Finding Zouk: Atlanta Weekender with Gui Prada

You've found the party online--so how do you get a ticket?? Party passes are $10 in advance each night (before 2pm the day of). After 2pm the day of, it's $20! Purchase a ticket by Venmo at @ebonielee or PayPal at [email protected] . Limited spots available for the Finding Zouk track (3 hour workshop Sat + Sun + both Fri & Sat socials). $80 in advance, more at the door! https://www.facebook.com/events/368714550392675/ The Connection track is full! You are still able to sign up for just the Finding Zouk Track of the weekender, which also gets you access to both Friday and Saturday parties. The Finding Zouk Track, is 6 hours of Zouk technique + Samba & Bolero concepts (full description below.) NO APPLICATION / NO PARTNER NEEDED FOR FINDING ZOUK. Early Bird Pricing through Feb 28: $60 for the Finding Zouk track + Fri & Sat socials Pricing after March 1: $80 for the Finding Zouk track + both Fri & Sat socials $10 for each (Friday or Saturday) evening social until 2pm the day of. After 2pm, it's $20! RSVP by sending payment to Ebonie on PayPal ( fireflyzouk[at]gmail[dot]com using the Friends & Family Option) or through Venmo at @ebonielee . We're excited to welcome Gui Prada to Atlanta the weekend of March 15-17! He will be teaching his Finding Zouk workshop, as well as a bonus Connection Track! Includes 2 nights of socials. All details, schedule and ticketing info are below. SCHEDULE: Friday, March 15th: 10pm - 2am Finding The Party: Zouk Friday Night Social w/ Gui & DJ Chuky at Metropolitan Studios, w/ DJ Atoro & DJ Chuky Saturday, March 16: Day 1 - First Floor Wood Studio, CORE 12pm - 3pm - Finding Zouk 4pm - 7pm - Connection Track* 9pm - 2am - Saturday! Finding The Party Zouk Social feat. Gui & DJ Chuky! at CORE w/ DJ Chuky! Sunday, March 17: Day 2 - Second Floor Marley Studio, CORE 12pm - 3pm - Finding Zouk 4pm - 6pm - Connection Track* 6pm - 7pm - Stretch & Integrate w/ SUN - the Phoenix _________________________________________________________________ FINDING ZOUK - WEEKEND WORKSHOP 12 years ago, Brazilian Zouk was very different from what it is today. The socials, the music, the vibe, the techniques, the patterns – many things have changed a great deal in the last decade. Here in the US, it seems most people were introduced to Brazilian Zouk within the last five years and did not have the chance to experience the way the dance was when it was closer to when it was developed. Unlike other social dances like Salsa, Argentine Tango and Samba de Gafieira, which managed to keep close to their origins as they spread around the world, Brazilian Zouk diverged dramatically in an unstoppable evolution that took the dance around the world. The dance acquired incredible freedom and branched into several styles, turning it into a complex art that deals with movement, emotions and feelings, captivating thousands of dancers. Despite this, as a cultural expression and form of art created to be enjoyed in a social setting, we must not dismiss how the dance was in the past. Knowing Brazilian Zouk’s original vibe is important – it will provide a larger, more authentic picture of this dance and increase your references and options. For this reason, Gui created this workshop – to showcase how Brazilian Zouk was before the “YouTube Era” and before the introduction of new music styles and movements that have helped it become popular. We will talk about the music Brazilian Zouk was originally danced to – Caribbean and African music styles like Cabo Love, Ghetto Zouk, Zouk Love and Kizomba – and the energy and movements that were common then. The workshop will also include an introduction to Brazilian Bolero, the base of most Brazilian couple dances, since many of the movements in Brazilian zouk came from that dance. Also, we will dedicate part of the workshop to focus on basic steps and hip movements in the way they were taught in the past, using them to travel around the dance floor and give more flow to the dance. This is not a workshop about Brazilian Zouk history and evolution! This is a workshop that will show how Brazilian Zouk was and how it is, so you may have a better understanding of the dance as a whole. Zouk means “party” in Haitian Creole. By exploring the roots of this dance, you will be able to understand and enjoy it even more! Pre-requisites: To be able to benefit from this workshop, you should be comfortable social dancing Brazilian zouk and be familiar with the following zouk fundamentals: basic in place and linear basic, lateral, simple turn, viradinha and soltinho. THE SCHEDULE: Saturday Finding Brazilian Bolero and Samba de Gafieira (12pm - 3pm) We will start the workshop exploring the basics of Brazilian Bolero and Samba de Gafieira. You will feel the vibe and see how much Brazilian Zouk was inspired by these dances. Brazilian Bolero and Samba de Gafieira offers incredible tools to be musical, break the beat and be creative, using just walking forward and back and around the room. Sunday Finding the Music and the Moves (12pm - 3pm) Now we jump straight into zouk learning about the music styles that used to be played at zouk socials back in the day and understanding how that kind of music can influence our dancing. This will be a practical musicality class oriented to noticing the vibe of the songs to see how it can change the way we execute the same steps. We will finish our workshops by learning how the basics were executed in the past with a focus on hip movement, including Basic in Place, Linear Basic, Lateral, Viradinha and Soltinho. We will show how to use only these steps to travel around the room, filling the space together with the music. Finding the Party (9pm - 2am) After these workshops, we will have a social in the way Brazilian Zouk was one decade ago. The social will feature the songs and styles that were played and appreciated before the introduction of new music. We will play Caribbean and African music styles, including old remixes and zoukable music, to give a flavor of the vibe experienced by those who danced in those days. With that you will have the original experience, compare and appreciate how Brazilian Zouk is a rich and evolving dance. For some it will be nostalgic, for others it will be just different, but we hope that it will be amazing for everybody. The lights will not blink so much, the place will be darker and get ready to sweat, because it is hard to stand in place with the music we will play. So, bring an extra shirt and a small towel. Good to mention that we will not play just the old stuff! The artists that we used to play back then are still making good music that keeps the same spirit. We will mix the old and the new, but keeping the vibe of those days. _________________________________________________________________ CONNECTION TRACK Connection is one of the basic elements of couple dancing. In Brazilian Zouk, we could say that it is quite a big one. As students of dance, it is paramount to understand its importance, subtleties and range. Sometimes we get so caught up on the moves and how they look that we forget about how they feel. We forget to stop. We forget to create and enjoy the silence of our bodies and minds. Brazilian Zouk is before and above all things a couples dance, originated from Lambada, a dance where sensuality was a key factor. Sensuality as in having all your senses engaged with the person in front of you. Their legs, hips, chest, arms and neck. Their eyes, nose and mouth. Therefore, the others don’t really matter, only what matters is yourself, the music and your partner. During this special track we are going to cover the main aspects of connection: physical and emotional. We will go over the elements of what makes a dance comfortable and stimulating. We will attempt to release both serotonin and adrenaline in our brains during the same dance. Explore stillness and movement, silence and conversation. With the help of tantra and its many tools to achieve connection, we will appreciate the person in front of us, creating around us a bubble of trust, safety, care and appreciation. We will go back to our bodies and see how they can be really happy with another one, regardless of their name, age, profession or level. Day 1 – Saturday (4pm - 7pm) Physical aspects – On our first day we will go over the elements to create a comfortable dance. We will talk about relaxation and tension, close embrace, footwork, balance and flow. We will learn a little of the tools used by each of the most comfortable dancers in the scene today and find out which apply better to us. Day 2 – Sunday (4pm - 6pm) Emotional/Metaphysical aspects – Using what we learned on Saturday we will dive deep into the other person and use our senses to connect. We will be challenged to go a little past our comfort zones to get where our partner is and together enjoy neverending joy, for the duration of a song or two, or maybe more. _________________________________________________________________ TICKETS: All tickets include both Friday & Saturday socials. Sales are non-refundable, but are transferrable. Early Bird (ends February 28): $60 for Finding Zouk SOLD OUT - $50 for Connection SOLD OUT - $110 for full package! Regular Pricing (starting March) $80 for the Finding Zouk track SOLD OUT - $70 for the Connection track* $20 each for Friday or Saturday social only SOLD OUT - $140 package: Finding Zouk + Connection track* No partner needed for either track. No application needed for Finding Zouk. RSVP by sending payment to Ebonie over Venmo @ebonielee or PayPal ( fireflyzouk[at]gmail[dot]com using the Friends & Family Option). * The Connection track involved a selection process at this form: https://goo.gl/forms/Us91cxfKDzYJB4IJ3 Private lessons are available throughout the weekend, from Thursday, March 14th through Sunday, March 17th. Reach out to Sun Park to schedule.