NYC Brazilian Zouk Classes & Socials

Zouk is a Caribbean music genre that originated in the early 1980s. Brazilian Zouk is a partner dance that evolved in Brazil in the 1990s from Lambada dancers adapting to Zouk music. The name distinguishes the dance from the musical genre. Brazilian Zouk dancers have since incorporated R'n'B, pop, hip-hop, and contemporary music.

Brazilian Zouk originated in the early 1990s when Lambada dancers in Rio de Janeiro adapted their movements to Caribbean Zouk music after DJs stopped playing Lambada. Zouk, a music style from the Caribbean popularized by Kassav' from Guadeloupe, had a similar rhythm but was slower, prompting dancers to modify their style. The evolution occurred across Brazil, with figures like Jaime Arôxa, Renata Peçanha, and Adilio Porto adding linear movements and new steps, forming the basis of Rio-style Zouk. Today, Brazilian Zouk has spread globally, incorporating modern music genres and developing communities worldwide.

Brazilian Zouk evolved directly from Lambada, its root dance. Lambada features continuous stepping to faster music with constant foot movement and pronounced hip action. In contrast, Brazilian Zouk allows pauses for body rolls and head movements, uses varied tempos, and requires dancers to shift their weight further back for balance.