Learn Brazilian Zouk and lambada's fundamentals and social dance skills to join a growing local and international community of dancers. Each 8-week course will cover a series of techniques and patterns, as well as body movements, musicality, floorcraft, connection and more. These courses are structured to provide time for you to practice in class. Our instructors and assistants will help you by giving you specific feedback. That way you'll be ready to go to the parties and just enjoy it! OUR CURRICULUM Our main goal at District Zouk is to provide the tools to help you become a comfortable and versatile social dancer. That includes the techniques behind creating a comfortable dance both as a leader and a follower; solid foundations; musicality; use of the space and floorcraft; social dance dynamics, etiquette and safety. We built our curriculum to develop your social dancing skills beyond the knowledge of the movements, providing time to practice in class with the help of our instructors and assistants. HOW DOES IT WORK? Our Brazilian zouk curriculum presents 24 fundamental patterns along with their direction changes, lead/follow principles and other body movements. We divided this content into progressive courses of 8 weeks each: - Basics 1, 2, 3 - Fundamentals 1A, 1B, 1C, 2 Each of these courses covers a set of fundamental patterns, floorcraft, body movements, musicality, lead and follow principles, plus social dance dynamics, etiquette and safety. After these courses, students progress to: - Head Movements 1, 2A, 2B - Brazilian Zouk Study Group We also offer progressive classes in lambada - the joyful and energetic dance Brazilian zouk came from. Our progression of lambada classes includes: - Lambada 1, 2, 3 and 4 - Lambada Study Group In addition, we offer several Monday classes that can be taken as drop-ins or a 9-week bundle: - Welcome to Brazilian Zouk - Fundamentals Variations - Solo Footwork & Body Movements These provide additional practice and offer options for those who can't commit to a series. HOW ARE THE COURSES STRUCTURED? All progressive courses are 8 weeks long. Each partner course includes practice, feedback, and discussions about connection, music, social dance dynamics, etiquette, safety and other exercises and challenges that will bring all the course’s content together. For additional details on each course, see:
- Brazilian Zouk Study Group w/ Gui & Hermela - 8:50 - 10:15pm
- Lambada 4 w/ Ashley & Kuna - 8:50 - 10:15pm
- Lambada Study Group w/ Ashley & Kuna - 7:15 - 8:40pm
Wednesdays - 8-week series
- Basics 2 w/ Lunna - 7:15 - 8:40pm
- Gravity Bending w/ Kuna & Sarah - 7:15 - 8:40pm
- Fundamentals 1B w/ Gui - 8:50 - 10:15pm
- Head Movements 1 w/ Elena & Lunna - 8:50 - 10:15pm
Thursdays - 8-week series
- Basics 1 w/ Jamiel & Brenda - 8:00-9:30pm
PREREQUISITES
- No partner required for any of the courses. You sign up as a lead or a follow for partner classes.
- No experience required for Basics 1.
- For Fundamentals courses and above, we ask that you receive instructor permission to join or do an assessment with one of our instructors to get feedback on which level would be best for you. We're offering assessments on June 1, 8 & 9.
LOCATION
Monday-Wednesday:
DanceSport Dupont Circle
2201 P St. NW (GPS 1520 22nd St. NW)
The Church of the Pilgrims Fellowship Hall
(Entrance from the south side via stairs going down)
Washington DC 20037
Thursday:
Dance Loft on 14
4618 14th St NW
Washington, DC 20011
REGISTRATION
- 8-week courses are $208 until 6/9 or $220 after
- Basics 1 is $180 until 6/9 or $195 after
- 9-week Monday class bundles are $160
Discounts apply if you register for multiple courses together or retake a class:
- 10% discount if you enroll in two courses (automatically applied)
- 15% discount if you enroll in three or more courses (automatically applied)
- 30% discount if you retake a course you've taken before (with code RETAKE)
We're offering two additional discounts this cycle:
- 20% discount on Basics 1 if you sign up with a friend (automatically applied)
- Discounts for college students and District Zouk team members. Contact us for details.
If you're interested in classes but unable to afford them, you can contact us about financial assistance.
Gui Prada started dancing in 2004 inspired by the movie "Shall We Dance?". He began to dive deep into dance in 2006 as a work-study trainee of the Jaime Arôxa Dance School in Rio de Janeiro. Jaime Arôxa, one of the creators of Brazilian Zouk, was the head instructor and was a mentor for the most accomplished dancers in Brazil. 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) as well as Argentine Tango. After he left the school, he continued dancing and learning from other remarkable instructors, including Fabiano Vivas, Kelly Reis, Érico Rodrigo, Guilherme Pimentel and many others. Since then he has focused his training and research on taking the best of each of these dances and applying it to the close embrace, with the purpose of conveying a sense of well-being and relaxation to dance partners. In 2016 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 Argentinian Tango. As a result, the importance of the basic steps and concepts became evident, since it is through them that all dances reach another level. Gui is looking forward to sharing his technique and training with students here in Washington DC to help them improve their basics, comfort and confidence on the dance floor.
Lunna Gomes began dancing as a child, exploring various styles such as classical dance, jazz, tap dance, urban dances, and contemporary dance. In 2015, she embarked on her journey with partner dancing at Jaime Arôxa School in the city of Goiânia. She specialized in the Zouk style and, upon moving to New York City, she began developing her interdisciplinary research on body awareness and connection within the Zouk style. She has taken professional courses with Jaime Arôxa (Rio de Janeiro), Xandy Liberato (Brasília), Jessica Lamdon & Ryel (New York). Over the course of six years, she has taught in cities such as New York, Goiânia, Rio de Janeiro, Brasília, and Belo Horizonte, bringing her unique and sensitive approach to connecting art and life, creating a safe and dynamic environment in her classes. Currently pursuing a master's degree in Performing Arts at the Federal University of Goiás in Brazil, Lunna's research focuses on improvisation and conscious movement, translating dance into a comprehensive partnership that involves versatile vocabulary, body awareness, sensitivity, and creativity.
Elena is a Brazilian zouk instructor, performer, and DJ, originally from California. She has a diverse background of many different arts and sports including gymnastics, parkour, ballet/jazz/modern/contemporary dance, and various partner dances. She began partner dancing in 2014, and has since competed at collegiate ballroom events, completed certifications in multiple dance courses, and taught classes all over North America - from San Francisco to Playa Del Carmen. Her preferred styles of dance are Brazilian zouk and bachata, but she also dances samba de gafieira, salsa, West Coast Swing, forró, while dabbling in many others. The nickname “Rhinestone” refers to her love for sparkly accessories, but also to her constant development of inner sparkle and inspiration. She is a passionate advocate for body positivity and acceptance, and she loves to incorporate this into her teaching so that people of all body types can learn to dance! She also blogs about body positivity, mental health, and personal growth (therhinestone.medium.com/). In 2019, she visited DC for a weekend event and fell in love with the welcoming atmosphere and dedication of the local dancers. After a few years, she finally took the leap and moved cross-country to join the District Zouk core team! She is very excited about getting to learn alongside their phenomenal instructors and to help further grow the incredible community in DC.
Kuna’s journey to Brazilian Zouk started about 10 years ago. As an established videographer and photographer, Kuna was hired to photograph a zouk event, where his talent and ability to capture the beauty of zouk was discovered. Brazilian Zouk congresses around the world started hiring him to film and photograph their events, igniting his love affair with the dance. Kuna traveled across the globe as a filmmaker, while simultaneously learning from the most recognizable Zouk instructors. He became passionate about mastering the technique and intricate details of leading to not only improve his dance, but to also create a comfortable and smooth experience for those he dances with. For the past several years, Kuna has logged over 8,000 hours of social dancing, obtained teacher training from some of the most esteemed Zouk instructors (including Kim Rottier, Bruno Galhardo, Ry’El & Jessica, and Brenda & Anderson), and has danced with close to a hundred different dance communities around the world. In just a few short years, he has cultivated a skill level that’s inline with the top professionals and has become one of the most desirable and recognizable names within the Zouk community. Kuna went from being behind the camera to starring in front of it as an instructor at Zouk congresses and as a lover of zouk who can always be found dancing the night away. Today, Kuna continues to share his love of videography and dance with Zouk communities both big and small. He’s passionate about sharing all that he’s learned and has taught some of the biggest classes in the world, but still spends his time supporting the growth of smaller communities. Kuna’s classes are going to feel intimate no matter the size as he makes the effort to know each dancer personally. He has a unique approach to teaching that sometimes pushes dancers outside of their comfort zones, but never without a positive outcome. He is constantly looking to improve as both a dancer and instructor, which benefits all those lucky enough to cross paths with him in the zouk world. He will make jokes, half of which won’t be funny, but try to laugh anyway.
Ashley Kent has been dancing from an early age, including training in jazz, tap, ballet, modern, west African dance, salsa, kizomba, Brazilian zouk, and lambada. She got hooked on afro-latin partner dancing while living abroad in Ghana and Sudan. When she was introduced to Brazilian zouk in Washington DC in 2012, she fell in love with it. Ashley helped build the thriving Brazilian zouk community that exists in DC today, founding District Zouk in 2014 and offering consistent weekly classes since then. She has continued her own training via trips to Brazil, professional development programs, one-on-one training with some of the top international instructors, and cross-training in other dances. Seeing new people fall in love with Brazilian zouk and lambada and grow in their own dance journey keeps her energized. Ashley loves sharing her love for this dance, building community, encouraging people to learn both roles in partner dances, and creating explosive moments of musicality.
Sarah discovered Brazilian Zouk in 2019 and was instantly captivated. With no prior dance experience, she immersed herself fully - drawn to the dance’s deep sense of connection, comfort, and flowing movement. Over the years, she has dedicated thousands of hours to refining her craft, creating a rich and layered experience for every partner she dances with. In 2022, Sarah joined District Zouk, where she focuses on cultivating connection, managing energy, and building body awareness through strong, foundational technique. For Sarah, dance is where the inner world meets the outer one: feelings, energy, and personality flowing into movement. Brazilian Zouk’s hypnotic rhythm offers her both a meditative, healing space and a joyful freedom that keeps her returning to the floor.
