About Our Programs
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- Your Journey
- Absolute Beginner
- Zouk 1
- Zouk 2
- Zouk 3
- Zouk 4
- Head Movement 1
- Head Movement 2
- Training Team
- FAQ
Introduction to Partner Dance (Pre-Zouk)
This class is part of the Free Zouk Project and is drop-in friendly. It is free as long as you arrive on time!
Designed for people who have never danced before to learn the basics of dancing with a partner. While this class is taught using Zouk music and is designed to move you towards learning Brazilian Zouk, it functions as an introduction to partner dance more broadly. You’ll learn:
- Partner dance etiquette
- How to start and end a dance
- Weight transfer & dancing on beat
- How partner dance connection works
- Basic steps & simple turn
This program is taught at a gentle pace, and is specifically designed for people who do not have a background in movement to have a comfortable way to go from “two left feet” to “dancefloor ready”.
Students can move to Zouk Basics 1 when they self-assess as feeling comfortable with the concepts in this class.
Starting Brazilian Zouk with the Free Zouk Project
We started the Free Zouk Project to make Brazilian Zouk accessible for everyone. The Free Zouk Project lets you take our two drop-in beginner programs absolutely free – as long as you’re on time for class. Both our Introduction to Partner Dance and regular Zouk 1 drop-in are included.
Days & Times:
- Sundays 6-7 p.m.
- Tuesdays 6:45-7:45 p.m.
Brazilian Zouk 1: Beginner
The regular version of this class is part of the Free Zouk Project and is drop-in friendly. dZouk also offers a fast-track program as an 8-week series that is combined with the first two modules of Zouk 2.
Times
- Tuesdays 6:45-7:45 p.m. (FREE)
- Sundays 6:00-7:00 p.m. (FREE)
- Thursdays 7:00-8:20 p.m. (Zouk 1 & 2 Fast-Track 8-week series)
Drop-In Class (Recommended: 4 weeks)
Designed for people with previous dance experience or who have taken Intro to Partner Dance. You’ll learn the basics of Brazilian Zouk at a faster pace that is more suitable for people with dance experience or who are comfortable with the content in Introduction to Partner Dance.
8-Week Fast-Track
Designed for people who want to get straight to business! This program includes the basic content found in Zouk 1, but moves on very quickly to Zouk 2 content at an accelerated rate. It’s best for people with substantial other dance experience that typically find regular classes too slow.
Curriculum:
- Basic in place, forward/back & side to side
- Viradinha (little turn), send away, lateral & simple turn from basic & lunge
- Premovement, projection & timing
- Body leading/following & connection
- Zouk lines of dance & momentum
Students can move to Zouk 2 when they can:
- Stay on time at least 50% of the time
- Perform basics, viradinha, lateral, and simple turn successfully
- Demonstrate an understanding of premovement & projection
- Leaders can lead viradinha, send away & lateral with the body instead of the arms
- Follows can maintain lateral footwork & line
Brazilian Zouk 2
This level has 4 one-month progressive modules (A to D).
Zouk 2 is designed to cover the primary movements we use in Brazilian Zouk social dance. Part of the course is focused on essential patterns, but the larger intention is to give dancers the ability to understand how to build an interesting social dance using core principles.
Zouk 2 Curriculum:
- Simple timing variations & musicality
- Undulations (waves) & isolations
- Controlling lines of dance, direction & rotation
- Elastico, soltinho, yo-yo, bonus & patinha fundamentals
- Variations on simple turn, viradinha, basic, and lateral
Students can move to Zouk 3 when they can:
- Stay on time at least 90% of the time & change tempo
- Perform all core patterns, isolations & undulations successfully
- Consistently use premovement & projection
- Control direction, rotation & lines of dance
- Understanding of elasticity, frame & embrace
- Follows: Maintain pivot consistently & do not require their lead for balance
- Leads: Can navigate lines of dance & keep consistent footwork for their follow
Brazilian Zouk 3
This level has 4 one-month progressive modules from 3A to 3D.
Zouk 3 covers the last set of Brazilian Zouk foundational movements, introduces linear head movement, and is where students move from beginner to improver content. Once you have internalized the content in Zouk 3, you should be familiar with most common concepts in Zouk and be ready to integrate more advanced concepts like circular head movement.
Curriculum:
- Unlocking the head, linear head movement & circular isolations
- Passive vs. active head movement
- Intermediate direction control & musicality
- Connection in shadow position
- Core cambre, chicote, gostosinho, raul, aviaõ, abertura & pião concepts
- Musicality strategies and phrasing
- Variations on patterns in Zouk 1 & 2
Students can move to Zouk 4 and/or Head Movement 1 when they can:
- Select appropriate movements for music
- Perform all core patterns, isolations & undulations successfully
- Perform linear head movement comfortably & safely
- Consistently use torsion appropriately
- Understand when to use abertura vs. a pivot
Brazilian Zouk 4
This level has 4 one-month modules from 4A to 4D
Zouk 4 is focused on flow and footwork freedom. It moves beyond standard variations and into higher-level ways of working with footwork, direction & rotation.
Curriculum:
- Musicality through timing control
- Rotational & direction mastery
- Intermediate linear head movement transitions
- Advanced variations on basics
- Deconstructing movements to create combinations
- Inverted turns, reverse pião, diagonal, & around the world
- Introduction to counterbalance, multiple turns & spins
Students can move to the Training Team when they demonstrate:
- Fluency in all core Brazilian Zouk movements covered in Zouk 4
- Solid understanding of both linear and circular head movement
- Control over speed & timing
- Comfort in various holds and partner positioning
Brazilian Zouk Head Movement 1
This level has one 8-week module
Head Movement 1 is an 8-week program that introduces the core concepts related to circular head movement. You must be proficient in Brazilian Zouk 3 level skills prior to taking this class.
Head Movement 1 Curriculum:
- Preparing circular head movement
- Direction changes in circular head movement
- Connection principles for head movement
- Common entries & exits for circular head movement
- Core balão apagado principles
Students can move to Head Movement 2 when they demonstrate:
- Follows: executing circular head movement smoothly and with control over footwork
- Leaders: executing circular head movement with appropriate frame, connection & body movement
- Ability to change directions & openings in head movement
- Transitioning in and out of circular head movement
Brazilian Zouk Head Movement 2
This level has 2 8-week modules: 2A and 2B
Head Movement 2 builds on concepts introduced in Head Movement 1 to explore movements common to intermediate level Brazilian Zouk that utilize circular head movement.
Head Movement 2 Curriculum:
- Adding circular head movement to existing known patterns
- Asynchronous vs. synchronous head movement
- Mergulho, frango asado, bate cabelo, boneca & tilted turns
Students can move to the Training Team when they demonstrate:
- Fluency in all core Brazilian Zouk movements covered in Zouk 4 and Head Movement 2
- Solid understanding of both linear and circular head movement
- Control over speed & timing
- Comfort in various holds and partner positioning
Brazilian Zouk Training Team
This level is ongoing and has a curriculum that evolves based on the students involved. It does not have a set curriculum, as topics are selected on a monthly basis and are also shaped by the requests of students in the program.
Sample Topics:
- Texture & Advanced Musicality
- Carousel & toalha
- Advanced body connection
- Advanced technique drills
- Tricks & dips
Students can join the Training Team when they demonstrate:
- Fluency in all core Brazilian Zouk movements covered in Zouk 4 and Head Movement 2
- Solid understanding of both linear and circular head movement
- Control over speed & timing
- Comfort in various holds and partner positioning
In some cases, students may be permitted to join the Training Team prior to mastering all content in other levels, on the condition that they also attend the levels required to fully develop their foundations.
FAQ
About the Curriculum
We base our curriculum on years of experience and are constantly improving on how and what we teach to give you the best base possible. Our main goal is to help you become a confident Brazilian Zouk social dancer. This means that each class has core movements and competencies that the curriculum is built around.
Moving up a level
Most of our levels consist of 4 one-month modules named A through D where we work through a set group of competencies. Within each level, you can freely take the modules in any order – or at the same time.
To move to the next level, you will need to demonstrate a set of core competencies.
We also offer the Training Team, which is for students who display the competencies from all the other levels of classes and are able to work on higher-level concepts on an ongoing basis. Each month features a different focus, and is not a set curriculum.
Taking multiple levels or modules
We recommend taking multiple modules at your level or revisiting earlier levels at the same time, where possible. This accelerates your learning and gives you more practice with the content.
Sometimes, we will allow people to take a later level at the same time as their current level if they are able to demonstrate that they have most of the required competencies and are willing to also continue in their current level. You can read more about the competencies for each level in the individual tabs.
Fast-Track Programs
dZouk sometimes offers classes that are a mix of two levels of content or progress at a very fast pace. This is typically done when there is a group of students who would benefit from content that spans two levels, or for very experienced dancers of other styles that are able to learn concepts quickly.
For example, the Zouk 1/2 Fast-Track offers content that covers both Zouk 1 as well as Zouk 2 modules A and B.
New to Dance vs. New to Zouk
Generally, people who have a background in other dances learn Zouk faster than people who are completely new to dance. To reflect this, we have two beginner programs: Introduction to Partner Dance and Zouk 1. The first is a slower-paced program for people who are completely new to the world of dance; the other moves at a faster pace and assumes basic dance knowledge of concepts like weight transfer and music rhythm. You can start with either program.
What to Bring
You should bring indoor shoes, a water bottle, deodorant, and mints/gum. If you sweat a lot, we also recommend bringing a change of shirt. Zouk can be danced in flat or heeled shoes. We recommend using dance shoes if you have them; if you do not, we recommend a shoe that has a more slippery sole.
For dancers with street sneakers, please note we do NOT allow baby powder on our floor.
Leading and Following
Zouk has a leader and a follower in each dance. Historically, if you think of old dance movies, the leader was the “male” role and follower the “female” role. Nowadays, people dance whichever they like more – and many do both!
Within the same module, we ask you choose one role to focus on. You can always re-take a class or do another level in the other role.
Hygiene
Zouk is a partner dance, which means things like sweat, body odour, and breath can affect someone besides you. Dancers are expected to come to class or socials with this in mind. This can include:
- Showering before class,
- Wearing deodorant,
- Using mints or gum,
- Avoiding certain foods on class days,
- Bringing a change of clothing, and,
- Ensuring your clothing is clean.
It is not considered rude to let someone know nicely if they are smelling. This can include recommending a trip to the washroom to freshen up, or offering them a mint or gum.
Etiquette & Zouk Culture
Each social dance has its own dance “culture”. This includes how someone asks for a dance, how long each dance lasts, and other unspoken communication rules. In Zouk, anyone can ask for a dance – but we are also expected to accept a “no” response. It is also considered impolite to provide feedback to dance partners or ask for feedback on the social floor.
The two times it is okay to provide feedback is if a first-time dancer asks for help with a basic step, or if your partner is making you uncomfortable. If you’re uncomfortable, the best way to provide feedback is to ask for what you need (for example, “I’d like a little more room instead of dancing in close hold, please.”)
The average dance lasts 1 to 3 songs, but some people can dance much longer together if they’re in a very good flow. To end a dance, listen for a music transition (we don’t stop the music) and then give a bit of a squeeze (either in a hug or of the hands) and say “thank you.”