• Home
  • Classes
    • Fitness Classes >
      • Zumba
    • Club Styles
    • International Dance Styles >
      • Belly Dance
    • Latin/Afro Dance >
      • Afro Latin Funk
      • Bachata
      • Casino "Cuban Salsa"
      • Salsa
      • Zouk
    • Urban/Street Dances >
      • Hip Hop
      • Twerk
  • Schedule/ Registration
  • Pricing/Policies
  • Events/ Workshops
  • Private Lessons
  • Shop VMAC
    • VMAC Affiliates
    • VMAC SWAG
    • Videos >
      • Pachanga!
      • Salsa Follows Styling
      • Salsa Turns & Spins
  • Weddings & Events
  • GIFT CARDS
  • Testimonials
  • Studio Rental
  • Contact
  • Blog
  • FAQ's
  • About
  VITALIDAD MOVEMENT ARTS CENTER
  • Home
  • Classes
    • Fitness Classes >
      • Zumba
    • Club Styles
    • International Dance Styles >
      • Belly Dance
    • Latin/Afro Dance >
      • Afro Latin Funk
      • Bachata
      • Casino "Cuban Salsa"
      • Salsa
      • Zouk
    • Urban/Street Dances >
      • Hip Hop
      • Twerk
  • Schedule/ Registration
  • Pricing/Policies
  • Events/ Workshops
  • Private Lessons
  • Shop VMAC
    • VMAC Affiliates
    • VMAC SWAG
    • Videos >
      • Pachanga!
      • Salsa Follows Styling
      • Salsa Turns & Spins
  • Weddings & Events
  • GIFT CARDS
  • Testimonials
  • Studio Rental
  • Contact
  • Blog
  • FAQ's
  • About

My Zouk journey.  Wait, what is Zouk?

7/28/2015

1 Comment

 
Zouk dancing Portland Oregon, Zouk dance classes Portland OR, Zouk dance lesson Portland OR, Zouk classes Portland OR, Zouk lessons Portland OR
That’s the question I asked myself when I first heard about this dance. Actually, I didn’t hear about it, I read something about Zouk in a social network picture, back in 2006. The description of my friend's picture was: “Dancing with my friend all night long. The best feeling ever after having a Zouk night!”

When I read it, I asked myself what is Zouk? It really made me curious. By that time, I was taking Brazilian Ballroom Dance classes like Forró, Samba de Gafieira, Samba-rock and Bolero. I asked my beloved teacher Gisele Souza if she knew what Zouk was. She opened a big smile before she started talking about it: “Off course I know. I go Zouk dancing every Thursday at Carioca Club.  It is so good! I love that place!” I asked her if she could start teaching it and lucky for me she said yes.

I remember my first Zouk class.  Just listening to the warm up song made me fall in love. It was literally love at first sight, when someone sees something and feels their heart beat faster, a feeling of contentment and a craving for more and more of that music and body movement.

It wasn’t easy to learn Zouk. I remember when I just couldn’t get how to do the head movements. But I didn’t care, I was so in love that I just wanted to keep learning it.

Unfortunately it was a series class so after one month my teacher switched the dance style and I couldn't find a place to take private lessons or classes. By this time, I was married, my ex partner didn’t like dancing Zouk and I couldn’t go out dancing by myself. Therefore, I had to take a break from dancing Zouk

Every once in a while I would take Zouk classes and dance with other students during socials/practicas, but I never went out to practice in a Zouk nightclub. I was used to learning and dancing only Traditional Zouk so there was much more out there for me to discover and learn.

In 2012 I finally went to Carioca Club, a very famous club to dance Zouk in São Paulo. It was one of the best nights of my life. Seeing that entire crowd of around 700 people, dancing so connected and beautifully, made me to learn even more. I wanted to dance like them.

I started taking private classes and going out to dance Zouk probably 3 nights a week.  It became my addiction. My family and friends would make fun of me, saying that I was crazy. They never really understood my passion.

That’s when I truly started to understand the different Zouk styles. It was really challenging to follow different leaders and their own style on the dance floor.  It was tricky and hard but it never discouraged me, it actually made me persistent and focused on learning it. 

When I moved to Los Angeles in 2013, I was lucky to find Ivo and Shani so I could keep learning and practicing. My husband who never danced before started taking lessons  with me and he got hooked.

By the end of 2014 I moved to Portland and to my dismay, there was absolutely no Zouk in the entire state of Oregon. For 4 months I couldn’t dance and it was driving me nuts. I missed Zouk so much. There was only one night that I was able to dance Zouk and that was when Ivo and Shani were in Portland. Ivo and Shani came to Portland to teach Kizomba Workshops and I finally could dance with them. That’s when I met Carolina and Jamal.

By the end of January 2015 I decided I had to do something and bring Zouk to Portland. I contacted Carolina asking if she knew someone who could be my dance partner because I wanted to practice and eventually start teaching Zouk in Portland. To my surprise, she told me she was about to open a studio and invited me to teach there, which I will always be grateful for. 

Since February I have been teaching Zouk in Portland. I am so happy to be able to relate to my students and see their smile and eyes shining every time they execute a movement. I feel a great connection with students that come to talk to me to express how much they love the Zouk music and dance. I always say “I feel you, I know exactly what you mean”.

I am also supportive and I make sure to tell them that I have been in their place before and I know how hard it can be to learn Zouk. There is a lot of body and mind preparation, things that will come with practice and time. It is a process that every student goes through when they start learning a new dance style. I am myself a student and I know that there is a lot more to be learned.

Today, Portland has a Zouk scene, we made it! Now it is time to make it grow and hopefully we will have a big Zouk community here. I’m 100% focused on continuing to learn and progress as dance instructor. My first goal which I have already accomplished was to spread my passion for Zouk and make people feel that same incredible feeling.

If you had never heard about Zouk before reading this post and would like to know more about this dance style, I would be more than happy to introduce you to this beautiful world.


Thank you to everybody that has been part of my Zouk journey and as I always say, let’s keep Zouking!

Written by Nathalia Carbajal
She teaches Zouk at VMAC every Saturday at 4:30pm
www.vmacpdx.com 

1 Comment

    Archives

    April 2019
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015

    Categories

    All
    Salsa
    Zouk

    RSS Feed

​"Vitalidad is a wonderful studio.  I appreciate that it is a Movement Arts Center that includes various kinds of practices including Latin social dances, zumba and yoga....  I personally want a really sophisticated learning experience but it also needs to be FUN. They have mastered the balance. The Portland community is very lucky to have Carolina and Jamal back from NYC."  Read more reviews....

dance studio in Portland Oregon, dance classes in Portland Oregon, dance studio SE Yamhill, Dance Studio SE Portland, Salsa Classes SE Yamhill, Bachata Classes SE Yamhill, Yoga Classes SE Yamhill, Zumba Classes SE Yamhill, Hip Hop Classes SE Yamhill, Salsa Classes Portland OR, Bachata Classes Portland OR, Yoga Classes Portland OR, lunch time yoga SE Yamhill, beginners salsa classes Portland Oregon, beginners bachata classes Portland Oregon, salsa classes for beginners Portland OR, bachata classes for beginners Portland OR, Yoga on SE Yamhill, Yoga SE Portland Oregon, Yoga SE Hawthorne Portland OR, Yoga SE Yamhill Portland OR, Hip Hop Classes in Portland Oregon, Hip Hop classes Portland OR, Hip Hop Choreography classes Portland OR, Kizomba Portland OR, Kizomba dancing Portland OR, Kizomba classes Portland OR, Argentine Tango Portland OR, Argentine Tango classes in Portland OR, Argentine Tango Practica Portland OR, Zouk Portland OR, Zouk classes Portland OR, Zouk dancing Portland OR, Studio Rental SE Portland Oregon, Studio Rental SE Yamhill, Movement Space Rental SE Yamhill, Wellness Arts Space Rental, Nutritionist Space Rental, Massage Space Rental
Contact us at:

​(971) 266-3935

info@vmacpdx.com


Location

116 SE Yamhill St
Portland, OR 97214
Street parking only

Picture
Sign up for Newsletter
Copyright 2019 Vitalidad Movement Arts Center
  • Home
  • Classes
    • Fitness Classes >
      • Zumba
    • Club Styles
    • International Dance Styles >
      • Belly Dance
    • Latin/Afro Dance >
      • Afro Latin Funk
      • Bachata
      • Casino "Cuban Salsa"
      • Salsa
      • Zouk
    • Urban/Street Dances >
      • Hip Hop
      • Twerk
  • Schedule/ Registration
  • Pricing/Policies
  • Events/ Workshops
  • Private Lessons
  • Shop VMAC
    • VMAC Affiliates
    • VMAC SWAG
    • Videos >
      • Pachanga!
      • Salsa Follows Styling
      • Salsa Turns & Spins
  • Weddings & Events
  • GIFT CARDS
  • Testimonials
  • Studio Rental
  • Contact
  • Blog
  • FAQ's
  • About