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

Adilio is one of the most famous Zouk teachers currently working on the zouk scene.

His career as a dancer began in 1988, when he met Jaime Aroxa. Sixteen years later he is a well known and respected dancer, instructor and choreographer. During the course of his career Adilio has done much to spread the rhythm of Zouk Love not only all over Brazil but in the rest of the word as well.

Adilio has participated in many different international events, including congresses, films, television, theater and live performances. Adilio currently works in Holland with Claudia DeVries of BrasaZouk, Salsa Dance Explosion, and Salseros.

Recently, he opened his own dance academy: ‘Mirror Zouk Centre’in Amsterdam. His goal is to use his his experiences and knowledge from living in Brazil to bring greater awareness of Brazilian dances throughout Europe.

Originally from San Francisco, Adrian grew up with a strong fear of dancing and until 23 had never stepped foot on a dance floor.

After returning from a 2nd tour in Iraq he resolved to force himself into something he’d always wanted and began training in Latin dance under Antonio Moran and Irene Silva. He quickly began a familiar face in the vibrant Bay Area scene, often dancing 6 nights a week and performing regularly after joining his first of what would become five professional Latin troupes.

After relocating to Washington DC Adrian accepted an invitation to become a ballroom instructor at Fred Astaire Dance Studio in Fairfax, gaining a mastery of American Smooth and Rhythm dances.

It wasn’t until a chance meeting with a visiting American expatriate that Adrian was introduced to Zouk. He was hooked immediately, finding in it an unpretentious connection and sensuality that spoke to him as in no other dance; within a month he was training in Buenos Aires.

In the three years since, Adrian has studied with virtually every Zouk instructor to visit the US and has made wonderful friends of the American Zuqueros on both coasts. And his love of the dance over time has only grown. Known for his energy and innovation, he is currently recognized as one of the foremost Zuqueros in the US and is eager to bring this unique and dynamic art to DC in 2010.

Adriano is known throughout Australia for his pioneering work in Zouk Lambada dance. Now based in London, he has in recent years been developing new teaching techinques to further encourage the dance community. Recognising the importance of making the dance easier to learn for students, he employes an 8 count teaching system, similar to those used in other dance styles. His qualifications as a dance instructor is among the highest of zouk lambada instructors. Having worked in the industry for fifteen years, he is one of the few instructors that has the qualifications to teach other zouk / lambada instructors.

Alisson hails from Brazil, São Paulo. His arrival into Perth, Australia has blown the top off the Latin dance world in Perth. He has made himself an integral part of the Juan Rando Dance Academy as the main Brazilian dance instructor where he teaches Brazilian zouk, samba de gafieira, Argentine tango, salsa, forró and axé. Alisson is also qualified in Salsa on1 and on2, bolero, tango, soltinho, West Coast swing, cha cha and more. Having taught a variety of these styles in Brazil and performed them around the world he is a great asset to the dance studio in Perth.

After just one year of arriving in Perth he traveled and performed at the Sydney Salsa Congress 2008/2009/2010 and at the Malaysian Salsa Festival 2008/2009 along with competing at the Australian Salsa Classics 2008 as the representative from Western Australia. He has taught in Singapore and Malaysia introducing zouk into the community in 2008 and 2009, which turned out to be a highly unexpected success! Thus bringing him back to Singapore and Malaysia and other countries throughout Asia many times since to teach both zouk and introduce samba de gafieira.

2009 brought many new adventures for Alisson. He was invited to perform zouk at the Sydney Salsa Congress 2009 and to choreograph and perform a zouk item for the Australian Dance Festival 2009. His talent has taken him to the 2nd Annual International Brisbane Salsa and Brazilian Dance Congress (2009) to teach and perform with his partner and his zouk group. Alisson then spent 2 months in Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand teaching, performing and choreographing. While in Singapore, Alisson choreographed the first zouk team in Singapore (for Two-Left Feet School). In 2010 Alisson choreographed the first Forro Team to perform at the Sydney Salsa Congress which was a great success with the public promoting Brazilian dance styles and he was also Invited to teach, perform and DJ at the Brazil Central Zouk Lambada Congress in Australia with his partner. Still in 2009 he was invited to teach, perform and DJ in Dubai/UAE, and due to a great response he was invited again in 2010, this time with his dance partner.

He has created Brazuka, the Brazillian wing which Alisson heads for Juan Rando Dance Academy. He is an aspiring and ambitious man with a forward view towards making the Brazillian Rhythms a huge success everywhere he goes.

Back in Brazil Alisson has been dancing for over 7 years. His regimented training in jazz, contemporary and his other Latin and Brazilian styles has made him a flexible and strong dancer. He has performed at a variety of Congresses in Brazil such as Baila Floripa 2005, 2006, 2007 one of the biggest and most prestigious Dance Congresses held in Brazil. He has traveled to Australia to further his studies and in the process maintain his dancing while teaching others to explore a whole new dance world.

Antje’s first dance experience was a beginners course in a range of dances in Tanzschule Sandmann, Vechta, in 1999. In the following five years, she learned some of the most popular ballroom dances: Discofox, Cha cha, Ballroom Rumba, Waltz, Viennese waltz, as well as Jive, Quickstep and Tango, reaching ADTV Gold Star level.

In 2004, Antje started studying in Bremen and decided to discover a new dance, Salsa. She was impressed by this dance and its music, joining Cuban Salsa classes with Mario Lopez at Universität Bremen. In 2007, Antje went to New Zealand for a year of studies abroad. Here she joined Cuban Salsa classes with Rafael Ferrer Noel (Cuba) and Rogelio Enrique Carles-Rosas (Panama). In addition she started danced Bachata and Merengue, also being popular Latin-American dances. Curious to try different styles of salsa, she joined Linear Style Salsa and Rueda classes at Salsa Magic.

Since 2009 Antje has been learning Samba de Gafieira, mainly with Junior Carvalho from Brasil. In 2009, she added Zouk to her dance repertoire and also began teaching some classes at Salsa Therapy with Ramnish. Having founded Zouksters with Ramnish in 2010, she has been teaching in Germany ever since.

Aria started dancing zouk/lambada, samaba, and salsa in 1997 and became hooked (especially to zouk). He stopped dancing zouk/lambada actively in 2000 and restarted in 2007. He currently works as an assistant instructor at the Sandra Cameron Dance Center in New York City. He is a member of both Zouk NY and Zouk Nation.

Berg Dias is a Brazilian dancer and instructor of Lambada. He holds a professional teaching credentials from the UK Alliance and has been performing and teaching for 18 years along with his two sisters, Solange and Magda Dias. Many of their students have gone on to reach the professional level and won dance competitions. He has been teaching at Danceworks in London for 14 years and has promoted Lambada around the world by offering lessons and doing shows in many different countries throughout the world. He has performed on MTV and most recently on the BBC with Simply Red for Strictly Come Dancing. Berg’s dance group, Viva Brazil, performs regularly all over the UK.

China is the creator of SOULZOUK, zouk Freestyle. The first style to be “baptized” by the new generation of zoukerros, it has been taught in more than 100 workshops and 12 Congresses. A dancer for 11 years, choreographer and a teacher for four, today China teaches at Jimmy de Oliveira’s Dance Studio. In 2004, he received the zouk dance award for “Best Of The Year”. In Rio de Janeiro, this former student of Jaime Aroxa’s, works tirelessly to spread the Soulzouk style throughout Brazil.

In 2005 he created the first version of www.soulzouk.com, together with his partner Luciana Guinle, that by 2007, had become the biggest website about zouk dedicated to zouk, with currently more than 4.200 users.

Claudia was born in Surinam, South America. She is a teacher in both Brazilian and Latin dances, and in November 2005 she became a Licentiate at the United Kingdom Alliance of Professional Teachers of Dancing. She is the organizer of the Brazilian Dance Congresses and the Zouk/Lambada Dance Competitions in Amsterdam, Holland (2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 & 2008). She has her own Brazilian dance school, BraSaZouk, and her own dance company (that she runs with her fiance Tico) the Brasa Dance Studios & Events, where she organized the 2nd / 3rd Brazilian Dance Congresses & the 3rd / 4th Zouk/Lambada Dance Competitions in 2006 / 2007 and this years congress.

Claudia has performed in numerous national and international events including, but not limited to, the World Salsa Congress in Puerto Rico, World Salsa Congress in Valencia, Dansa de Encontro in Rio de Janeiro, UK ’s first Salsa & Lambada Congress (2003), World Salsa Congress in New York, World Salsa Congress in Montreal, Salsuri Congress in Surinam. She has also performed on such television programs as Soundmixshow, ATV, Onderweg naar morgen, Sonntagskonzert, and with famous singers Gil Semedo, Irmaos Verdades, Revelaco & Gerard Joling.

It is a real pleasure and honor for Claudia to teach and to perform. She is widely recognized for her skilful teaching, her enthusiasm and drive during performances and her talent as a tireless event organizer.

He studied at the ‘Facultade de Artes de Paraná’, Brazil. Once in Argentina he continued his studies at ‘Instituto Universitario Nacional de las Artes’ in Buenos Aires; where he acquired all the necessary tools to create choreographies for important artistic events, such as motion pictures, television, and cultural activities and forms of expression.

Not only was he an instructor of ‘Danzario Americano’, the first academy of Afro-American Dances, but also the director. He is the creator of ‘Balaio, Nueva Escuela Contemporánea de Danzas Brasileñas’ -new contemporary and Brazilian academy of dance. He is an expert in the area of popular and afro-brazilian dances. He has been training instructors and dances for more than 10 years. The technique taught at his academy is represented by both, the instructors and the students. It can be appreciated during classes and events.

Claudio is the main promoter of Brazilian Dances in Buenos Aires. He has been working with Lambada Zouk in Argentina since 1996. In this area he has trained several instructors. He is a pioneer in Sweden, where he organized the first zouk workshop in that country.

Nowadays, he is teaching at ‘Universidad de Buenos Aires’. He is also organizing congresses and workshops in several cities in Brazil. Currently he is an important personality of new expressive tendencies of Brazil.

Claudio Gomes was born in Goiania, Brazil and later attended ¬the University of ESEFEGO where he specialized in Physical Education. He is considered something of a legend in the dance community for being among the first people to bring Brazilian dancing to Holland, when he moved there in 1990, and for encouraging its growth not only in Holland, but throughout Europe.

While credited with creating the first instructional video of Salsa and the first instructional DVD of Zouk in Holland, his greatest impact on the dance community has been as the founder of several Brazilian Dance Schools where he has personally overseen the training of hundreds of students. Many of his students have since gone on to win major competitions in both Salsa and Zouk in many countries around the world, while others have gone on to become instructors and train students of their own.

In dance circles, Claudio is a well-known figure appearing in Dance Congresses and festivals around the world, where he often participates as an instructor, dancer and choreographer. Some of the congresses and festivals he has participated in include, but are not limited to, the following: Rotterdam-Holland, Amsterdam-Holland, Rio de Janeiro- Brazil, Brasilia-Brazil, Porto Seguro-Brazil, Valencia-Spain, Barcelona-Spain, Aruba-Caribbean, Brussels-Belgium, New York/-USA, Montreal-Canada, Denmark, Switzerland, Austria, Puerto Rico, England.

In addition to the dance world, he is something of a something of public figure as well, over the years having appeared in three movies, two documentaries and various news segments throughout Europe. In recent years, he has spent a great deal of time and energy back in Brazil on various social activities. Currently, he is working on organizing a group of instructors to bring Brazilian dancing to remote parts of Brazil that have never had a chance to experience the art of dance. Among his many goals is make it possible for people from low income families to have the opportunity to participate in a dance class. As he believes strongly that dancing should not be limited to only people who can afford it, but to all people. “It is through dancing, that one finds it possible to fill one’s life with happiness, motivation, inspiration, warmth and hope.”

Claudio and Monica are the pioneers of Zouk Lambada in Sydney. In 2005, long before the term Zouk became known in the dance community, they introduced this style while teaching at LDA. Since then, they have trained not just students but also dance professionals from different backgrounds and levels of expertise.

In the early 1990’s Claudio Gomes & Monica Leite started their training at different styles of Brazilian dance, such as Samba de Gafieira, Forro, Bolero and Soltinho at Jaime Arouxa’s well known studio in Rio de Janeiro. A couple of years later they fell in love with Zouk Lambada and it became their major passion ever since.

Their dedication to this rhythm has created an unique fusion that incorporates the smooth continual travel of Brazilian partner dances with the sensuality and romanticism of Zouk.

Besides being trained by some of the best dancers in Rio for over a decade, Claudio & Monica have participated in several events as teachers and performers earning the respect of students and the dance community both inside Brazil and abroad.

Claudio and Monica see partner dancing as more than just a fun exercise. For them dancing is an instrument of self development made available for the general public, not only professional artists. Their focus is to help students finding their own way of expression through dance by developing appropriated technical skills and musicality.

Daniel started teaching at Centro de Danca Jaime Arôxa, Rio de Janeiro in 1999. The school arguably has the best teaching methodology and is the biggest dance school in Brazil.

Daniel was born in Bahia, and raised in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He graduated from Universidade do Estado do Rio De Janeiro (UERJ) in 2002 in Physical Education and Sports.

Before moving to Brisbane, Australia in December 2007, Daniel was teaching an average of 22 group dance classes per week. The dance styles he was teaching included Tango, Samba de Gafieira, Samba no Pe, Bolero, Zouk (Lambada), Forro, Salsa and Soltinho (Brazilian swing). As well as teaching, Daniel performed for many private and corporate functions and congresses around Brazil. Daniel was by far one of the most popular teachers in Jaime Arôxa’s dance school . He returns to Brazil yearly to visit the school and to teach the students who miss him dearly.

Danielle’s dance journey took her through the ballroom and salsa worlds before she fell in love with the deep partner connection and freedom of musical expression found in blues dancing. She soon began teaching in Toronto, while traveling around Canada and the United States to train and compete in blues.

In Zouk she discovered the same qualities that she loved about blues dance, layered with the smooth, flowing movements that Zouk music inspires. With her partner Junyan, Danielle co-founded Mazouka Dance Company, the first and largest Zouk school in Toronto. Since then they have been teaching, choreographing and performing zouk locally and abroad. Together they run “Zouk Me” Tuesdays, a weekly zouk venue, and have been a driving force in the development of Toronto’s fast-growing zouk scene.

David was born in Barcelona twenty years ago. His dance began at fifteen, when he starts to dance lambada in Barcelona. After that he learn more and more, and in 2005 he participated with Laura in the zouk/lambada international contest in Holland and they won. Then the real lambada life starts, and after that, they participate in congresses as a teacher like the DansaBrasil congress in Barcelona, the Uppsala salsa congress in Sweden, and more (London, Amsterdam, Pontin’s …). He is in the DansaBrasil organization for the lambada congress in Barcelona, a new mundial reference for the lambada dancers. David already dances salsa since seventeen, and he won the second prize of an amateur competition in Barcelona. Now he is dancing in the world known salsa company called “Salsa del Barrio”, and teaching classes of salsa and lambada in Barcelona.

Emily Ma is one of the most popular female Rio Zouk Lambada instructors in Asia. From the first moment that Emily experience Latino and Brazilian dance she immediately fell in love with it.  Among the many places she has taught include Hong Kong, Japan, Taiwan, Vietnam.

Emily originally started Jazz and Contemporary training at the age of 13. Since then her whole energy and efforts have been thrown into the world of music and dance. She has managed to learn many different dance styles has managed to expand her skills to include, instruction, management, producing and organizing events and presentations and creating a line of dance clothes and shoes.

Today, in addition to teaching in fitness centers, Emily continues to train the new generation of dance lovers and different dance teams in her own studio, “Hong Kong Studio”. Her humble nature keeps her teaching because she believes that she herself is always “learning by teaching”. She is grateful to all the teachers and students who have helped her grow as a dancer to where she feels compelled to give back as much as she has received and more.

Erik Marçal Garcia was born in Goiânia (Brasil). At the age of 10 he realized he loved the rhythm and dances of his country and began to dance axè. As he grew up his love of dancing drove him to participate in different axè contests. It was fortunate for him as it brought him a lot of experience performing on the stage. Later in his career he became a member of Rekebra Dance, group of dance, which permitted him to perform a lot of shows in many different places. His wide knowledge of rhythm and choreographies has allowed him to teach in the gyms of his home town. It was about one year ago that he arrived in Barcelona and felt immediately at home and very happy. Currently he offers classes in axè and works as a co-teacher with Nuriaxè at theCelebrity (Puerto Olímpico).