Body Movement: Brazilian Zouk Special Topic Series

INCREASE YOUR BODY MOVEMENTS VOCABULARY WITH OUR NEW SPECIAL TOPIC SERIES! Flowy body movements are one of the characteristics that make Brazilian Zouk so unique. The more controlled and precise they are, the better they look and, more importantly, the better they feel. There is technique behind the comfortable execution of body movements that make them more fluid and interesting. In this new special topic progressive series with Gui Prada and Valeska Kohan, we will study this technique and learn combinations of body movements that will enrich your dance vocabulary. Tuesdays at DanceSport Dupont Circle 6:45-8:15pm 3-week series Jun 11 – Jun 25 Each week will build on what you learned the previous week. Topics will include: ● Upper body isolations and undulations - initiating, differentiating and combining ● Lower body isolations and combinations with upper body movements ● Circular body movements These classes will provide a good foundation for dancers that already know the fundamentals of Brazilian Zouk to apply the key principles of body movements. The classes were designed to accommodate a fair amount of practice time, so that students may receive instant feedback. Also, after each class there will be a practice session from 8:15-8:45pm so you can practice what you've learned with students from this class and other classes. Enrollment: $66 for the 3-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. Pre-requisites: Level 1.5 (Zouk Foundations and Combinations) We ask that participants should have completed our District Zouk Level 1.5 (Zouk Foundations and Combinations) or higher within the last 3 months. If you haven't completed those series but would like to join or are not sure if this series is right for you, reach out to a District Zouk instructor to see if this class is a good fit for you. 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: Gui Prada started dancing in 2004 inspired by the movie "Shall We Dance?". He began to dive deep into dance in 2006 as a work-study trainee of the Jaime Arôxa Dance School in Rio de Janeiro. Jaime Arôxa, one of the creators of Brazilian Zouk, was the head instructor and was a mentor for the most accomplished dancers in Brazil. During his 6 years as a member of the school's team, he learned all Brazilian partner dances (Forró, Samba de Gafieira, Soltinho, Bolero and Zouk) as well as Argentine Tango. After he left the school, he continued dancing and learning from other remarkable instructors, including Fabiano Vivas, Kelly Reis, Érico Rodrigo, Guilherme Pimentel and many others. Since then he has focused his training and research on taking the best of each of these dances and applying it to the close embrace, with the purpose of conveying a sense of well-being and relaxation to dance partners. In 2016 he attended the first Zouk Retreat in Valencia, led by Xandy Liberato, Brenda Carvalho and Anderson Mendes. After that, his research on partner dancing took a new direction, as he continued working with Brenda and Anderson to seek for the application of the concepts explored at the retreat in different ways by using the references of the other Brazilian partner dances and Argentinian Tango. As a result, the importance of the basic steps and concepts became evident, since it is through them that all dances reach another level. Ghee is looking forward to sharing his technique and training with students here in Washington DC to help them improve their basics, comfort and confidence on the dance floor. Valeska is currently studying at UWC-USA (an international school in the middle of nowhere in New Mexico), but her passion for dance started ten years ago in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where she was raised. Three years ago she joined the Jaime Aroxa Copacabana Dance Studio, where she was part of the dance team and had intense training in all of the Brazilian partner dances–samba, forró, soltinho, bolero and zouk, as well as salsa, bachata and tango. After moving to the USA to attend the United World College, Valeska has co-taught workshops around the country with Gui Prada, including in Seattle, Washington DC, New York, Minneapolis and Austin. She also leads the dance ensemble team on her campus in Montezuma, New Mexico. She's looking forward to spending June in Washington, DC. 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. More Info below.