Hi, How Do You Zouk?
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by: peterschmidt
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Date: Fri, 14 Jan 2011 Time: 4:35 AM
Zouk music is an amazing kind of music originating from the islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe in the Caribbean. Zouk is rhythmic and has a special beat pattern. The words of the songs are often sung in Antillian creole language. The word "zouk" itself means "festivity". Zouk music has also gained popularity in France, in some areas of Canada and also in Portuguese and French speaking African countries.
One can distinguish several subgenres of zouk dance and music around the globe.
Original Zouk of the Caribbean - The Caribbean zouk dancing, as it has developed on Martinique and Guadeloupe islands, is very simple and is in many aspects akin to the merengue dance. The steps (or "time") are counted as 1-2, 1-2. The movements are not sophisticated and actual combinations are not numerous. The footwork elements in this type of zouk are done simply by putting the body weight from one leg to the other to the music.
Zouk-Love - Zouk-love is a very different type of zouk music and dance. The music is slower, romantic and comes originally from the island of Dominica.A pair of very similar types of zouk music are kizomba, coming from Angola, and the so-called cola-zouk from Cabo Verde .
Zouk Lambada - Unlike the original zouk of the Caribbean, the Brazilian zouk is danced in a one-three-four one-three-four manner and is actually a successor of the dance Lambada. Lambada is a fast dance, however when adjusted to zouk music, it suddenly becomes slow, with opportunities for complex tricks. The Brazilian zouk is a romantic dance , unlike the traditional Lambada dance.
Soulzouk - Soulzouk is a very young style of zouk dance which is quickly gaining popularity in Brazil. Soulzouk tries to produce a stronger connection with the flow of the music and not only the beat. Therefore, soulzouk can be applied not only to zouk music, but also to such popular music styles as hip-hop or RnB.
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