5 Lies
You’ve Been Told About Zouk
Zouk – such a
terse little word, yet so tricky to unpack. We’re told it means “party”
in French Creole, but what does it mean to dancers? There is so much confusion
surrounding it that when someone asked, “Rachel, have you thought about writing
a ‘5 Lies About Zouk’ article?” I immediately started work on this very piece.
I will admit right off the bat: I am not in the zouk scene, although I have
appreciated my encounters with it. I spoke to dancers from several regions and
different kinds of zouk scenes in order to put together this together.
Particular thanks is due to Jerry Joseph (Montreal), Rachel Meth (North
Carolina) Iliana Radneva (New York), and Kati Pan (Arizona) for their
assistance.
So, let’s examine some common misconceptions about zouk!
1. Zouk is from Brazil
First off, zouk music is absolutely not from Brazil. It was born in the 1970s in the French-speaking Caribbean, beginning in Guadeloupe. It became a musical craze that swept around the world in the 1980s, thanks in large part to innovative bands like Kassav that played concerts internationally. Artists in several other countries were soon imitating and borrowing from the sounds of zouk – it is well beyond the scope of this article to estimate the impact of zouk on world music.
First off, zouk music is absolutely not from Brazil. It was born in the 1970s in the French-speaking Caribbean, beginning in Guadeloupe. It became a musical craze that swept around the world in the 1980s, thanks in large part to innovative bands like Kassav that played concerts internationally. Artists in several other countries were soon imitating and borrowing from the sounds of zouk – it is well beyond the scope of this article to estimate the impact of zouk on world music.
Zouk is also a Caribbean dance style that is, quite logically, danced to
zouk music. This zouk usually features a belly to belly connection, with small
steps and plenty of core movement. It is not a performance dance but a purely
social one, and so has not received so much attention internationally. That
being said, it continues to be danced not only in its home region but in
every country to which francophone Caribbean people have emigrated, most
notably in France, Canada, and the USA.
Zouk has also been used to label an entirely separate dance family that
does come from Brazil, derived from their traditional dance of lambada but danced to zouk music. While in early years it was called “lambada zouk,” “zouk-lambada,” or
“lambazouk,” these descriptors have started to be dropped from the scene as a
new identity for the dance is created. Now people attend events simply called
zouk festivals, in which lambazouk is used to describe the style of zouk that
is closest to its orginial form, in contrast to the newer Rio style. Further
confusion has arisen as new artists have been making all sorts of fusion with
zouk, so dancers are often not dancing to true Caribbean zouk music at all, but
R&B, hip-hop, electronica, and even acoustic contemporary. Braziliian zouk
dancing involves larger steps, with connection opening into handhold, and
includes much showier turns and styling. As this form has gained popularity
internationally, huge numbers of people worldwide have come to associate
this word “Zouk” solely with the Brazilian dancing.
2. There are two kinds of zouk dance: Caribbean
and Brazilian
All right, this is a hairy knot to untangle. In one sense, yes, we can talk about the zouk dances that come from the Caribbean, and the Brazilian dances that have also come to be known as zouk. In truth, there are more kinds of zouk than an outsider could possibly try to describe, although I will give you a quick sampling.
All right, this is a hairy knot to untangle. In one sense, yes, we can talk about the zouk dances that come from the Caribbean, and the Brazilian dances that have also come to be known as zouk. In truth, there are more kinds of zouk than an outsider could possibly try to describe, although I will give you a quick sampling.
Zouk, the original form, is a festive dance shared with everyone in the
community, first in Guadeloupe and later in other Caribbean countries. Family
members old and young moved to this music, the closeness of the hold varying
suitably by relationship. From this form evolved zouk love, a decidedly close dance done in nightclubs. You brought your sweetheart and
danced all night with him or her, or you came solo and then found someone you
hoped to make your sweetheart.
Brazilian zouk is far from being a cohesive form, which can also be pretty
confusing, even leaving aside the problematic use of the simple term “Zouk” to
describe this family. Most people in that scene separate zouk, meaning
Brazilian zouk, into two main categories: Puerto Seguro Style (now being
used synonymously with lambazouk) and Rio Style, which includes many variations
under its umbrella. These are not related to the zouk danced in the
Caribbean.
Porto Seguro is the birthplace of lambada. Lambada music and dance experienced a resurgence of popularity in the
’80s and ’90s with the success of the band Kaoma. Thinking back 20 years, Brazilians remember the importance of lambada to
the community, with large parties and well-attended competitions. However, the
lambada music fad didn’t last, and soon there were few bands playing it.
Afficianados weren’t so keen to lose their dance, so certain key people
started to move the scene toward dancing to zouk music, whose popularity
had proved longer-lived.
Rio style can be summed up as a fusion of
lambada-zouk with a number of other dance forms, such as
samba de gafieira, tango, contemporary, and even hip-hop. The fundamentals and
technique differ some from lambada zouk, although it is the primary root. Each
sub-genre within Rio style zouk (neozouk, vero zouk, mzouk, soul zouk, etc) has
distinct characteristics, although few people dance only one exclusively.
3. Zouk is a sexual dance.
This one’s easier: no, it’s not, unless you make it so. I could easily just refer you to my movie-watching analogy from the kizomba “5 Lies,” but let’s consider the particular cases here. Both zouk from the Caribbean and Brazilian zouk dancing involve movement in the core and pelvic region. For many people in non-movement cultures, this is automatically sexually suggestive.
This one’s easier: no, it’s not, unless you make it so. I could easily just refer you to my movie-watching analogy from the kizomba “5 Lies,” but let’s consider the particular cases here. Both zouk from the Caribbean and Brazilian zouk dancing involve movement in the core and pelvic region. For many people in non-movement cultures, this is automatically sexually suggestive.
Zouk love is undeniably a dance done in the club with a partner to whom you
are at least a little attracted. If you didn’t come with your significant
other, then it’s one means of flirtation, part of getting to know each
other. It should not be confused with grinding club dances, though. Escalation
is slow, and both partners indicate their growing interest (or perhaps
diminishing attraction) through their embrace and movement.
Some Brazilians complain about the foreign sexualization of lambada. I had
a brief fling with ballroom dance back in 2006, and my parents gave me a book
with glossy pictures and descriptions of a variety of dances. I remember
finding the page on “Lambada: the Forbidden Dance.” Apparently this was
a common association, thanks to a 1990 film so titled. These days, regardless of which style of Brazilian zouk you
prefer, it’s up to you what sort of tone you want to bring into the dance.
4. Zouk is a freestyle dance.
There is a misconception that when it comes to zouk, you just do whatever you feel. Let’s examine that for each of the two dance families.
There is a misconception that when it comes to zouk, you just do whatever you feel. Let’s examine that for each of the two dance families.
Zouk in the Caribbean is not a codified dance. You can’t find a syllabus
setting out the accepted steps. There are very few classes you can take. If
you search for lessons on YouTube (and manage to weed out all the results
related to lambada-derived zouk forms) you will only have a few relevant hits. Still, zouk dancers know what is and is not zouk. Growing up in a movement culture, they learned by watching their elder siblings and friends. There is lead
and follow technique, attention to rhythm and also to the meaning of the song’s
lyrics.
Brazilian zouk sometimes gets labeled a “hippy dance,” what with the lolling heads and hair being flung
around. I have to assume such detractors have never
tried to dance lambada zouk! My interviews confirmed my own understanding from
the few times I have taken classes in these styles – there is very specific
technique for everything from body rolls to hair flicks, and it is not at all
easy. Not only do you need a very sensitive lead-follow dynamic, but excellent
balance and body awareness. In recent years, quite a lot of contemporary dance
movement has been incorporated into Brazilian zouk. Although the range of
possibilities in contemporary is enormous, I can tell you from my own semester
trying to learn this dance form with a bunch of 12-year-olds that it is not
just random movement – I found it very difficult to do as well as my
classmates!
5. Zouk and kizomba are basically the same.
Although my knee-jerk reaction to this one is “Whaaaaaaaat? Have you even seen them?” I do have to admit there are several sources of confusion for the layman.
Although my knee-jerk reaction to this one is “Whaaaaaaaat? Have you even seen them?” I do have to admit there are several sources of confusion for the layman.
– Zouk music helped inspire the birth of kizomba, with Kassav‘s concert
in Angola
– Kizomba was often danced to zouk music in the ’80s
– Musical artists from both genres have borrowed from one another, and plenty of songs exist in the gray area between them.
– Many people first encountered kizomba being danced to ghetto zouk music
– When people dance tarraxinha, or insert tarraxinha breaks into their kizomba, there isn’t much visually in the way of steps. The close connection and focus on isolations can resemble zouk love.
– At Latin festivals, there is often a zouk/kizomba room
– Quite a number of teachers who started off with Brazilian zouk have started offering kizomba classes
– Followers from lambazouk and from kizomba talk about the delicious state of surrender they find in these dances
– Kizomba was often danced to zouk music in the ’80s
– Musical artists from both genres have borrowed from one another, and plenty of songs exist in the gray area between them.
– Many people first encountered kizomba being danced to ghetto zouk music
– When people dance tarraxinha, or insert tarraxinha breaks into their kizomba, there isn’t much visually in the way of steps. The close connection and focus on isolations can resemble zouk love.
– At Latin festivals, there is often a zouk/kizomba room
– Quite a number of teachers who started off with Brazilian zouk have started offering kizomba classes
– Followers from lambazouk and from kizomba talk about the delicious state of surrender they find in these dances
One beginner class from each should pretty quickly clear up the confusion,
though!
