Progressive Fundamentals (Level 2): 6-Week Brazilian Zouk Series

TAKE YOUR NEXT STEP IN BRAZILIAN ZOUK DANCING AND LEARN NEW VOCABULARY! Moving on in your journey to master Brazilian Zouk, pick up from where you left off in Level 1.5 and learn some other characteristic and important fundamentals of this dance. This progressive series with Gui Prada and Julissa will cover additional patterns and concepts that are often used on the dance floor and also some important lead and follow principles. Tuesdays at DanceSport Dupont Circle 8:45-10:15pm 6-week series Sept 3 - Oct 8 Each week will build on what you learned the previous week. Topics will include: ● Abertura and Lateral Opening ● Boomerang● Patinha● Manteiga● Raul We'll combine these new fundamentals with those from Level 1 and Level 1.5 to help give you options and confidence on the dance floor. These classes are designed to provide continued learning for dancers that are already comfortable with the fundamentals of Brazilian Zouk by adding new dance vocabulary to your repertory and helping you refine these techniques. The classes also include practice time so students will receive individual feedback. Additionally, before each class there will be a practice session from 8:15-8:45pm so you can come early and practice what you've learned with students from this class and other classes. Enrollment: $108 for the 6-week series No partner required No drop-ins - you must sign up for the full 6-week series 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-requisite: Level 1 and Level 1.5 seriesThese classes were designed as a continuation of our learning, following District Zouk’s curriculum. Students should have completed our Level 1 and Level 1.5 within the last four months. If you're unsure if this series is right for you, please talk to one of our instructors and let them know of your interest to determine if you can participate and benefit from the classes. 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.Julissa, a Washington DC native, was formally trained for over a decade in classical ballet and several years in modern dance (Alexander Horton technique). She discovered Zouk while traveling in Brazil in 2012, but did not begin to learn it until the NYC Zouk Festival in 2016. Since then she has traveled to various festivals in the states and internationally to learn and dance as much as possible. Her biggest sources of inspiration have been Kuna Malik Hamad, Anderson & Brenda, William & Paloma, and Hudson & Jessica. She has taught alongside artists such as Kuna Malik Hamad, and Jerry Lai. She is eager to grow as a student and teacher, and help inspire more dancers in this 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 Kent and Valentine Luu 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's classes are technique-focused and accessible to those new to social dancing, those with a background in other dance styles, and those who have been learning and dancing this dance for awhile. 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.