Ian Orr is a zouk instructor and performer in Knoxville, TN. While he has training in jazz and hip-hop, his passion lives in the connection between bodies, minds and music present only in improvised partner dance. For over five years, as an instructor of swing (with an emphasis in lindy-hop) and blues dance, Ian strived to strengthen and diversify connection within his and his students’ dance. Naturally, his passion drew him to Brazilian Zouk. Ian has studied with Willem Engel (Leiden, Netherlands), Luciana Guinle (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) and Kim Rottier (New York City, United States). In November 2009, Ian and his partner, Kendra, organized the Modern Latin Dance Weekend in Knoxville, TN. Featuring Willem Engel and Kim Rottier, the Modern Latin Dance Weekend was the first festival in the United States to feature zouk. In January 2010, at age 22, Ian started teaching zouk, and, since then, he has played a central role in the rapid growth of zouk in the southeastern U.S. Ian co-founded evoZouk with Kendra in 2010.
