Hey! Anthony here. I recently sold all my things, and moved to Brazil just for Zouk 😅 For me, Zouk is way more than just a partner dance. It can be about the pursuit of technical perfection, musical expression, connection, being apart of a community, building a community, popularity, dating, being the best, getting to know a different culture... and more. It can be any of these things, and all of these things at once. And I think that's why I was crazy enough to move to Sao Paulo, because being apart of the Zouk community has allowed me to engage and express so many parts of myself, and parts of myself I didn't even know existed. And living on this side, where I can express myself and feel more alive, that for me was worth giving up the security I had in the US... In this episode, Abe, Ale, and I talk about the mindset and approach to dancing with beginners, how Brazilian Zouk becomes a life-changing passion, and the differences in how Zouk is danced in Brazil compared to the US and Europe. But I would love to hear from all you Zoukers, what makes Zouk so addicting for you? Timestamps 0:00 Intro 2:02 Why it is important to dance with beginners, especially as a higher level dancer 9:56 Should professionals to deny dances? 15:12 Showing compassion in social dance 17:08 Why Zouk is the key to life 22:11 The incongruency of “connection” Zoukers 24:27 What social dancing is about? 28:54 Zouk in Brazil is Very Different than in US & Europe 38:52 Brazilians don't need "close embrace" classes 41:31 Brazilian Zouk changes when it leaves Brazil 45:26 The best teachers to learn Brazilian Zouk Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bankaizouk