Meet Our Instructors
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Nate & Dani
Classes: Tuesday nights
Nate and Dani teach at AmoZouk (along with Mike & Lydia).
Nate began dancing zouk in 2016 in Boston and has been training consistently for more than six years. Nate began teaching beginner zouk lessons for pop up Zouk on the Docks events in Boston in 2017 and has been teaching ever since.
An engineer by education, Nate enjoys breaking down the biomechanics of zouk to focus on the fundamentals of being a clear and comfortable dancer. While he appreciates being an “ooey gooey” or “hug-y” lead, Nate appreciates learning from a variety of instructors to learn the “best” of each of their techniques to mix in his own dancing to become a more well-rounded dancer (think the Ramalhos’ magical hips, Gui’s comfortable hug, Jerry Lai’s elastic responsiveness).
Nate enjoys breaking down the techniques behind these fundamental movements for his own dance, and helping others do the same!
Dani has been dancing zouk, salsa, and bachata for more than 10 years. Dani originally learned salsa and bachata as an undergrad at the University of Vermont and served on the board of the school’s Salsa and Swing Society. After moving to Boston Dani became a zouk convert in 2014 and has been obsessing over zouk ever since.
Dani taught with Nate for ZOTD in Boston, and has continued to teach with Nate since they moved to Minnesota.
As a professional contortionist and flexibility coach (how’s that for a cool fun fact?! Check out her website, Dani Winks Flexibility) Dani’s approach to teaching is focused on understanding our anatomy and breaking down the biomechanics of what each component of our body is supposed to be doing during a movement.
Check out the AmoZouk website for more details on private lessons and weekly classes.
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Mike & Lydia
Classes: Tuesdays Nights
Mike & Lydia teach together at AmoZouk (along with Dani & Nate).
As a longtime salsa dancer (and instructor), Mike has been training zouk for 7+ years. It’s no surprise Mike worked in sales consulting, because his enthusiasm helps him connect with his students quickly and make them feel comfortable in any dance environment. Mike prides himself on helping his students set (and achieve!) their dance goals. Most of all, he believes in inspiring students through positive reinforcement and living what he teaches.
Lydia discovered Brazilian zouk in 2020 but quickly excelled given her extensive dance training background. In addition to zouk, she’s spent over 9 years training ballet, tap and jazz. Lydia loves sharing her passion for zouk with others, especially drills from her more classical training to help zouk dancers feel more balanced and controlled.
Check out the AmoZouk website for more details on private lessons and weekly classes.
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Gabriel de Carvalho
Classes: Wednesday nights
Traveling in from Iowa City, Gabriel is a highly skilled and experienced dancer with a diverse background in various movement styles. He began his journey 15 years ago with Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and quickly fell in love with tango, studying at one of the best schools in Rio de Janeiro. However, it was Brazilian Zouk that truly captured Gabriel's heart, and he had the opportunity to learn from Renata Pecanha, one of the founders of this beautiful art form, at her school in Rio.
For the past 5 years, Gabriel has been professionally teaching and sharing his love of dance with others. He currently resides and teaches in Iowa City, but travels throughout the Midwest to teach weekly classes in Milwaukee, Minneapolis, and Des Moines. In addition to teaching in these areas, Gabriel has also started teaching nationally, sharing his passion and knowledge of Brazilian Zouk from DC to Chicago to San Francisco, and everywhere in between.
Aside from his love of dance, Gabriel is deeply committed to sharing his culture and heritage with his students. He is passionate about sharing the beauty and depth of Brazilian Zouk with others, and loves being able to bring a piece of his culture to his classes. Whether you are a seasoned dancer or just starting out, Gabriel's enthusiasm and expertise make him a wonderful teacher and mentor.
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Angélica & Topher
A&T Zouk
Deepen your connection to your body and self through a better understanding of breathing, body awareness, grounding and movement to help make your dancing flow with efficiency, comfortability and connection.
Topher began his zouk journey in 2017 when friends convinced him to attend a class taught by Marc Brewer in Minneapolis. Though it took some time to click he eventually discovered a deep passion and love for the connection, music, movement and community Zouk had to offer. Since then Topher has found incredible enjoyment in training the various modalities of the dance, studying with many instructors including, Brenda & Anderson, Xandy Liberato, William & Paloma, Alex de Carvalho, Lui and Larissa, Kuna Hamad, Gui Prada and Gabriel de Carvalho. With a focus on connection and body mechanics topher aims to teach students how to better connect with themselves, their own bodies and their partner to improve efficiency, understanding and enjoyment of movement within zouk.
Angélica started dance at Perpich Arts High School where she took her first modern and ballet class. She continued dancing at Zenón Dance School in Minneapolis for one year after hs graduation then went to university for two years for dance education where she trained in a variety of dance styles. In 2018 she found Brazilian Zouk. Angélica enjoys the surrender and flow that this dance can create and how dynamic it is. She loves teaching people how to find their creativity and power within their dance. She loves seeing her students have the “lightbulb” moments of discovery. Angélica has spent time studying with Brenda & Anderson, Xandy, Gui Prada, Gabriel de Carvalho, Lui & Larissa, William & Paloma, Alex de Carvalho.
For the latest updates, follow A&T Zouk on Facebook and Instagram. They are available for privates or teaching at events. Direct Message on FB or IG for more information.
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Niko Salgado
For more info, reach out to Niko on Facebook