and African music styles like Cabo Love, Ghetto Zouk, Zouk Love and Kizomba – and the energy and movements that were common then.

We'll experience a little bit of the other kinds of music and dances that were and are still part of Brazilian dance culture when Brazilian Zouk was still very young. 

The workshop will also include an introduction to the dances that influenced Brazilian Zouk, like Bolero (NOT the Ballroom one), and Forró. 

We'll see how that soup of dances influenced everything, and, finally, we'll dance the basics of Brazilian Zouk the way they used to be almost 20 years ago. 

We'll feel all these influences in our bodies and start enjoying this dance we love differently!

This is not a lecture about Brazilian Zouk history and evolution! This is a workshop you'll get to hear, dance, and see the dances and music that built the culture that built Brazilian Zouk.

Zouk means “night-long party” in Haitian Creole. So let's just enjoy!

Prerequisites:

To fully benefit from this workshop, you should be comfortable social dancing Brazilian Zouk and be familiar with the following basics: Basic in Place and Linear basic, Lateral, Simple Turn, Viradinha, and Yo-Yo.

Brazilian Zouk Bootcamp w/ Gui Prada & Sarah Epling

If you’ve been interested in learning Brazilian zouk, then this workshop is for you! No experience is required. If you have experience with other dance styles, this workshop will help you understand the differences and learn the basics in an accelerated format. We’ll cover the most important techniques and patterns to prepare you to get out on the social dance floor and for upcoming classes. The bootcamp includes a 30-minute practica at the end so you can practice right away.

Evening Classes & Social

9:30pm-1:00am Social w/ DJ Efosa & DJ TBA

- $55 until 5/2

- $60 until 5/9

- $65 on 5/10

Workshop (includes practicas, evening class & social):

- $40 until 5/2

- $45 until 5/9

- $50 on 5/10

Evening class & social (includes lambada practica):

- $15 until 5/2

- $18 until 5/9

- $20 on 5/10