Zouk Nation - "Zouk is the dance of the 21st Century"

Recently it was brought to the attention of the office of Zouk Nation that the organizers of the Berlin 2nd International Zouk Congress have chosen to use a quote from the Zouk Nation website on the the poster for next year’s Congress. The quote that appears on the poster reads,  “If Tango and Salsa were the dances of the 20th Century, as it has often been referred, Zouk is the dance of the 21st Century.” I was curious what Nicholas Bambo, the Creative Director of Zouk Nation, and the person who is credited with originally having made  that statement had to say about it.

In order for the Brazilian Zouk scene to grow here in the U.S. it is clear that both the dance and the music need a great deal more exposure. Unlike overseas, the music is very hard to come by in the States, while most of the general public has never heard the word “zouk” before.

That being said, every year throughout the summer in New York City SummerStage hosts live musical events in Central Park. This summer will be their 25^th Anniversary and for the first time they are allowing people to send them suggestions as to which musical artist they would like to see perform.

Adrian Atoro, who leads the D.C. based group  Zoukalma, is interviewed by Cristina Martinez for the Examiner.com, an online newspaper. During the course of the interview Adrian talks about how he got started dancing zouk, the appeal of the dance, and his plans for Zouk in D.C.

Whether or not you have any interest in the ongoing development in new electronic technologies, sooner or later, as a dancer, you are bound to find yourself shopping for something to play your music on.  If you’re like me, you just want to find what you need, make your purchase and leave. Keep it simple. Get in, get out. You don’t have the interest or the patience to read all the various online product reviews or to stand around comparing all the different features that come with each model.

A dear friend of mine took me out for dinner for my birthday the other night. As is often the case when you put two zouk dancers together, we invariably ended up discussing zouk and the reason we were both so passionate about it. Over the course of the conversation we tossed around the familiar ideas which dancers often go on about, the sensuality of the music, the fluidity of the dance, the connection you have with your partner -one which I personally feel is lacking in other couple’s dances. And yet, while each idea touched upon was certainly valid, I still couldn’t help but feel we were missing something. A crucial element that, while difficult to articulate, plays an important role in explaining zouk’s overall appeal.