Zoukology

This will be our third year! Come discover Colombia’s secrets at our unique retreat and festival experience. We are excited to welcome you to our loving community and country!

▄▄▄ FEATURES ▄▄▄

★ Official Hotel in the heart of Medellin! Poblado!

★ International Exclusive Artists from Brazil

★ Beautiful Retreat Days!

★ BZDC registry event for Jack & Jills

Medellin is rated as the #1 nomad location outside of Asia! It is now an alive and growing Zouk community. The largest in Latin America outside of Brazil/Argentina. It features weekly classes and socials integrated into the local dance community.

▄▄▄ SCHEDULE ▄▄▄▄▄

★ PreFestival Training being scheduled

★ Official Festival – Nov 21-24, 2025

★ Medellin Excursions – Nov 25, 2025

★ Retreat Days – Nov 26-29, 2025

▄▄▄ 2025 FEATURES ▄▄▄

★ Int’l Team from Brazil! New to Region!

★ PreFestival Training, Intermediate & Advanced focus

★ Poblado Parties!

★ Zouk Hostel only $20 USD per night!

★ Party in the Hills overlooking Medellin!

★ Rooftop Parties

★ After Parties

★ Leveled workshops (audition process)

★ Top International DJ’s

★ Official Brazilian Zouk Dance Council Jack and Jill Competition (Applying)

▄▄▄▄▄▄ LOGISTICS ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄

Fly into Medellin Airport, Uber ride to Hotel only ~$20 USD

Event Director: Camila Betancourt

Listed on the Global Zouk Calendar

www.zoukology.com/calendar

Get ready to dance your heart out at Helsinki Dance United!

A spectacular fusion of rhythm, passion, and connection! Join us for three unforgettable days of workshops and three exciting nights of parties featuring the sensual dance styles of Brazilian Zouk, Bachata, and Kizomba.

When: November 21 – 24, 2025.

Where: Helsinki Dance Central

Immerse yourself in a world of dance with international and local teachers coming together to share their expertise. Unite with dance addicts from all walks of life as we celebrate the joy of movement, cultural diversity, and the magic that happens when the dance floor comes alive.

Don’t miss this opportunity to experience the rhythm, connect with amazing people, and create lasting memories. Helsinki Dance United is not just an event; it’s a celebration of unity through dance.

Save the dates to secure your spot and let the dance magic begin!

See you on the dance floor!

#HelsinkiDanceUnited #DanceTogether #DanceCelebration

Artists line up:

Coming soon!

Djs:

Coming soon

Welcome to ELEVATION 2025, the biggest Zouk event in North America! Top artists, world’s best zouk DJs, winter wonderland experience and non-stop zouk dancing throughout the entire weekend!!!

EARLY BIRD TICKETS:

– https://www.danceplace.com/ticket/buy/14359

HOTEL:

– https://tinyurl.com/elevationhotel

ELEVATION FB GROUP (pass sales, room shares, etc):

– https://bit.ly/3gkoxOk

SCHEDULE

– elevationdenverzouk.com/schedule

FAQ:

– https://bit.ly/3nlPSTj

WHAT TO EXPECT:

– International Artists

– World’s best Zouk DJs

– Biggest BZDC Jack & Jill in North America

– Non-Stop Zouk Dancing

– Hot Springs Monday

– 3x 12 HOUR Marathons

Round trip flights to Denver are very affordable from almost anywhere in the US, Canada, and Mexico.

ARTISTS:

★ Leandro & Nayara

★ Iago & Vanessa

★ Bruno & Fae

★ Allan & Vick (1ST TIME THE USA)

★ Kadu & Larissa

MORE TBA!

DJ LINEUP:

★ Bandido

★ Fraga

★ Kakah

★ Just Jacob

MORE TBA!

★ Darius & Laura – Competition Coordinators

★ Makana – Media Team

Note that there will be no party-only passes or single evening passes available for this event. Pre-party passes are not included in the full pass.

Email us at elevationdenverzouk@gmail.com if you have any questions.

See you in Denver!

– Bruno and Fa

✨ FORZOUK IS BACK! ✨ Get ready for the most unforgettable edition of all time! 🌴☀️ From December 9th to 15th, 2025, Fortaleza will be the epicenter of zouk, with music, connection and lots of energy at FORZOUK 2025!
Imagine: sunny days on paradisiacal beaches, vibrant nights with the best zouk DJs in the world and a contagious energy that only Forzouk provides. Reunions with friends, new friendships, unmissable workshops and lots and lots of dancing! 🔥
The longing got worse, right? We were also counting down the days to announce this long-awaited date! Forzouk 2025 will be even bigger, better and more AMAZING! We have prepared an incredible program that will leave your jaw dropping. 🤩
ATTENTION! 🚨 Soon, we will open sales of the launch promotional package. Get ready to secure your place in this unique experience and live magical moments in the paradise of zouk! Stay tuned for the call! 😉

Festa de Ano Novo All Inclusive

Conexões e Momentos Únicos

A unique experience awaits you!

Dance first, family vibes, and unforgettable parties!

Classes with Top Instructors

Teacher’s Samba Circle

Pool Party Until Midnight with BBQ

All-Inclusive New Year’s Eve Party

Connections and Unique Moments

Artists

Paulo & Luiza

Kadu & Carolina

Leo Neves

Raú & Isa

Val & Vanessa

Rafael & Izabel

Carlos & Anastasia

Michell & Gabi

Rachel & Laura

Renata Peçanha

Renato & Tamara

Bruna Peçanha

Washington

e muito mais….and much more

Dj’s

Thiagão

Paulo

Xitão

Kel

Kadu

e muito mais….and much more

Tickets

https://www.danceplace.com/li/nx/ixRVpWWpoePYeXDw

Location

Shopping Bandeirantes – Av. Salvador Allende, 6700 – Loja 101ss – Recreio dos Bandeirantes, Rio de Janeiro – RJ, 22790-714, Brasil

Goal

Significantly improve the level of dance  through an intensive training taught by qualified Brazilian Zouk instructors.  A focus on technical and theoretical aspects of the dance in a structured and fun environment meant to create a special experience.  The team has now completed ten month long trainings, this will be our eleventh.  We are excited to continue improving the program and create special experiences.

Apply here: https://bit.ly/zmx100

Deposit here: https://zoukmx26.eventbrite.com

Who is this course for?

• Zoukers interested in seriously improving their level of dance and understanding
• Zoukers interested in competing in J&Js
• Zoukers who want to learn lambada or improve
• Aspiring teachers who wish to gain knowledge and attain more course resources

Program

The program is divided up into 100 hours of instruction & activities over a little under a month.  Courses are scheduled to begin Sunday January 25, 2026 and conclude prior to the festival on Thursday February 19th, 2026. We recommend arriving to Playa latest the January 24th to participate in the program.

We offer 7 different tracks:

• Foundations (Weekday evenings)
• Beyond Fundamentals Revamped (Weekday daytime + select evenings)
• Connection & Musicality (Weekday evenings)
• Competition track (Weekday evenings)
• Lambada (Weekday daytime + select evenings)
• Beyond Lambada Fundamentals (Weekday evenings)
• Teacher Training (Weekday daytime + evenings + select weekend evenings)

Sessions that take place weekday evenings will be work remote friendly. All tracks also have class on weekends in the daytime. Each track has 3 days per week with their track, and 3 days per week classes with participants from other tracks. 1 day per week there is an optional (included) excursion or activity.

Team

• Qualified Brazilian Zouk instructors, part of ZoukMX program
• On site organization coordinator & MX team

Program Includes

• Assistance with shared group accommodations
• Special program excursion and/or activities for group
• Course notebooks for study/training
• ZoukMX official tees
• Access to private video library for post study of various selected courses
• Limited group size
• Structured training hours and practice time
• Practicas and fun socials throughout the city with training team
• One in a lifetime epic experience in one of the most beautiful and cultural parts of the world

Program Tracks

Foundations 

In this track, we will go through all the foundations of Brazilian Zouk to make you a great social dancer! You will learn or review the foundational stepping patterns such as basic step, viradinha, lateral, simple turn, soltinho, abertura, bonus/boomerang, elastico/raul, yo-yo and common variations, as well as be introduced to body movements. You’ll learn how to be more confident and how to lead/follow comfortably and musically to have a great social dance experience.

This track is great for you, if: 

• You are new to Zouk/have less than 6 months of Zouk experience
• You haven’t had the chance to follow a progressive beginner’s course yet, and want to go through/review all the foundations
• You have already done a full beginner’s course but wish to solidify your basics
• You are an advanced dancers who want to clean and refine your basics, or learn the dance as the other role (lead/follow)
• You are looking to teach, or are already teaching – joining this track can help you experience a complete course for beginners to inspire you for your own classes

You can apply to this track without any video. No previous experience is required.

Beyond Fundamentals Revamped

You’ve already passed through the beginner modules at your local dance school, or taken enough private classes to be comfortable with all the basics listed in the Fundamentals track above. You’ve got the basic stepping patterns down, can stay consistently in the beat, and can have a comfortable dance in a social setting with a partner. You’re now ready for more challenges! In this course, the focus will be on expanding your Zouk horizon beyond the fundamentals – working more on connection, musicality and creativity, all while solidifying all the things you already know. 

This track is great for you, if: 

• You have a good understanding of all the basic stepping patterns
• You’re looking for more challenges in your dance
• You want to work on connection, musicality, and creativity

You must submit a video of your dancing to demonstrate that you are comfortable with all the basics listed above. Please show us all the movements listed. We want to see that you can dance on time, in connection with your partner, with solid basics. Instructions for sending the video will follow after you’ve submitted your application.

Competition Track 

This track is for those who wish to work on improving both their social dance and the aesthetics of their dance. We’ll start by guiding you through the rules and concepts for Jack & Jills (aimed towards competition in official BZDC competitions), and then work on cleaning your 3 T’s – technique, timing and teamwork, as well as teaching you some useful movements to impress and add level to your dance in a Jack & Jill. You are not required to participate in any BZDC competition in order to join, but the training will be aimed towards this type of competition. 

This track is great for you, if: 

• You already have a solid understanding of stepping patterns, timing and body movements
• You want to work on having a good social dance with any partner
• You want to improve your own aesthetics in your dance
• You want to compete in BZDC Jack & Jills (not required)

To join, you must submit a video of your dancing to demonstrate that you are comfortable with all the basic stepping patterns (basic step, viradinha, lateral, simple turn, soltinho, abertura, bonus/boomerang, elastico/raul, yo-yo and common variations), as well as body movements (isolations, undulations) and simple linear and circular head movements (linear head movements, balão). Please show us all the movements listed. We want to see that you can dance on time, in connection with your partner, with solid basics. Instructions for sending the video will follow after you’ve submitted your application.

Connection & Musicality

Elevate your Brazilian Zouk with this month-long deep dive into connection, musicality, and expression. Focus on challenging coursework to reach goals.

• Refine Your Connection – Develop seamless lead-follow dynamics and heighten your body awareness.
• Enhance Musicality – Interpret music with sensitivity, exploring rhythm, phrasing, dynamics and expression.
• Sharpen Technique – Improve fluidity, control, and confidence in your movement.
• Expand Your Dance Mindset – Adapt, create, and connect on a deeper level.

Designed for dancers ready to challenge themselves and grow, this program will transform your Zouk! To join, you must submit a video of your dancing to demonstrate that you are comfortable with all the basic stepping patterns (basic step, viradinha, lateral, simple turn, soltinho, abertura, bonus/boomerang, elastico/raul, yo-yo and common variations), as well as body movements (isolations, undulations) and simple linear and circular head movements (linear head movements, balão). Please show us all the movements listed. We want to see that you can dance on time, in connection with your partner, with solid basics. Instructions for sending the video will follow after you’ve submitted your application.

Lambada 

This course is a fast-track to lambada. You’ll learn all the foundations of lambada, so if you’re looking to expand your horizon and learn more lambada from the best, this is your chance! 

This track is great for you, if: 

• You already have a good understanding of all the basic stepping patterns in Traditional Zouk
• You want to learn lambada
• You want to add some spice from lambada to your Zouk dance

You can apply to this track without any video. No previous lambada experience is required. This track will not teach you traditional Zouk.

Beyond Lambada Fundamentals

You’ve already passed through the beginner modules at your local dance school for Lambada, or taken enough private classes to be comfortable with all the basics. You’ve got the basic Lambada stepping patterns down, can stay consistently in the beat, and can have a comfortable dance in a social setting with a partner. You’re now ready for more challenges! In this course, the focus will be on expanding your Lambada horizon beyond the fundamentals – working more on connection, musicality and creativity, all while solidifying all the things you already know. 

This track is great for you, if: 

• You have a good understanding of all the basic Lambada stepping patterns
• You’re looking for more challenges in your dance
• You want to work on connection, musicality, and creativity

You must submit a video of your dancing to demonstrate that you are comfortable with all the basics. Please show us all the movements listed. We want to see that you can dance on time, in connection with your partner, with solid basics. Instructions for sending the video will follow after you’ve submitted your application.

Teacher Training

For those interested in teaching, this course is for you. Learn vital tools for teaching, and get hands-on experience. We recommend a thorough understanding of Zouk, but any level can join the training as we will focus on teaching skills rather than dancing skills.

This program is designed to give you concrete, hand-on tools to improve your teaching, whether you are new to teaching or have been teaching for years. Teaching involves much more than teaching some moves, and you will learn – among other things – about how to structure and organize a class and workshop, build your curriculum, teach at different levels, adapt to different cultures and learning styles, and you will be given tools to help make your teaching as clear and coherent as possible. You will learn about posture, alignment and injury prevention, community building, dance etiquette and the responsibilities that come with being a teacher.

This track is great for you, if: 

• You would like to start teaching classes or workshops in Brazilian Zouk and would like some help on how to start
• You already teach Zouk and are looking to improve your classes to retain more students and grow your scene
• You aspire to teach zouk locally or as a traveling artist

To join, you must submit an application by email to zoukmx@zouk.us describing your motivation for joining the teacher training course, and what you hope to get out of it. Note that the teacher training track included both daytime and evening hours and is as such more demanding than the other tracks, and not remote-work friendly. You do not need to submit a video.

To apply to the program please start the process by selecting the application below, then you can also leave a deposit to secure your spot. If for some reason your application is not accepted you will receive a full refund on your deposit.

Apply here: https://bit.ly/zmx100

Deposit here: https://zoukmx26.eventbrite.com

It’s our 11th year in Mexico! ZoukMX is now a month long zouk summer of training, excursions and more culminating into a magical festival!

It’s our Jungle Lagoon edition! We are doubling down on this and making the jungle lagoon bigger and better this year!

▄▄▄ FEATURES ▄▄▄

Playa Del Carmen is home to our beach vacation dance experience. Playa is an incredible place like no other in the world. Join us and some of the best dj’s and artists in the world for an incredible winter escape of training and epic parties in the sun! See you in Playa!

★ ZoukMX 100 – 100 hour training program (over 7 tracks!)
apply: https://bit.ly/zmx100
★ Jungle Lagoon Edition!
★ 3 Day Pre-festival Intensives
★ New first time artists to North America!

▄▄▄ SCHEDULE ▄▄▄▄▄

★ 100 Hour Training Program – Jan 25 – Feb 19, 2026
Application Required: https://bit.ly/zmx100
★ Pre-Festival Intensives & Socials – Feb 17-19, 2026
★ Festival – Feb 20- 23, 2026
★ Excursion: Lagoon Jungle Party – Feb 23, 2026

▄▄▄ 2026 FEATURES ▄▄▄

★ Only 100 Hour intensive training in North America (Int’l Brazilian Training Team),
★ Cenote Parties!
★ Mystic Jungle Lagoon Party!
★ Beach Front Venue Parties
★ Rooftop Parties
★ After Sunrise Parties
★ Training @ top venues
★ Pre-Festival Intensives
★ Post Festival After Parties & Excursion
★ 1 month, over 100 hours of workshop classes!
★ Leveled workshops (audition process)
★ Top International DJ’s
★ Official Brazilian Zouk Dance Council Jack and Jill Competition
★ Zouk16 Competition
★ Secret Track for Gold & Silver Members

▄▄▄▄▄▄ LOGISTICS ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄

Fly into Cancun International, take the ADO premier shuttle service that runs every 30 minutes to Playa Del Carmen for $17 one way.

Send questions via email to zoukmx@zouk.us

Official website with additional schedule information:

Home