Was ist ZOUK?
Das Allerwichtigste ist:
Für uns ist ZOUK Spass, Lebensfreude, fast schon eine Lebensphilosophie. Wenn du Zouk tanzt, fühlst du dich gut! Du kannst abschalten, entspannen und kreativ sein, da dieser Tanz im Vergleich zu anderen Tänzen viel Gestaltungsspielraum offenlässt.
Warum sollte sich dieses Tanzgefühl niemand entgehen lassen?
Zouk ist aus eigener Erfahrung gut zum Abschalten, als Ausgleich und zur Stressreduktion geeignet. Nicht nur die psychologischen und physiologischen positiven Auswirkungen des Tanzens selbst, sondern auch das Eingehen auf andere Menschen (Tanzpartner) sowie der soziale Aspekt der Gemeinschaft können sich nur positiv auf unser Leben auswirken! Zouk gibt euch in weiterer Folge durch viele Festivals in Europa und der ganzen Welt die Chance, viel zu reisen, neue Kulturen und Menschen kennenzulernen, die mit euch die gleiche Leidenschaft teilen. Für viele Menschen hat ZOUK das ganze Leben verändert. Das folgende Video ist beispielhaft für einige dieser Beeinflussungen, aber auch den Genuss-Faktor... Alles was wir tun, sollten wir mit Spass und Freude tun!
Im folgenden ein paar weitere Eindrücke für euch (siehe auch ZOUK-Vienna Youtube Channel), darunter etwas zur Geschichte des ZOUK:
Die Musikrichtung ZOUK wurde in den frühen 80ern in der Karibik geschaffen, wurde in den 90ern kommerziell erfolgreich, verbreitete sich auf der ganzen Welt und vermischte sich mit traditioneller Musik vieler verschiedener Länder. Das Charakteristische ist jedoch immer ein Synthesizer Beat im lang-kurz-kurz-lang Rhythmus. Das Wort ZOUK selbst ist kreolisch und bedeutet "Tanzfest" oder schlicht "Party".
Als Mitte der 90er Jahre in Brasilien der Lambada-Boom zu Ende ging, verwendeten die Lambadatänzer ZOUK Musik, um aus Lambada mit Elementen von anderen Tänzen (z.B. Samba de Gafieira) einen neuen Tanz zu formen. Brasilianische Tanzlehrer brachten den so entstandenen Tanz ZOUK (Brazilian Zouk oder Zouk Lambada - nicht zu verwechseln mit Zouk Love, ein dem Kizomba ähnlicher Tanzstil) nach Europa, Australien, Asien und Nordamerika. Heute haben sich weitere Sub-Sitlrichtungen entwickelt und der Tanz wird nicht mehr nur zur ursprünglichen Zouk Musik getanzt, sondern auch zu sehr moderner Musik, die wir aus den Charts kennen, z.B. auch zu R&B, Pop, Orientalischer Musik, zu langsamem Reggaeton (der dem gleichen typischen Beat folgt), und seit wenigen Jahren auch zu Dubstep.
ZOUK ist heute einer der sinnlichsten, exotischsten, elegantesten und graziösesten Tänze mit fließenden und wellenförmigen Bewegungen - schön anzusehen und vor allem schön selbst zu tanzen!
ZOUK - der Tanz des 21. Jahrhunderts! Aufstrebend in Europa! Aufstrebend in Österreich! Sei dabei!
More information in English from the Master of Zouk ADILIO PORTO
Brazilian Zouk is a couple dance that is coming from Lambada in Brazil. The name Brazilian Zouk is used to distinguish the dance from the Caribbean Zouk dance, which is historically related to, but very different from the Lambada. The three dominant lines inside of Brazilian Zouk are Traditional Zouk, LambaZouk, and Zouk with different styles.
Traditional Zouk
Traditional Zouk style was first developed in Ilha Dos Pescadores in Rio de Janeiro around the mid 90's when Lambada songs stopped being composed. It was developed and first taught by Adilio Porto and Renata Peçanha in Brazil's most famous dance school for Brazilian couple dances of Jaime Arôxa. They danced to the slower music of the Caribbean Zouk, thus making it easier to learn and vary steps, moves, patterns and combinations. The characteristic steps that were created are the basic step going front and back (from Samba de Gafieira), the opening and lateral step (from Bolero), elastic and bonus (also called boomerang in Europe).
Since adding lots of new steps and changing the characteristics from Lambada, a new name was given to this dance, with was originally 'Zouk Love', later just called 'Zouk'. Today, the Brazilian Zouk has changed and thus, the name 'Traditional Zouk' has been given to the dance that was first tought by Adilio and Renata in the beginning of the 90's, which is now didactically used all over the world.
Unlike salsa, which is led with the hands, Brazilian zouk is led by more parts of the body. Sometimes, in a basic sideways movement, it is the hips that move first, followed by the rest of the body, and this is part of what makes the dance so sensual. However, in various moves the dance partners are also connected by eye contact, legs, arms, shoulders, head, etc.
When practicing zouk in dance classes, teachers generally warn women to be very careful with their backs and necks, as two of the most distinctive and commented-on movements are the cambre (arching backwards to a greater or lesser degree, sometimes even below the waist) and the specific 'hair movements' or ' head movements' for the woman. If not done properly this could lead to injury.
LambaZouk
LambaZouk, also called the Porto Seguro-style, is often thought of as the evolution of original Lambada, although in its current iteration it has divulged far from original Lambada. This dance is characterized by high energy (energia) and feel good attitude (alegria). Although it is a fast and energetic dance, it flows smoothly and the moves are continuous and rhythmic, and dancers follow circular (and to a lesser extent slot-style) movements as they relate to each other. One way in which the present LambaZouk differs from the original Kaoma-like Lambada style, is that they have removed wiggling shoulder movements (also sometimes seen in Cuban-style salsa). Instead the shoulders are kept fixed while the hips move (swing) to create a sensual effect. A number of movements have been added to the modern version of this dance mainly created by Didi Santos of Brazil.
LambaZouk is characterized by the following movements:
Head movements (Cabeça - head moves in the same direction as shoulder; Boneca - Head moves in the reverse direction as shoulder for half measure (1-2-3))
(Hair) whip movement (Chicote)
Back arch/dip (Cambre)
The original Porto Seguro style is also unique in the way steps are performed to music (in this sense it is closer to Lambada). Here, the steps are performed with equal emphasis (same amount of travel) on strong beat and the two beats that follow (including the pause after the strong beat). This is done specifically to facilitate musicality by matching sharp movements (Chicote and Cambre) with the strong beat. When danced this way dancers fluently incorporate sharp movements to accentuate strong beat without stopping the dance (pausing to catch up). Even though this timing is popular in LambaZouk it is by no means exclusive. Many LambaZouk dancers also dance by taking longer step (or turning the follower) on the dominant beat (like Traditional Zouk). It is also a common practice to switch between the two timings within the same song (by doing multiple contra-tempo turns for the follower). For comparison on timing, Traditional Zouk emphasizes strong beat by having dancers take a long step on the strong beat. In LambaZouk style (as explained earlier) a popular way is to step equally (length-wise) on strong beat and following two beats. This creates continuous movements.
LambaZouk is danced to rhythmic, up-tempo music (tempo is generally fast or medium, rarely slow), whereas Traditional Zouk is more suitable for slow tempo music (often with long pauses). Kizomba music is very popular in LambaZouk owing to its rhythm and pace. Because the music faster, and head movements are more sophisticated and done more often, dancing LambaZouk requires better technique and timing in order to perform head movements without injuries.
LambaZouk is mainly danced in Porto Seguro, Sáo Paulo, Belo Horizonte, Argentina, Spain, UK, Israel, the west coast of the US, Japan & recently also in Malaysia. LambaZouk is also evolving to include more modern movements. It is also not uncommon (lately) for dancers to switch fluently between these dancing styles during a single Zouk music song.
Zouk with different styles[edit]
As mentioned above, several new styles can nowadays be distinguished. The dance is changing and developing all the time, adding and changing techniques of dancing, leading and following, but keeping the frame and pattern of Brazilian Zouk. New musics are also part of this development, leading to various new movements and interpretation of the music. Some styles are mentioned here, which are danced now in many countries:
NeoZouk
NEOZOUK - NEW AND UNLIMITED : it's a VARIATION of zouk, THE NEW LANGUAGE that aims to show different trends in zouk , created by Mafie Zouker and Ruanita Santos in 2007, where the gentleman uses his lady as inspiration to conduct his dance exploring every articulation, to define each movement, the difference between conduct and respond is in the direction in which the movement occurs, because there is times when the lady induces the gentleman to a different path , continuing the movement, neozouk is the exact metric translation for the conversation between the body and music , where the gentleman and the lady communicate to each other through a connection body - feeling. Each body has its shape, therefore UNLIMITED, each dance has the same trait but with a different contour, that's why NEW. Neozouk is the set of technical , aesthetic , freedom and agility, Neozouk allows those who dance to keep their personality following a single concept , in one same direction. -
FlowZouk
Related to NeoZouk, Arkkanjo influenced Rio's dance scene a lot with his style 'Flow Zouk'. As the style saying, the movement and leading are very fluent and flowing. There is a lot body contact and body movements in this style.
Soulzouk
Soulzouk was developed in 2005 by China a teacher from Rio, Brazil. Soulzouk, (also called "zouk freestyle" by the inventor) differs according to China from Brazilian zouk in the way it connects with the music.
The Soulzouk dance style is, not only based on the pace, but also on the melody of the song. It can be danced to zouk music, but it is also taught to be danced with a variety of other musical genres, like rap or RnB, that don't have the zouk beat.
