Seattle - The Universe Behind the Hug Part II - Flow & Intimacy

When a new partner dance is born, it begins very raw. Just a few steps, little technique, with almost nowhere and nobody to dance with. There is only you, the music, your partner and a handful of movements executed almost organically, guided by a sense of what would feel right in that song with that person. Naturally, as the dance evolves, fundamentals and techniques develop and the dance starts to acquire a more distinguished face. New patterns emerge, more places to learn, socials to go to and the pioneers become Masters. Right and wrong start to appear and the execution of movements becomes less organic and more guided by the “proper techniques.” Then, besides you, the music and your partner, there are also people watching, the lines and shapes, and our big heads thinking of all these things and more simultaneously. If we are not careful, we can go crazy and sometimes become discouraged. Seeking those proper techniques can be a stressful experience, since you might experience the same thing explained and executed in 5 different ways by 5 different instructors. Ask the Tango people! As a consequence of the excess information, we end up overdoing things. We over-prep, freeze into predetermined shapes, transfer too much weight too quickly, rush into movements, lose balance and, ultimately, kill the flow. Our dance starts to acquire sharp edges, becoming more square than circle, more robot than animal, and less focused on the internal dynamics between lead and follow and more on how it is “supposed” to look. In this second part of The Universe Behind the Hug, Gui will talk about ways of executing movements while still respecting the techniques you have in your body, but bringing more awareness and making them more organic, comfortable and flowy. The sensation of continuity of movement during a dance, without drops or sudden breaks, is unbelievably satisfying. And we will seek this feeling together, with close embrace and the relationship between lead and follow as our home base. Following the same progression as the first series, on Saturday we will study the physical elements that create flow, understanding what to engage and when, the concept of stillness in motion, conscious weight transfer, elasticity and impulse, directions, exploration of levels, circular body movements, torsions and dissociations. On Sunday we will explore and exercise the healthy intimacy between dance partners, another element of flow that has some physical aspects, but mostly metaphysical ones. We will explore and exercise the importance of interacting and playing, of embracing presence, dealing with shyness and discovering the artist inside. This will be an amazing weekend and experience where we will seek a dance that continues in our bodies even after we have stopped dancing. We will explore flow and intimacy to come back to the three pillars of social dancing - you, the music and your partner. *Attendees should be comfortable and proficient with leading or following Zouk basic steps including linear basic, viradinha, and lateral for maximal benefit from this workshop series* ----------------- REASONING ----------------- Our goal with bringing Gui Prada out again for the second of his series on the Universe Behind the Hug is for him to help the PNW Zouk community continue to expand our sensibilities. This mindful awareness in dance opens the possibilities of playfulness and connection to an even deeper level with our partners during every dance encounter. Gui Prada’s extensive training for over a decade in various Brazilian and Latin dances illuminates our understanding of the roots of the dance as well as its intersectionality. ------------------ SCHEDULE ------------------ Workshop Pass includes 7 full hours of instruction over two days and a Saturday and Sunday evening social. +++++++++ SATURDAY +++++++++ Location: Dance Underground 340 15th Ave E, Seattle, WA 98112 October 5, 2019 - Studio B 1:00 - 3:00pm - FIRST Session 3:00 - 3:30pm - Break 3:30 - 5:30pm - SECOND Session 5:30 - 6:30pm - PRACTICA - Open Floor TOPIC - Day 1 - The Physical Layer – Creating Flow Stillness in motion, conscious weight transfer, elasticity and impulse, exploration of levels and directions, circular body movements, torsions and dissociations ++++++ SATURDAY EVENING ++++++ 10:00pm - 2:00am - TENDER TOWN SOCIAL Location: SalsaConTodo Studio 211 N 36th St, Seattle, WA 98103 +++++++++ SUNDAY +++++++++ Location: Dance Underground 340 15th Ave E, Seattle, WA 98112 October 6, 2019 - Studio A 1:00 - 2:30pm - THIRD Session 2:30 - 3:00pm - Break 3:00 - 4:30pm - FOURTH Session 4:30 - 5:30pm - PRACTICA - Open Floor TOPIC - Day 2 - The Metaphysical Layers – Consciousness and Self Discovery Creating intimacy through Interaction and playfulness, exploring different personalities within dance, presence and attention, dealing with shyness and discovering the artist inside ++++++ SUNDAY EVENING ++++++ 7:00 - 10:00 pm - SOCIAL Location: Dance Underground ------------------ LOCATIONS ------------------ Dance Underground - for Workshops & Sunday Night Social 340 15th Ave E, Seattle, WA 98112 SalsaConTodo - for Saturday Social 211 N 36th St, Seattle, WA 98103 ------------ TICKET/ PASS PRICING ------------ $95 - EARLY BIRD pass (SOLD OUT) $105 - Tier #1 Full pass (Pricing ends July 15) $115 - Tier #2 Full pass (Pricing ends Aug 31) $125 - Tier #3 Full pass (Pricing ends Sept 31) $135 - Tier #4 Full pass (Pricing in October) $140 - AT THE DOOR NO Partial day passes available for this learning experience *** NOTE *** in order to reduce costs we will not be using a ticketing system that charges upwards of $6-7 per ticket to use the service. Please contact Francisco directly to reserve your spot ASAP. ------------------- CONTACT INFO ------------------- Francisco Bujanda facebook.com/francisco.bujanda [email protected] ----------------- TRANSFER & SALES ----------------- PayPal Email - [email protected] Transfers are allowed with $5 fee. All sales are final. -------------- About the artist Gui Prada -------------- Inspired by the movie "Shall We Dance?", Gui Prada started dancing in 2004. However, it was only in 2006 that he really began to dive deep into dance as a work-study trainee of the Jaime Aroxa Dance School in Rio de Janeiro, one of the most prestigious dance schools in Brazil, which trained some of the most renowned dancers in the country. During his 6 years as a member of the school's team, he learned all Brazilian partner dances (Forró, Samba de Gafieira, Soltinho, Bolero and Zouk) and Argentine Tango. As he matured more as a dancer, he found he preferred to focus less on the steps and more on turning partner dancing into a relaxing experience for the mind and body. In 2009, on his first visit to Buenos Aires, Argentina, he was introduced to the authentic tango hug - the close embrace - and all of its complexity and power to create the ultimate feeling of “conforto, cuidado e entrega” - comfort, care and surrender. After that, he continued learning from other remarkable instructors in Brazil, including Fabiano Vivas, Kelly Reis, Érico Rodrigo, Guilherme Pimentel, Lídio Freitas and many others; and went on to research the close embrace and its application to all partner dances, with the purpose of conveying a sense of well-being and relaxation between dance partners. Apart from dance, Gui also studied and worked as a tantric massage therapist. This work helped him to create a unique perspective of human nature, as well as a deep understanding of the capabilities of the human body. His investigation of the close embrace continued over the years, and through many sources both inside and outside of the dance world. These studies guided him to form a multidisciplinary understanding of dancing and connecting in close embrace as a healing and therapeutic experience. Due to its versatility in movement, music, speed and approach, Brazilian Zouk became the perfect dance to apply this concept and explore the possibilities, which he has been doing since 2016, when he attended the first Zouk Retreat in Valencia, led by Xandy Liberato, Brenda Carvalho and Anderson Mendes. After that, his research on partner dancing took a new direction, as he continued working with Brenda and Anderson to seek for the application of the concepts explored at the retreat in different ways by using the references of the other Brazilian partner dances and tantra. Currently, he continues to develop the idea of partner dancing as a true therapeutic experience, having dancing in close embrace and the basics as the focus point. Although Gui started his career less than one year ago, he was able to develop and improve this concept through a workshop called “The Universe Behind the Hug”, which visited 7 cities around the country and was attended by dozens of people. Besides that, Gui had the opportunity to teach in 4 Brazilian Zouk congresses together with Hannah Miller-Jones and Ashley Kent; one Brazilian Zouk retreat in Seattle; and a workshop about the origins of Brazilian Zouk called “Finding Zouk”.