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This podcast is available on 8 platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more. You can also use the RSS feed directly.

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ZoukNerds: A New Experience in Learning for Dancers

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by Alisson Sandi

4.9(42 reviews)

107 episodes

Updated Daily

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Podcast Overview

The Brazilian Zouk podcast for dancers who overthink the dance. We overthink it with you. I'm Alisson Sandi — 3x Pro World Champion, Head Judge for the Brazilian Zouk Dance Council (BZDC), and Resident Lecturer for the MAC Project. I'll be honest: I was never a natural. I had to fight for every piece of this dance, and that fight is the reason I can explain it. Every week, Gui Prada and I — plus the occasional guest — talk about what classes don't cover: stalled progress, disappearing leaders, what connection really feels like. New episodes weekly, in audio and video.

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Publishing Since

11/25/2023

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FairBased on show quality, social media presence, reviews, charts, and more

Quality84

Social0

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Engagement68

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48 minutes

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Recent Episodes

June 24, 2026

Brazilian Zouk Musicality: Beyond the Beat (S06 Ep09)

I'll put my hands up here. A lot of the time, dancing Brazilian Zouk, I'm just listening to the tum, ta, chick and going for it. "Oh, good BPM, I can dance to this." That's autopilot, dancing to the sound of the machine, and it's most of what we call musicality: hitting the structure, the ones, the fives. There are whole layers under that we're not touching. Gui was trained the other way. At Jaime Arôxa's school, you learned to be affected by the music: follow the cadence of the voice, sing along, move until the song gets into your body. His goal: "I want the music to get to me." So what does musicality in Brazilian Zouk actually mean, past the beat? Why we get stuck on the beat: → The classes: we teach footwork, timing, frame, and connection. Music connection comes years later, in workshops built for teachers and Jack and Jill. → The history: Brazilians connect to the percussion, and most Zouk songs are not in Portuguese. We couldn't reach the lyrics, so we grabbed everything else. → The reward: we call the dancer who hits all the numbers "musical." The dancer feeling the layers is dancing within the music. In DC, Gui watched 40 dancers. One face was really feeling the music: the Kizomba dancer, new to Zouk. "Oh, I know this song. It makes me feel a certain way, and I go this way." He couldn't dance Zouk yet, and he was the most musical dancer in the room. The big takeaway: timing is communication, and rhythm is the first layer of connection. Once you have the rhythm down, listen beyond it: melody, instruments, and eventually the vibe. And train it on your own, from day one, no apologies. Chapters:00:00 Opening highlights01:32 Intro04:32 Teachers want the timing down, then can't get you out of it08:32 How Jaime Arôxa taught musicality10:27 Autopilot: dancing to the sound of the machine11:55 Why musicality workshops skip the basics16:05 Heavy, airy, viscous: words for what you feel17:57 Hitting the structure isn't musicality18:54 One guy in 40: the Kizomba dancer's face20:14 Why Brazilian Zouk got taught rhythm-first24:29 Timing is communication29:51 Most dancers don't dance enough on their own35:19 The challenge: Lateral to all the songs Co-host: Gui Prada ZoukNerds: https://www.zouknerds.com/Alisson Sandi: https://www.alissonsandi.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/zouk.nerds/ Episode: S06 Ep09 | ZoukNerds Podcast

June 17, 2026

Where Are the Brazilians in Brazilian Zouk? (S06 Ep08)

Where are the Brazilians in Brazilian Zouk?Gui Prada went looking in Sydney and found them at the Forró social, not at our Zouk Social. Gui was three weeks in Sydney, dancing Zouk every Friday, missing what he calls the squeeze, not a hug, a squeeze. Then somebody took him to the Forró social, and in the waiting area all he could hear was Portuguese, Portuguese, Portuguese. A small branch of Brazil inside of Sydney. At the Friday Zouk social? One other Brazilian, besides him. I lived the other side of this. In Perth, my Samba de Gafieira, Bolero, and Forró students wanted to know the country, the music. Some started learning Portuguese. My Zouk students didn't, because the dance stopped carrying that part of Brazil. Why Brazilians abroad skip their own dance: → The music: Forró has its deities: Dominguinhos, Gonzagão, Gonzaguinha. You know what you're gonna get, regardless of the DJ. A Zouk social? You only hope for the best. → The money: I went to Australia as a student immigrant. Some weeks I couldn't afford the bus, so I walked. A Forró party is the whole night for 10-20 bucks. Zouk asks for a months-long course. → The tenderness: The Brazilian followers we had in DC left the scene saying, "The guys are too serious. They don't look at me." In Zouk you earn the hugs, the cuddles, the squeezes. At a Brazilian party you get them whether you would like it or not. So I asked Gui: did we, as community leaders, sell out the dance? The big takeaway: Brazilian Zouk became so international that a Brazilian walks into our social and doesn't find Brazil in it. They find it at the Forró. That explains why they are missing from the Brazilian Zouk communities. Chapters:00:00 Intro00:43 Gui in Sydney: missing the squeeze03:20 The epiphany: the Brazilians are at the Forró06:31 Reason 1: the music stopped being ours09:56 Reason 2: one class vs months of courses10:29 Reason 3: you know what you're gonna get13:24 Did we sell out the dance?20:00 Rice and beans: two kinds of Brazilians abroad22:09 Reason 4: money, visas, and commitment29:12 Reason 5: missing the tenderness32:18 The double-edged sword of going international Co-host: Gui Prada ZoukNerds: https://www.zouknerds.com/Alisson Sandi: https://www.alissonsandi.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/zouk.nerds/ Episode: S06 Ep08 | ZoukNerds Podcast

June 10, 2026

Why Do You Pick Who to Dance With? (S06 Ep07)

I'll be honest. I walk into a social and I pick who to dance with in about three seconds, and most of the time I don't even decide it. My body decides for me. In this episode of Brazilian Zouk podcast ZoukNerds, Gui Prada and I pull apart that decision nobody talks about: the hidden social hierarchy I see in every dance community, including the ones I run. Why does everyone sit in the same spot every party: → Find the DJ. The teachers are right there. We call it the red carpet, and the dancers who most want to be seen sit around it. → The opposite corner stays dark on purpose. Gui put his hands up here: without his current position, that's exactly where he'd be. → Back at Jaime Arôxa in Rio, they trained the older ladies to stand and move a little, to show they were ready. We went straight to them. No mistake. But the harder question is who I actually invite, and why. We landed on five reasons, and the first one is the one I least want to admit: → Attraction. Not hitting on anyone. A subconscious pull I don't even notice. → Respect and age. I'm 38. A 22-year-old is too young for me to feel comfortable asking. → Ability. Some of us leaders are like a dog that wants to free run in the park. → Closeness to power. Are you friends with the organizer? That's the big one. → My comfort zone. The big takeaway: I've stopped trying to dismantle the hierarchy. The friendliest scenes don't either. They transcend it while staying in it. I leave my group for one dance, then come back. Chapters:00:00 Intro: back in the same room, one year later01:30 The hidden hierarchy nobody talks about02:00 How you scan a room the second you walk in03:50 The red carpet: where the DJ and teachers sit06:00 The dark corner vs the main floor at Taiwan Zouk Festival08:06 Alisson's three modes: unknown, invited teacher, local dancer13:31 Jaime Arôxa: training the ladies to show they're ready17:00 The five things that decide who you invite to dance20:18 Comfort zone and the age gap25:41 Closeness to power: the politics of the floor34:21 The takeaway: transcend the hierarchy without dismantling it Co-host: Gui Prada ZoukNerds: https://www.zouknerds.com/Alisson Sandi: https://www.alissonsandi.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/zouk.nerds/ Episode: S06 Ep07 | ZoukNerds Podcast

107 total episodes available

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Frequently asked questions

Have a different question and can't find the answer you're looking for? Reach out to our support team by sending us an email and we'll get back to you as soon as we can.

What is ZoukNerds: A New Experience in Learning for Dancers?: The Brazilian Zouk podcast for dancers who overthink the dance. We overthink it with you.

I'm Alisson Sandi — 3x Pro World Champion, Head Judge for the Brazilian Zouk Dance Council (BZDC), and Resident Lecturer for the MAC Project. I'll be honest: I was never a natural. I had to fight for every piece of this dance, and that fight is the reason I can explain it.

Every week, Gui Prada and I — plus the occasional guest — talk about what classes don't cover: stalled progress, disappearing leaders, what connection really feels like.

New episodes weekly, in audio and video.
How often does this podcast release new episodes?: This podcast updates daily.
Where can I listen to this podcast?: This podcast is available on 8 platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more. You can also use the RSS feed directly.
Does this podcast accept guests?: Yes, this podcast regularly features guests.

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