Brazilian Zouk Fundamentals (Level 1): 6-Week Series On Thursdays

INTERESTED IN LEARNING BRAZILIAN ZOUK?!This beautiful partner dance has been growing in popularity both in the DC area and around the world. Learn the fundamentals with District Zouk's Ashley Kent & Anthony Fraser. This progressive series will cover zouk foundations and prepare you to get out on the dance floor. Thursdays at DanceSport Dupont [hidden] seriesApril 4 - May 9 Each week will build on what you learned the previous week. Topics will include: Basic Steps Connection Viradinha Lateral Simple Turns Waves & Sways Close Embrace These classes will provide a good foundation for dancers new to Brazilian zouk and the opportunity for experienced zouk dancers to refine their fundamentals. The small class environment will allow for personal attention and a cohort to learn with as you explore this dance. Enrollment: $102 for the 6-week series No drop-ins - you must sign up for the full 6-week series No partner required (but you can encourage your friends to sign-up too!) When purchasing your ticket we ask you to decide if you'd like to lead or follow in the classes so we can keep the lead/follow ratio fairly even. Note: DanceSport Dupont Circle class cards cannot be used for this series. Location: DanceSport DuPont Circle2201 P St. NW (GPS 1520 22nd St. NW)The Church of the Pilgrims Fellowship Hall (Entrance from the south side via stairs going down) Washington DC 20037 Between P & Q St's, 2 blocks west of the Q St exit of the Dupont Circle red line Metro. Directions and unlimited adjacent Embassy Row parking info available at: [hidden] bus lines: G2, D2 & D6, 42, N line to Friendship Hts, S line from Silver Spring & downtown and Dupont Circle Circulator from Georgetown The Instructors: Ashley Kent has been dancing from an early age, including training in jazz, tap, ballet, modern, west African dance, salsa, kizomba and Brazilian zouk. She got hooked on afro-latin partner dancing while living abroad in Ghana and Sudan, but when she was introduced to Brazilian zouk in DC in 2012 she fell in love with it. She has studied with top instructors from Brazil, Canada, Spain and the US and has traveled to Brazil to attend several of the most well-known Brazilian zouk festivals and trainings, including certifications from Renata Pecanha & Jorge Peres and Zouk Needs You (Val Clemente and Vanessa Bonilha). Ashley has directed the District Zouk partner dance team since 2016 and has taught at dance festivals including the White House Kizomba/Zouk Summit (2015 and 2016, which she also co-organized), Midwest Kizomba Zouk Afro-Fusion Festival (2016 and 2017), NCZoukfest (2017 and 2018), Interfusion Festival (2016-2018), Baltimore Salsa Congress (2017) and the DC Bachata Congress (2015-2018), for which she is also the director of zouk programming. She received an award was voted the best instructor at the Midwest Afro-Fusion Festival in 2016, for which she received an award. Ashley loves sharing her love for this dance with the DC dance community and seeing Brazilian zouk in this city continue to grow. Anthony Fraser has trained in and danced salsa and mambo for over 20 years, and dabbled in a number of other dances before immersing himself in kizomba and Brazilian zouk. Although he discovered zouk back in 2011 and took classes back then, he has gotten more involved since training with District Zouk from 2014. Anthony has been in teacher training with District Zouk since 2017 and has enjoyed assisting with classes and helping welcome new dancers into the community. District Zouk’s mission is to offer regular opportunities to learn and dance Brazilian zouk, and to nurture and grow the Brazilian zouk community in DC. Ashley and Valentine co-founded District Zouk with Amy Abbott and Bianca Desroches, and they have been teaching weekly Brazilian zouk classes at DanceSport Dupont Circle since June 2014, as well as organizing workshops and other events. District Zouk received an award at the New York Zouk Festival in October 2017 for their contributions to zouk in North America. For some examples of what this dance looks like, check out: [hidden] More Info below.