Zouk made in Germany

Free dance lessons

Category: Workshop

25.04.15. Workshop with Claudia and Fernando for Intermediate / Advanced.

Hi everybody!

Here you have our demo after the workshop in Bremen. Have fun!

27.02.15. Zouk Workshop in Hannover. Flamingo + Pendulum & turning on one leg + head movement.

Hi everybody!

We were today in Hannover giving some workshops with our friends Rebas, Denise and all the dancers from Hannover. It’s a pleasure for us to be here again.

The first part of the workshop we did the flamingo with a pendulum and cambre.

For the flamingo, guys bring the lady to you and then up while turning 90° to the left and support her. For ladies, your shoulders are down and you keep the contact with the guy, pressing your arm down. You don’t know, when flamingo is over.

For the pendulum, guys, you turn a little bit more the lady, so you both are looking in the same direction. At the beginning you are on your right and the lady on her left. You bring the lady down and the lady contract the center (pelvis to the front, chest in, head to the front). The lady and you are transfering the weight at the same time to the other side. Make space for the lady if you meet in the center.

After pendulum, ladies, don’t go alone, keep the contact with the partner.

Fot the cambre, guys, you bring the lady to you (no space between you and the lady). Lead the preparation for the lady and ladies, come in the “hulk” position (down on your knies, pelvis to the front, chest in, head to the front). Ending the cambre you have the possibility of breathing up or do the snake (the guy leads one of both).

The second part of the workshop we wanted to turn the lady on one leg, lead the elastic and and after that one head movement.

For turning the lady on one leg, guys, you have to go in slow motion and turn the lady giving her support. Your body goes down for the preparation and while turning up. For the elastic go with drama! With the foot, the knie, the hip, the chest and at last head. Ladies, focus on the guy if he is bringing you up.

Head movement: the guys have to play with the shoulder line of the lady. Lead your right hand up, so the lady let the head fall to the left. Ladies: as long as your right shoulder is up, your head stays at the left side. Contract your center for keeping the balance. Just at the end, when the shoulder line is changing the position, we will bring the head to the front (chest is in) and up.

See you soon!

22.01.15. Zouk Workshops in Gothenburg (Sweden) Day 2. Sunday.

Hi everybody!

Today we did in Gothenburg a lot of things, so let’s see a summary of the classes:

- The idea of the quality of the movement. One idea can change your dance. We practised going up on 1 and down on 3.

- A nice combination. I think, the most important thing was the cambre, with a good preparation for the ladies, the pelvis to the front, and for the guys to lead the lady with your body and respecting her movement, don’t force her to go faster than she can.

- Some ideas to correct the posture. The psychological state of mind influence your body. Be happy about the music, about dancing, about meeting people and let you probems outside the dance floor.

- And the last thing was the step being behind the lady after a left turn. „First the lady“.

So! I had a really nice time in Gothenburg with you and the lovely Anna. I hope we see us very soon (in Gothenburg…or in Bremen!). Ryanair makes it possible ;-)

Hugs,

Fernando

21.02.15. Zouk-Workshop in Gothenburg (Sweden). Saturday.

Hi everybody!

Today we were in Gothenburg (Sweden) giving some Workshops with the lovely dancers from here.

We speak about a lot of things! We speak for example about the flow: a state of mind when you have the feeling, you are one with your body, with your partner and with the music. You cannot control the flow (it’s not like a button you can press) but can do some things to let it happen.

In my opinion there are three ways to feel the flow:

  • The way of feeling your own body.
  • The way of feeling the partner.
  • The way of feeling the music.

During the workshops in Gothenburg we want to work the way of the body. Please, feel like Indiana Jones: You want to discover something new, everyday, every song, with every dance partner. If you are thinking like that, your ego stays at home. That’s the first condition to get the flow: your ego has to take a break.

We love the idea, dancing zouk is a massage for your body. Start feeling your own body and the body of your partner, try to feel the connection. At the very beginning of a song take some seconds for you and for your partner and enjoy just being together. What can you do here? Don’t be shy and get like in a hug with your partner. The guys have contact with the belly of the lady, you have the lady on your right side. From here you can tranfer the weight, play with the hips and the upper body like in the video.

Ladies: keep the contact with the guy. If you have contact with your belly, you have to press to the front. If the contact is just with the hand of the guy on your back, you have to press a little bit too agains the hand staying a little bit back.

Two very important things for the guys in the workshop:

- Think you are a gentleman „first the lady“. You cannot go before the ladies go. You propose something with your leading and you see the answer of the lady. Then you continue the movement.

- You want the lady has a good feeling if she is dancing with you. Zouk is a social dance. Please take care about the contact with the lady. Your hands have to be soft and sensitive, don’t be rude.

After that we did a combination to get a flow in the movement. Sometimes we are going a lot of steps dancing zouk but more than of the steps are building just one movement. Think on moving your body and not on doing steps, if you think on separate steps, you will break the flow.

One move brings you into another. Use the circular energy as much as you can for it.

Somethings about the combination:

  • For turning the lady, keep the contact with your arm and the bely of the lady.
  • For the turn together on the spot: keep the contact with the leg, stay in front of your parter and let the energy goes back, your chest is a little bit in, don’t try to go to the front with your chest.
  • For the cross step: three steps but just one move. For the ladies: push with your foot behind by going the side step (lateral).
  • For the opening to the right, guys you go to the front, not backwards. You think „first the lady“. For the ladies: your chest is always facing your partner.

The „anaconda-step“!

Guys: your right bring the lady two steps to the front and after that blocks the lady. Left hand goes like a anaconda till the left shoulder of the lady. Your weight should be now on the right, the ladies n the left. Bring the lady to her right and then turn the lady (she goes with the left) and you transfer the weight to the left. Now you are behind the lady and you get her arms like a moto. Lead the elastic like in the video but try to be soft, the leading is coming from your body.

For the ladies: if you are doing the elastic, first go with your hips and then with your chest. If your chest is on the front you stretch, giving the idea, your neck goes back (but you just want to stretch). Going up you do it little by little. At the end, the head goes up like a tiger.

It was a nice workshop!

Tomorrow more!

The first step

This is the first post of our blog. We had the pleasure to teach in Erfurt in the New Years Eve 2014/2015. Here you can watch the video with the moves we show on the workshop. Have fun!