Brazilian Zouk Blog

Burn baby burn

2011-09-09T07:05:00.002+02:00

Apparently... zouk is very healthy for your body. You burn 600 calories every hour while dancing zouk.What are you waiting for: it's fun, healthy and a great workout.If you're not dancing zouk yet - NOW is the time.
Click on the picture to enlarge.

Let's zouk our way to a better health. Burn it up and have a great time on the dance floor!

Zouk 101 - Comic Strips - She only said yes to the dance

2011-09-01T08:15:00.000+02:00

I'm happy to introduce a new character: Eager Eddy. You will soon find out where he got that nickname...
Click on the picture to enlarge it.

Enjoy and please leave a comment if you liked it!
Happy Wednesday everybody!

Zouk 101 - Comic Strips - Slip 'N Slide

2011-07-11T23:47:00.010+02:00

So it's Monday... beginning of the work week. I know how you feel

Let me cheer you up with some good news... Monday = Zouk 101 Comic Strip Day!

Here comes our second episode starring Mr. Boomer Angus. Enjoy!
If you have difficulty reading the comic, stop drinking or give the pic a click.

Zouk 101 - Comic Strips - Be A Wingman

2011-07-07T23:19:00.010+02:00

So with comics I found a - non-moralising, nice & fun way - to
* joke about
* give tips on and/or
* to vent
all the things that I see happening on the zouk dance floor: good & bad (ok, mostly bad).

Don't worry, I will start slow... This one is just for a little laugh.

Here it is folks,
presenting ... (drumroll)
Mr. Boomer Angus and the first zouk 101 comic: Be a wingman.
I'll be posting these babies weekly, unless when I'm on holiday, or I can not go online (which is worse than death) or when I run out of inspiration.

I hope you like it.
If you can't read it that well, just give it a click.

The best zouk music database

2011-07-07T04:28:00.010+02:00

Chic chic tum (quick quick slow) is our beloved rhythm of zouk. You find this rhythm not only in zouk music, but also in numerous music styles (almost ANY music style to be more exact). That's why famous zouk DJ's like Mafie Zouker, Max Blacksoul, Nyx and Kadu DJ keep on remixing our favourite tunes to a zouk beat.

I'm talking about very different music styles, ranging from new age and lounge to RNB, hip hop and reggaeton. DJ's are even putting gothic rock to the test!

No dance on earth has this wide range of music styles and we're proud of it!

So, here's what I've done... I made a zouk music database to show that zouk dance is for EVERYBODY, really EVERYBODY! Enjoy!

Here's the link: http://bit.ly/zoukmusicdatabase

And here are some other examples of what you will find:

And we have more... lots more where this came from. With up to 5 different tracks per genre and a database of 18 genres you can do the math! So check the link http://bit.ly/zoukmusicdatabase

Them zoukbeatz are awaiting!

Paulo Coelho's poetic words on movement and dance

2011-02-01T20:45:00.014+01:00

Everything moves. And everything moves to a rhythm. And everything that moves produces a sound; that is happening here and all over the world at this very moment. Our ancestors noticed the same thing when they tried to escape from the cold in their caves: things moved and made noise.

The first human beings perhaps looked on this with awe, and then with devotion: they understood that this was the way that a Superior Being communicated with them.
They began to imitate the noises and movements around them, hoping to communicate with this Being: and dancing and music were born.

When we dance, we are free.

To put it better, our spirit can travel through the universe, while our body follows a rhythm that is not part of the routine. In this way, we can laugh at our sufferings large or small, and deliver ourselves to a new experience without any fear. While prayer and meditation take us to the sacred through silence and inner pondering, in dance we celebrate with others a kind of collective trance.

They can write whatever they want about dancing, but it is no use: you have to dance to find out what they are talking about. Dance to the point of exhaustion, like mountain-climbers scaling some sacred peak. Dance until, out of breath, our organism can receive oxygen in a way that it is not used to, and this ends up making us lose our identity, our relation with space and time.

Of course we can dance alone, if that helps us to get over our shyness. But whenever possible, it is better to dance in a group, because one stimulates the other and this ends up creating a magic space where all are connected in the same energy.

To dance, it is not necessary to learn in some school; just let our body teach us – because we have danced since the darkest times, and we never forget that. When I was an adolescent I envied the great “ballerinos” among the kids on the block, and pretended I had other things to do at parties – like having a conversation. But in fact I was terrified of looking ridiculous, and because of that I would not risk a single step. Until one day a girl called Marcia called out to me in front of everybody:

“Come on!”

I said I did not like to dance, but she insisted. Everyone in the group was looking, and because I was in love (love is capable of so many things!), I could refuse no further. I was ridiculous, I did not know how to follow the steps, but Marcia did not stop; she went on dancing as if I were a Rudolf Nureyev.

“Forget the others and pay attention to the bass,” she whispered in my ear. “Try to follow its rhythm.”

At that moment I understood that we do not always have to learn the most important things; they are already part of our nature. In youth, dancing is a fundamental rite of passage: for the very first time we feel a state of grace, a deep ecstasy, even if for the less tuned-in it is all just a bunch of boys and girls enjoying themselves at a party.

When we become adults, and when we grow old, we need to go on dancing. The rhythm changes, but music is part of life, and dancing is the consequence of letting this rhythm come inside us.

I still dance whenever I can. With dancing, the spiritual world and the real world manage to co-exist without any conflicts. As somebody once said, the classic ballerinas are always on tiptoe because they are at the same time touching the earth and reaching the sky.

Copyright @ 2007 by Paulo Coelho
Warrior of the Light, a www.paulocoelho.com.br publication

A freebee download track from Kaysha!

2010-12-07T04:30:00.004+01:00

Yes peops, Kaysha is promoting his new upcoming album "Works Of Art" and he's got a special present: one free track. The song is called "Crazy Love" and it's got a funky beat.

Click here to go to the link. Right click on Kaysha CrazyLove.mp3 and start your download.
And don't forget: this promo won't last forever, so download the song quickly before it's offline.

Enjoy zoukie peops!

PS: Looking for more zouk music? Click here for a trustworthy site that can help you get the latest CD's from all zouk artists. I have used their services and you get an ultra quick delivery!

Zouk - Fabulous Theme Song

2010-09-05T04:17:00.013+02:00

This is not the theme song for the Muppet Show, Dragnet or the A-Team ;-).
No, this is MUCH BETTER!

I already made half of the lyrics for a befriended zouk DJ's birthday (DJ Freddy - you rock!), but for now I've changed the lyrics for another dear friend of mine: the zouk dance (love ya!)

New zouk theme song! Watch the video...
GET READY, PUT YOUR SEAT BELT ON - HERE WE GO

I hope you enjoy it! Erwin, a member of our CherryZouk team, has for sure put a lot of work into the video editing!

Here are the lyrics:
Hey Zoukin' DJ
put a record on
I wanna zouk with my baby

And when the zoukin' starts
I never wanna stop
I'm gonna twirl like crazy

Zoukin'
makes the people
dance together
Zoukin'
mix the RNB
& kizomba

Goin' to a great party
and I don't look at the clock
I want to zoukie zoukie
Uh uh
I'm doing cambres all night long
and I'm bending all the way
Cause it's with such good leading
that I'll be zoukin' every day

Zoukin'
makes the people
dance together
yeah
Zoukin'
mix the RNB
& kizomba

10 ways zoukin' can land you in prison

2010-09-01T00:49:00.039+02:00

Ok - this is gonna be pure fun! I was just brainstorming on things you shouldn't do before you go social dancing because they can get you in a lot of trouble!

Starting with the big numero uno:

1) Feeling too lucky

You've been listening to too much Barry White. You approach a lady standing next to you and invite her for a dance. Your intentions are not as pure as that person thinks they are... "Are you harrassing me? Officer, please help!"

2) Indecent exposure - wearing a skirt that only just covers your assets while performing a beautiful cambre

Oops... did I forget to put on my panties this morning? "Officer, really... I am not soliciting."

3) Going to a perfume shop and trying out all the fragrances - or smelling like a baboon - or God forbid f..ting on the dance floor

If the person next to you faints because of your distinct odors and has brain concussion or worse... falls and ends up in a coma... Just imagine that your insurance fee is way overdue. You can not pay the bill because you party to hardy... "Hello officer - *clearing throat* - ok - please don't bump my head while you're pushing me in to your mighty vehicle."

4) Bad hair movements with way too big hair

You knock out the guy who is leading you, you both fall causing a domino effect... A lot of people are injured. You are sued and end up in prison for "deliberately" hurting people.
Serves you right, you should have cut your hair before intentionally whipping it around :-P.

5) Carrying a small gun or swiss army knife

Guys, don't carry a gun or knife with you to impress the ladies. What is your intention with it anyway? Making up for other "short"comings? It will only land you ... yes, indeed.

6) Dancing zouk in the Arab emirates dressed like a true brazilian girl.

No need to explain. Big no no.

7) Bad soltinhos after drinking too much

You go outside to cool off after having too much to drink. Your best friend, who is a salsa dancer, asks you to explain how to do soltinhos. When the officer walks by he's not going to let you go back in the bar... he's only going to let you go behind bars.

8) Acrobatics while using the lady as a flying torpedo

This is considered battery. Stop throwing your ladies around on a social dance floor.

9) Behaving like 'Jigsaw John' of the 'Saw' movies

While over-estimating your own skills, you put the lady in to positions that would have her gladly cut off any part of her body instead of letting you lead it.

10) It's your turn guys & girls

Go ahead, make my day ;-). Bring it on with a nice comment!

Download these zouk tracks for free (no costs)

2010-08-29T12:56:00.009+02:00

Hi, whenever I run into one of these babies, I promiss to post them so we can all enjoy zouk music.
All of these tracks are offered for free by the label or by the zouk artists themself.

CD: Zouk Sikré Volume 1

This CD is offered for free so that the customers that like the kind of music Zouk Sikré offers, will buy volume 2.
Here's the link. Scroll down to the middle of the page and you'll find the download link underneath the cover pictures. Click on "Cliquez ici pour telecharger l'ensemble de Zouk-Sikre volume 1". You can also download each track separately.

CD: Eddy Parker - I Am Eddy Parker
An entire ghetto zouk cd for free. I like the song 'Chato'.
Here's the link.

Song: Kaysha - Loving And Kissing

Coming from his CD 'Forever Young' with some other great hits like 'Yes You Can', 'Belles Histoires d'Amour', 'Be With You', 'Si Tu T'En Vas', 'Way You Move' & 'You're My Baby Girl'.
Here's the link. It's perfect candy zouk.

I had a lot more cd's and songs up my sleeve, but the artists only provide these downloads for a short period of time, by means of promotion. So if you want to download these, be quick!

Enjoy your new songs and your Sunday afternoon!

If you have any additions to this list, please put the links in a comment.

Are you looking at my ass(ets)?

2010-08-27T19:00:00.006+02:00

This is a thing a lot of teachers face... as a figure of speech, because it's actually the other way around ;-) You have to make sure your 'rear is in gear', since every one of your students will be looking at it for at least one hour every week. And you don't want any bad reviews on this very important part of your teaching skills. Come to think of it... We all stand in front of the mirror with our students lined up behind us watching every move we make. The first lesson students start out by just looking at our feet. Once they understand the basic steps, students want to study the full movement the teacher makes. And that's where our 'middle parts that stick out' come in. It's not the intention of the student, but it happens. So just a quick note for all those students that choose to be right "behind" the teacher. Start training those assets, because the rest of your fellow students will admire yours for the next 10 classes. But hey, it's just how you look at it, ... ;-)

Mrs. Pins

2010-08-26T21:12:00.014+02:00

Dear Lord have mercy,

I'm trying to count the numerous times a lady stepped on my foot while dancing. I don't mind - really - that is if the lady apologizes, but if the lady in question is wearing stiletto's my foot is pierced! High heels are sexy and all - I know. You sure get a lot of attention from the "hunters". So if you step on the ladies' feet next to you for long enough - you will indeed shine on the dance floor. Why?...

Because you will be the only one left!

All the other ladies will be sitting next to the dance floor trying to patch up the damage.
We are unable to erase the tattoo imprint of the little round circle of your shoe!

So this is a message to all of you stiletto ladies out there:
Please wear your shoes, but be careful with them! Bear in mind that this kind of shoe was named after a knife!

My left and right feet are bowing to these wise words and I'm sure a lot of other feet are taking a bow alongside of them.
Peace!

4 Phases of the Zouk Dance Addiction

2010-08-22T16:20:00.019+02:00

I love the K's Choice song - "I'm Not An Addict". The lead singer is singing with her raw hoarse voice: "It's not a habit, it's cool". Read this post and you will instantly know if you have a "zouk habit" or if you're still "cool". The real fun part with this habit is that you can't wait for things to get worse.

I'm a zoukflirt
You've seen zouk dancers do their thing, maybe you've even tried some of the steps, and you definitely like it. This is a scanning phase. You go to some of the parties, you have a fun time, but you're not sure if you want to make it a "long term commitment".
DOCTOR'S ADVICE: "Beware: acute fondness coming up."

I'm zouknotized
You take zouk classes and dance zouk at least once a week. You don't realize it yet, but you're "going steady". You go to zouk parties every now and then. You love dancing zouk, it makes you happy. You find yourself liking zouk more and more. You're starting to crave the craze.
DOCTOR'S ADVICE: "Go see your doctor. Take your medicine."

I'm a zoukaholic
Ok, you're officially addicted. You find yourself thinking about zouk all day long: in the car, when you turn on the radio all the songs have this catchy tum chi chi beat and you can hardly wait until you're on the dance floor again zoukalizing the next person,... You need your zouk dancin'! In summertime, while there are no classes available, you're going balistic and start to show withdrawal symptoms... oh dear... Don't panic, with abstinence and care there is a way back, but you have to promiss to stay clear from any kind of zouk music or other zouk freaks. Basically you can't do anything you're passionate about.
DOCTOR'S ADVICE: "Protect from society, prepare for further treatment."

I'm a zoukateer
You're kind of a zouk ambassador. You talk about zouk all the time with your friends and family. You're on a secret mission to turn them into new zouk addicts. You're trying to convince them of having a try at this experience of excitement, freedom and passion. Oh oh... you've got it bad! You surround yourself more and more with people that lift you higher.. more zouk friends are made... you're becoming part of a zouk family. Together with your new circle of friends you're on a party hunt every weekend. The point of no return has been reached: your heart will start beating on a different drum - tum chi chi.
DOCTOR'S ADVICE: "You are beyond repair."

Tell me if I forgot a phase. I'm very curious about the state you guys are in. Let me know in a comment.
Abraço!

Here's K's Choice video of Not An Addict. It's not zouk music - but it sure can rock your world!
And a girl's gotta be proud of her own culture - since it's a Belgian rock band ;-).

&lt;p&gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;hr class="more"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;

Get inspired by beautiful Dance Quotes - please feel free to update in the comment section!

2010-08-20T17:27:00.015+02:00

If you ever need inspiration on how you feel and wish to express dance in words, here are a few options:

"Dance is the hidden language of the soul."

"Dancing is like dreaming with your feet."

"Dance is a poem of which each movement is a word."

"There are short-cuts to happiness, and dancing is one of them."

"Dance first. Think later. It's the natural order."

"Dance anywhere, even if only in your heart."

"Dance is the one language that everybody speaks."

"Dance is something that can't be explained in words, it has to be danced."

"Dance is to express, not to impress."

"Dance is music made visible."

"Dance is your pulse, your heartbeat, your breathing. It's the rhythm of your life. It's the expression in time and movement, in happiness, joy, sadness and envy."

"Dance like nobody's watching."

"Any warrior who can fight with speed and accuracy, should be able to dance with grace as well."

"If you can talk, you can sing. If you can walk, you can dance."

"Life is a dance. Everything is always moving, even the stars."

Wanna add an interesting quote? Please add one in a comment field! We will post the updated version from time to time.

This movie says it all. Click and play: