Alegria
Zouk

French Caribbean / Brazil, 1980s-2000s

ZOUK

The Brazilian wave born in the Caribbean

Zouk music was born in Guadeloupe and Martinique between 1979 and 1984, driven by the band Kassav' (Jacob Desvarieux, Pierre-Édouard Décimus, Jocelyne Béroard). It is a tropical electronic sound blending Guadeloupean gwo ka, Haitian compas, biguine, soca, and 1980s dance productions. "Zouk-La Sé Sèl Médikaman Nou Ni" became a global anthem in 1984.

First danced in the Caribbean as a close slow dance (Zouk chanté), Zouk found its current form in Brazil in the 1990s-2000s: this is Brazilian Zouk (or Lambazouk, a cousin of the Lambada), with fluid undulations, backbends, and spectacular figures. It is today the dominant form at international congresses.

How it's danced

Technique & figures

Brazilian Zouk is danced to a slow 4/4 rhythm (60-80 BPM), in a closed but supple couple hold. The vocabulary revolves around undulations, body waves, multiple turns, and backbends. It's a very fluid dance, in which the torso and hair play an important choreographic role.

Styles and fundamentals

There are three main schools: Caribbean Zouk Love (a close, slow, sensual dance, danced to Zouk chanté), Lambazouk (derived directly from the Lambada, with undulations and turns), and modern Brazilian Zouk (a fusion with contemporary influences, hip-hop, and kizomba). Neo Zouk explores R&B and electronic remixes.

Main figures

  • 01

    Basic step

    Three walking steps (1-2-3) with the weight fully transferring on each step. Simple but foundational.

  • 02

    Cambré

    The follower arches the torso backward, guided by the leader's arm. An iconic figure of Brazilian Zouk.

  • 03

    Boneca

    The follower turns around an axis while the leader stays centered. "Boneca" means "doll" in Portuguese.

  • 04

    Head cadence

    A movement of the follower's head and hair, initiated by an impulse from the leader. A visual signature of the style.

  • 05

    Chicote

    A rapid whip of the torso and head on a tight turn. The word means "whip" in Portuguese.

  • 06

    Elastic

    A pull and recoil of the arm that stretches the couple apart before bringing them abruptly back together. A technique heavily worked in Neo Zouk.

Reading the music

Caribbean Zouk chanté (Kassav', Tanya Saint-Val, Slaï), Brazilian Lambada (Kaoma), R&B remixed for the dance scene (Rihanna, Beyoncé), and modern productions from the Brazilian scene (China).

Did you know?

Kassav'

N° 01

Kassav' has sold over 12 million records, making Zouk one of the rare Caribbean genres to break through globally in the 1980s.

Lambada

N° 02

The Lambada, Kaoma's global hit of 1989, is actually a remake of a Bolivian song — but it launched the entire lineage of modern Brazilian Zouk.

Explore the rhythms

Same family

Danses de Couple Sensuelles

Cross connections

Styles from other families that share a common language with Zouk.