I’m sure, while dancing zouk you want to look nice. A very important thing to reach it is to dance for yourself. If you are just thinking about steps, you will dance like a robot. But if you feel the music and you try to move your body with the music, your dance will get nicer.
And how to do it? If your are shy person you can dance at home for you and little by little put it on your dance. It’s not about doing what you want if you are dancing zouk. It’s about bringing the move from inside to outside. Important for the ladies, because the guy is leading you, and if you don’t dance, you will look like a doll, maybe a beautiful one, but a doll.
Let’s practise the long left turn on the line (bumerangue) with a nice variation.
For the guys: Very important if you are turning that you focus on your partner and that you “cross the street” to the other side, becasuse you have to let the line free for the lady. If you are leading the second bumerangue, you do it with your right hand on 1, then on 2 the lady accepts the “chocolate”. Try to think about the line of the lady and help her to stay on the line. In every turn you are first pulling into the line and after that you lead the turn.
For the ladies: To stay on the line is very important and to focus on the guy too. If you are dancing the bumerangue, imagine you have a miniskirt, so you don’t go long steps. You need the feeling, your thighs are together.
Let’s fly! There are somethings about the zouk-feeling and we want to tell you one today.
Maybe in other dances you are going steps and you can separate these steps from each other. In zouk we don’t like to speak about steps (we need it for the explanation, but real dance is anohter thing), we prefer to speak about move. For example you go two steps to the front while doing the basic step but it’s just one move to the front. One secret: use some more energy by pushing with the last foot (Watch the video to understand)
The combination of today. For the ladies: we do the long turn on the line (Bumerangue) and after that a left turn on the line. Very important for you is to close the legs while turning, you try to put your thighs together (more balance and it’s more beautiful).
For the guys. First turn the lady, then you and then the lady again. The leading: both turns are on the line, so you have to pull first the lady in the line and after that you paint a circle over the head of the lady. For your turn: focus on the lady, so will turn easily. you do your third step on the spot while turning.
After the prison step and the long turn on the line (bumerangue) we can do a turn like in the video.
Guys: You are turning the lady with the right hand up and the left hand stays down. The right hand just holds the fingers of the lady. In this way you can get the left shoulder of the lady with your right hand. Go now in slow motion, briging the shoulder and the head of the lady to the side. Put your under arm on the back of the lady and help her to turn. If you want, the lady goes up, then you go with your body a little bit up too and the hands are following your body.
For the ladies. After the turn you will feel that the guy is bringing your left shoulder down, so your head goes to the side. You have a new contact ith the guy on your back: try to press against the under arm of the guy on your back. While turning on the spot (It’s the same everytime you turn to the right and do something with your upper vody), you will turn on your right leg, this is your axis. After the first step, the guy keep your shoulder on the same level, so your head goes to the front. Don’t go up alone and wait for the leading of your partner.
Today we learnt the wave from the lateral step and a turn for the guys under the arm of the lady from lateral step.
1. The wave from the lateral step.
Guys: while leading the lateral step you can block the way of the lady and do the wave. If you bring the lady to the left, you will go in front of the lady but a little bit to the left, so she can go in the wave with her right foot between your feet. Lead the lady first to you pulling to you and then bring your hands down. In this away the lady will go with the shoulders down in the wave. Combine your leading with your body language and do the wave at the same time. You can do the step in the other direction (hier you will be in front of the lady this time a little bit to the right).
For the ladies: sometimes doing the wave we stay with our hips back the hole time. In a normal wave you go to the front with your shoulders, then with your chest and at the end with your hips. There is a moment where your hips are over your foot and you stay straigh over the foot in the front. Another important thing is to stay with the shoulders down the hole time. If you bring your shoulders up, your neck will look shorter, that’s not beautiful.
2. Turn for the guys under the arm of the lady from lateral step.
The beginners can look cool too! Today one step for the guys.
While bringing the lady to the right you change the grip of your hand. Important for the ladies: your hand has to answer always with the same grip and the same energy as the hand of the guy.
Guys, while leading this step (and in general) you lead first the lady and after that you go. You lead the lady into the lateral to the left and then you turn to the right. Here you will feel the tension of the arm of the lady on your left hand (back). If you continue turning to the right you pull automatically, bringing the lady to the right. After he goes her first step, you can turn under the arm.
While turning, guys, let your left hand without energy. Ladies, you answer with the same energy, so you relax your right hand.
Today we learn a cool variation of the step of the last week.
Guys: while turning on your left foot (watch the video to see how is the position of the foot on the floor) and opening with right foot to the right. Don’t turn your upper body to the lady, she will stay behind you. When you turn her, go only two steps and keep the contact between your right hand and the lady the hole time: First the arm of the lady and then her back.
Ladies: Maintain your upper body to your partner. After his turn you have a new contact between your left arm and his left hand, so you press a little bit against the hand (but not too much!). You turn to the left going your third step on the spot.
If you want to repeat the “thrower” without a turn for the guy, check this link:
A very nice thing about dancing brazilian zouk: you don’t have to follow the beat of the music everytime. By zouk time is yours! I want you practise one exercise at home: dance without music! I love this exercise. Guys, it’s a really good waay to improve your leading and for the ladies it’s a challenge, because you have to learn to keep the contact with your partner without being heavy for him. Try at home!
After that we turned the lady to the left and do some steps to the front or backwards (it’s a nice way to proof the connection with the partner). How to bend in this position the lady to the front? (If you want to try this exercises at home, please warm up und do the steps under your own responsibiltity).
Guys, you are facing the girl. You want to lead the step with your body and not with your hands. Try to do a wave from your hips to the left. So you do the preparation. Ladies, go with your rightfoot first, then with your hips, open your chest and stretch you neck. By bending to the front contract your center, put your pelvis to the front, your chest is in.
From this position we have three posibilities:
1. Come back and lead the sneak. After bending to the left, the guys start bending to the right stop in the middle and come back.
2. Just up to set an accent in the music. Guys, take care about the center of the lady because she can loose her balance.
3. Lead cambré going to the right. Ladies: don’t go up, go direct backwards. If you go up and then back, you can get injured on your low back. Important to press against the arm of the guy for you to understand the leading and to let the guy supports you. Guys, don’t go up and after that lead the cambre. Go direct with your hip to the left and continue with the wave. Ladies: you hold yourself, don’t trust the guy. For finish the step you can lead the snake.
Guys, even if you are beginner you can do some cool moves dancing zouk While leading the side step (lateral) to your right side, you will go just two steps, the lady is going three steps.
- The lady do 1 & 2 and you do just 1.
- THen you do 3 together to the side, opening a little bit to the right.
For the arms I will give you two possibilities:
- You change the hand (you get the right hand of the lady with your right hand).
- You get arm of the lady.
While giving the momentumto your left you go againg just two steps and the lady goes three steps.
For the ladies I want to say just one thing: if you turn to the left, you have to take care about your left arm, so bring the left arm up while turning closed to your face (in this way you don’t hit your partner).
A really nice move for the beginners2! The first thing is to be behind the lady (we did already hier).
For going the steps behind the lady, guys stretch your legs if you are going backwards. Ladies do the same if they are going forwards.
Now guys, for the cross step behind the lady you to respect her line. Your irst step backwards with the left you go in diagonal to the side, so you can oen after that and let the „street“ free for the lady.
Ladies: Sometimes we are going steps and our focus is not to the partner but to the front. That’s the point today. Please press a little bit again the hands of the guy, so you can understand better the leading and he can support you.
While crosing with the left you guys can lead the prison step. Hier more informations about the prison step.
While leading the side step (lateral) to your right side, you will go just two steps, the lady is going three steps.