How People Waste Time (and Money) Learning Zouk in Brazil – And How Not To
I see so many zouk-obsessed, passionate gringos come to Brazil with one mission: to level up their Zouk, their dance, and their joy. I love this. I came here for the same reason.
But it took me a while to realize this hard truth: simply taking more privates does not equal improving your Zouk.
Way too often, people come here, stack a bunch of privates… and then don’t train. Or they buy a package of 5 or 10 privates—just to save like 10%—only to realize they locked themselves into one professor before even figuring out who they actually vibe with or who’s the right teacher for their needs.
And way too often… people confuse a good dancer with a good teacher. (Different skill sets, my friends.)
What I Don’t See Enough Of...
- People looking for training partners at socials.
- People asking for WhatsApp or Instagram after a great dance to set up a time to train later.
- People doing the boring but necessary work of putting in reps so their bodies actually absorb the concepts from their lessons.
Instead, it’s often just private after private... money spent, heads filled with ideas… but the body never gets the reps it needs to actually change.
Yes, It’s Hard. But...
I get it. Social anxiety is real. (I feel it too.) But Brazilians are not like the rest of the world in this regard. They’re ridiculously friendly. Just pull out Google Translate and TRY.
Want a place to train for free? Easy. Everyone goes to Centro Cultural. It’s the unofficial dojo of Zouk in São Paulo.
Biggest Facepalm Moment?
When someone takes a private and doesn’t record it. Or worse—doesn’t even ask for a recap video. (Recording recaps is totally normal here. Just ask.)
This is how you actually train:
- Solo practice? Use your recap.
- Training sessions with a partner? Show them the concepts you learned.
“Ok, what should we work on?” → This is where you pull out your recap and say, “Let’s drill this.”
If you don’t have a portable speaker, don’t worry. Split some AirPods, borrow someone’s speaker, or just go old-school and say “boom tic tic” out loud together. There’s usually someone blasting zouk at Centro anyway.
The Most Important Thing Is...
MAKE. TIME. TO. TRAIN.
Even if it’s just once.
If you feel too shy to ask someone, then ask your teacher to train with you. Or grab them at a social for a dance and a quick tip.
Yes, São Paulo can feel intimidating. The level is insanely high. This is the big leagues. It’s the current gold standard for Zouk worldwide. It’s where the newest ideas, techniques, and evolutions are being birthed right now.
It’s also a dance melting pot—Zouk flavored with Samba, Forró, Sertanejo, Bolero, and all the rich cultural expressions Brazil has to offer.
Want Easy Access to Training Partners?
Stay at ZoukRefugio.com. Seriously. Everyone here is obsessed. We’re constantly sharing knowledge, drilling concepts, geeking out about technique, connection, musicality, and the endless rabbit hole that is Zouk.
The Truth About Learning Zouk (or Anything, Really)
Learning Zouk is no different than learning martial arts, bowling, painting, music—anything.
It’s one thing to understand something mentally.
It’s another thing to actually own it physically.
And that comes from training. From doing. From reps.
Why I Believe São Paulo Is the Best Place in the World to Learn Zouk
Where else can you dance Zouk every single night?
Where else has this sheer density of socials, teachers, training partners, and obsessive community?
As far as I know... nowhere.
Your improvement in any skill is a simple equation:
(Quality of technique × Right order of learning) × The reps you put in.
If you’re serious about learning Zouk… there is no better place on the planet than São Paulo.