Zouk Foundations & Combinations (Level 1.5): 8-Week Series

CONTINUE YOUR JOURNEY IN BRAZILIAN ZOUK WITH NEW FUNDAMENTALS AND FUN WAYS TO PUT EVERYTHING TOGETHER! Level 1 covered Brazilian Zouk basic steps and techniques and the most common ways to use them. In Level 1.5, we continue by learning additional fundamental patterns and exploring how to combine them together with what we learned so far. This 8-week progressive series with Gui Prada and Natalie Pcholkina will cover a new set of Brazilian Zouk fundamentals, including some important principles in body movements. The class will also include a good amount of practice time, so you can apply everything you've learned in class. Wednesdays at DanceSport Dupont [hidden] seriesSept 4 - Oct 23 Each week will introduce one or multiple new topics and build on you've learned in previous classes. During the first 5 weeks we will learn new fundamentals and during the last 3 weeks we will see how to put them together in fun and interesting combinations. The new fundamentals include: Cuddle Lateral Opening Free Spin Yo-yo Soltinho Body Rolls and Isolations We will combine these with fundamentals from Level 1, including viradinha, simple turns, waves and sways and close embrace. The combinations we will introduce will be designed to be easily executed in a social setting, helping you feel more confident going out dancing. Pre-requisite: Level 1 seriesThese classes were designed as a continuation of our learning, following District Zouk’s curriculum. We will build on the principles and patterns from the previous series in these classes. Students should have completed our Level 1 Brazilian Zouk Fundamentals series, at least one full cycle of Level 1 Monday drop-in classes, or something comparable 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. Enrollment: $144 for the 8-week series No drop-ins - you must sign up for the full 8-week series No partner required 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 Circle 2201 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] Nearby 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. Gui 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.Natalie Pcholkina loves exploring the world through dance. It has brought her to 30+ countries where she performed, taught, trained, moved and enjoyed every minute of it! Dance has created countless memorable experiences that shaped her as a person and as an artist - from teaching underprivileged girls in India to raising her students into world champions out of a war zone. Natalie has a degree in dance from the University of Maryland, and currently teaches ballet as well as occasional jazz, modern and lyrical dance classes at Joy of Motion and Ovation dance studios in DC and Bethesda. Natalie was introduced to Brazilian zouk in 2017 and fell in love with it, and joined the District Zouk dance team shortly thereafter. She has continued learning, competing and performing, winning the novice jack and jill competition at Elevation Denver Zouk Congress in December 2018 and progressing to the intermediate level of the competition. Her training in other styles of dance has helped her tremendously in her learning, competitions and performance of this dance, and she looks forward to sharing it with others to help them grow as dancers. 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 both 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.