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

Zouk Nation is proud to present the Zouk Workshop with Sarah Gibbons and Marcos Fonseca from London. This very special workshop is scheduled to take place the Sunday following Dance Parade, on May 23rd at Stepping Out Studios in New York City. The details are as follows.

Zouk Workshop
with Sarah Gibbons and Marcos Fonseca
Presented by Zouk Nation

Stepping Out Studios
37 West 26th Streeet, 9th Floor,
New York, NY 10010
Front Door Buzzer #5200
Ph: 646-742-9400

Sunday, May 23rd, 2010
Class 1: 11-1 Beginning Level $20
Class 2: 1-2 & 3-5 Interm/Adv. Level $35
Classes 1 & 2 $45

On Saturday, May 22nd, Zouk Nation will once again be participating in Dance Parade, an annual event that involves over a hundred different dance groups and thousands of dancers.

The parade route begins on 21st Street and proceeds down Broadway to the East Village where it finally ends up in Thompkins Square Park, where for the rest of the afternoon groups perform and offer free dance classes. Later in the evening the festivities continue with dance parties at various venues around town.

The fourth episode of the Zouk Nation Podcast can now be downloaded from the Zouk Nation website. The episode features music by Marcia, Loony Johnson, Antique, Hooverphonic, Mavado, Andru Donalds, among others. Enjoy.

Due to last month’s record snowstorm, the Brazilian Dance Party had to be rescheduled. The first party will now take place on Friday, April 2nd at the Lafayette Grill & Bar.  At 10:00 pm a free Zouk Lambada lesson will be given by Juni Shimizu from Tropical New York followed by Zouk Lambada and Samba de Gafieira and Forro dancing until 2:00 am. This month special guest appearance by Zouk instructor Julia from London. Admission only $12 and a one drink minimum.

This Thursday, February 25^th, 2010, marks the official opening of the Brazilian Zouk Photo Exhibition by Alen MacWeeney at the Lava Gina, World Music Lounge in the East Village. This exhibition is the first stage of what is hoped will be a much more larger exhibition later on down the road. The exhibition is free and scheduled to run from February 25th to March 25th.

Zouk Nation proudly presents, monthly Brazilian Dance Parties on the last Friday of every month starting this Friday, February 26th at the Lafayette Grill & Bar. At 9:00 pm a free Zouk Lambada lesson will be given by Stephanie B. to be followed by Zouk Lambada and Samba de Gafieira dancing until 1am. This month special guest appearance by world renown Samba de Gafieira instructor Anderson Mendes. Admission only $12 and a one drink minimum.

I think there are few who could argue that 2009 was not an amazing year for Zouk in New York City. Throughout the year we saw many new faces join the community and a substantial increase in Zouk related events. As 2010 is but just a few hours away, I thought it might be nice to take a moment to look back at some of this year’s highlights.

February

• Zouk was declared Dance Genre of the Month in “Steps,” Dance Parade’s monthly online newsletter with 10,000 subscribers.

March

• The new and much improved Zouk Nation website was launched.

The Zouk Artist Directory (ZAD) is something that has been in the works for several months now, and we’re happy to announce that it is finally online. It should go a long way in helping to identify the names of the artists and the songs that we all love to dance to.

Currently the ZAD lists profiles for over twenty Zouk artists, including their bios, photos, discographies and where to purchase their music online. More artists will continue to be added in the months ahead, so be sure to check back on a regular basis.

Zouk Nation congratulates Lava Gina on celebrating it’s 9th Anniversary this Thursday, October 29th. For those of you who are unfamiliar with this popular Zouk hang out, it is a world music lounge located in the East Village at 116 Avenue C, where every Thursday for the past year and a half Zouk Nation has hosted a free Zouk lesson from 8:30 to 9:30 followed by a dance party until 11:00. No trip to New York is complete without a visit to Lava Gina. When you stop by, be sure to ask for Jo and tell her Zouk Nation sent you.

On Wednesdays in November, our very own Kristina Melike and her partner Garrett English will begin teaching an “Absolute Beginner Introductory Workshop” and a 5 week “Zouk Foundations” Course at the Basic Ballroom Manhattan down near Penn Station.

Classes will introduce timing, feel, an basic movement patterns for Brazilian Zouk in a warm and non-intimidating environment. Instructors will address musicality, partnering skills, and dance technique to prime students for the dance floor and more advanced instruction.

For class times and schedule check out the Zouk Nation Calendar page or go to www.KristinaMelike.com