Brazilian Zouk in Mexico

It's only a matter of time before we see Brazilian Zouk festivals in major cities in Mexico.  Salsa and Bachata have ruled the scene for years, and now we are seeing Kizomba make it's way into the scene and it's growing faster and stronger than ever.

This year, Brazilian Zouk made it's way to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.  It's a beautiful city located on the coast about a three hour drive from Guadalajara.  The event was located in a small and intimate hotel with mostly Mexican tourists.  

Many of the dancers traveled from Mexico City and Guadalajara.  Brazilian Zouk is relatively new to Mexico, so the level of dancing was not very high.   However, dancers were eager to learn and picked up the basics in no time.  By the end of the congress, many were dancing well and had learned the fundamentals.

Brazilian Zouk may seem difficult at first.  However, if you learn fast and put your mind to it, it's really not that difficult - whether you are a lead or follow.  The biggest tip I can give is don't be intimidated.  Treat Zouk like any other partner dance and focus on building the basics.  The advanced patterns and head movements will follow later.

Overall, the turnout was great even with poor weather and the earthquake that took place a couple weeks before the event.  The organizers are very friendly and are excited about 2018 being even bigger and more fun.   Small, intimate, and creative festivals are always more fun than bigger festivals.

Here is the recap from the 2017 Zoukadise Festival, enjoy!!!

Bachaturo 2018

I've always wanted to dance bachata in Poland, could this be the year?  In 2017, I traveled through Europe and went to Bachatea 2017.  It was honestly the biggest let down of my life.  For a festival that big, with that stature, that name - I, along with hundreds or possibly thousands others wanted to cry after the first day.

The lighting, sound, floor,  and workshop space was non-existent.  Imagine a super big car repair shop with thin walls that divide the space into Bachata, Salsa, and Kizomba rooms.  Imagine there is no dance floor.  Just hard concrete that give nothing back.  As the teacher is speaking, you can't really understand him/her because you also hear the echo of music and other teachers.  WELP!  This pretty much summed up Bachatea 2017 in Madrid, Spain.

As with any festival, there are pros and cons.  Now that the cons are out of the way, let's talk about the pros.  The stage and performances were impressive.  Lots of seating was available and the stage was huge.  Many artists from all over the world were also there.  

After speaking to many artists and dancers over the years.  Two festivals have always popped up as their favorites.  One being Summer Sensual in Croatia, and the other being Bachaturo in Poland.  I've always wanted to go to Warsaw so this might be the year.  The organization, lineup, production, and overall energy looks promising.  

Here is the recap from Bachatea 2017 in Madrid:

2017 ZNL Amsterdam Zouk Festival

Another new festival took place in Holland this past weekend - the 2017 ZNL Amsterdam Zouk Festival at Brasa Studios.  This festival was focused on the ZNL crew and discussing/exploring the current music scene.  I spent a lot of time with Nyx and we talked a lot about the current DJs, scene, style of music, technical aspects, and new ideas for the future.

The music at the festival was great.  In my previous post, I discussed what the important things are that make festivals great, and one of the top items on the list was DJs.  DJs set the mood, tone, and energy of the night.  If they don't read the crowd and play what they want, the crowd dies a slow death.  

One thing that irritates me is the notion that Zouk DJs need to clearly define a starting/ending point in a song.  I think this is complete nonsense.  In salsa, sure.  In bachata, sure.  However, in Zouk, whether it's neo or lamba, the energy is different, it's constant.  How many times have you danced 3-8 songs with the same person while dancing zouk?  

What dancers need to understand is there are starting/ending points all the time.  It's not a never ending track, it's that the DJ mixes the beats/transitions so well that it's sometimes hard to tell when you're dancing to a new song.  However, if you pay close attention, you can tell when a new melody or beat comes in.

This past weekend was a really motivating weekend in terms of zouk music.  DJ Nyx, Kakah, Allan Z, Shing, have all been in the game a long time, some have been producing for years.  After awhile, producing/remixing becomes second hand.  DJs are able to create their own loops, beats, and sounds.  When they play a set, they don't play whats popular, or a hit track of their own.  Their job is to create an experience and take you through a journey.  The best sets are those that play music I've never heard before.  The DJ selects the loops, tracks, beats at will and creates a new sound that is crafted just for that one event/evening.   I think this is where certain Brazilian Zouk DJs are headed and I'm really happy.  Unfortunately, most promoters and dancers aren't ready and would not like the music if they heard it at the festival.

Nyx, Kakah, and others are clearly at this level.  There should be a time and place for their sets.  Their sets should be a minimum of 2-2.5 hours long.  For most congresses, there are many other DJs in the Brazilian Zouk scene that can craft good sets by good technical skills and track selection.  They don't need to produce, they just need to play to the crowd, play random songs, mix well, smile, and go with vibe/energy of the crowd.  DJ Jansen did a really good job of this at ZNL.  Example: Selena Gomez - Good For You, mixed to a faster Kizomba track, then mixed into a Flume track, then mixed into an Allan Z remix(given Allan Z has already played or won't be playing later that night).

It was good seeing the ZNL crew together.  I only wish they each had a two-hour set instead of one.  Enjoy the vids and see you at a future festival!

West Zouk TIME 2016 in Brno, Czech Republic

WOW.  What a journey it was to get to this festival, but it was definitely worth it.  Tickets from Amsterdam were pricey so I ended up taking a Flixbus from Amsterdam to Viennna.  From Vienna to Brno I took the train.  On the way home I missed my train to Vienna and ended up taking a Flixbus from Prague back to Amsterdam.   Again, long journey but well worth it.

This was was my first time filming West Coast Swing and Brazilian Zouk.  I've taken a WCS class with Jordan and Tatiana in the past but have never gotten the opportunity to film them.  On the zouk side, it was great to catch up with familiar faces and film Kadu/Larissa and Veronezi.

The energy at this festival was at a different level.  Everyone was smiling and eager to learn.  I really enjoyed seeing everyone enjoy themselves during the workshops and at night during the shows and social dancing.  One thing that stood out from other festivals were the shows/Jack and Jill.  The shows did not take too long and everyone was eager to see them.  The Jack and Jill contest was pure entertainment and everyone really enjoyed it.  

2016 Festival Recap

I'm extremely happy with the amount of festivals I filmed in 2016.  I try to create videos that reflect the vibe and energy at each festival.  Every festival has its challenges and I try my best to adapt to those challenges and produce a video that reflects the dancer's experience at that festival.  Below is a list of festivals that I filmed in 2016.

Brazouka - Porto Seguro, Brazil - 1 2

Beautiful Zouk - Sao Paulo, Brazil - 1 2

Zouk Fest UK - London, England - 1 2 3

Mambo City 5-Star Congress - London, England - 1 2

Exalta Afro Festival International - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - 1

Zouk Me Summer Fest - San Francisco, California - 1 2 3 4

Miami Beach Kizomba Festival 2017- Miami, Florida - 1 2 3 4 5

Los Angeles BKS Festival - LA, California - 1 2 3 4

Montreal Is Kizomba 2017 (Kizomba Sem Limite)- Montreal, Canada - 1 2 3

KHADE (Kizomba is Harmony African Dance Experience) - Cancun, Mexico - 1