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Alisson Sandi
  • 5.0 (3)
  • Performing Arts
  • Updated Weekly

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.

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

    2d ago

    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 Intro 00:43 Gui in Sydney: missing the squeeze 03:20 The epiphany: the Brazilians are at the Forró 06:31 Reason 1: the music stopped being ours 09:56 Reason 2: one class vs months of courses 10:29 Reason 3: you know what you're gonna get 13:24 Did we sell out the dance? 20:00 Rice and beans: two kinds of Brazilians abroad 22:09 Reason 4: money, visas, and commitment 29:12 Reason 5: missing the tenderness 32:18 The double-edged sword of going international Co-host: Gui Prada ZoukNerds: https://www.zouknerds.com/ Alisson Sandi: https://www.alissonsandi.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zouk.nerds/ Episode: S06 Ep08 | ZoukNerds Podcast

    38 min
  2. Why Do You Pick Who to Dance With? (S06 Ep07)

    Jun 10

    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 later 01:30 The hidden hierarchy nobody talks about 02:00 How you scan a room the second you walk in 03:50 The red carpet: where the DJ and teachers sit 06:00 The dark corner vs the main floor at Taiwan Zouk Festival 08:06 Alisson's three modes: unknown, invited teacher, local dancer 13:31 Jaime Arôxa: training the ladies to show they're ready 17:00 The five things that decide who you invite to dance 20:18 Comfort zone and the age gap 25:41 Closeness to power: the politics of the floor 34:21 The takeaway: transcend the hierarchy without dismantling it Co-host: Gui Prada ZoukNerds: https://www.zouknerds.com/ Alisson Sandi: https://www.alissonsandi.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zouk.nerds/ Episode: S06 Ep07 | ZoukNerds Podcast

    39 min
  3. What Brazilian Zouk Actually Costs You (S06 Ep06)

    Jun 3

    What Brazilian Zouk Actually Costs You (S06 Ep06)

    Brazilian Zouk costs me sleep. I'm in Taiwan right now and I've finally built a schedule that lets me rest. The rest of the year? Time zones, late socials, weekends that bleed into the next week. 23 years in and I still pay for it every Monday. In this Q&A episode, Gui Prada and I read Veronique Dupont's question from our ZoukNerds Facebook Group: what is the ONE biggest benefit of dancing Brazilian Zouk, and the ONE biggest disadvantage? Both of us landed on the same disadvantage. The benefits we picked are different. And the deeper answer doesn't show up until minute 12. The first cost is the easy one: your sleep. → Touring life means no schedule. Time zones, different weather, different bed every weekend. → Teaching ends at 10:30 p.m. By the time you close, eat, wind down, it's 1 a.m. The festival weekend pushes that to 4. → My current answer is the Chunked Travel Schedule. Three or four weeks on. Two months of recovery off. We are not the crazy 20-year-olds that started this. For me, the benefit is mental and emotional exploration. Teaching is not lecturing. It's workshopping with whoever shows up that night. For Gui, the benefit is the people. His 15-year-old self in Rio didn't know people from São Paulo. Now he records with me in Taiwan for listeners in Sydney, Japan, Vietnam, Indonesia. The closing reframe: the deeper disadvantage is what the dance exposes in you. For Gui, shyness. For me, perfectionism and the 10-15 extra iterations I need as a non-natural dancer. This dance is not therapy. It is highly therapeutical. Chapters: 00:00 Intro: Veronique's "one thing only" question 01:05 Alisson's benefit: mental and emotional exploration 02:14 Alisson's disadvantage: sleep schedule and touring life 03:10 Gui's benefit: the people you'd never have met 03:30 Gui's 15-year-old-self gratitude anchor 04:57 Gui's disadvantage: the resting part 06:40 The Chunked Travel Schedule 08:24 Gui's Rio-shyness disadvantage 10:18 Alisson on perfectionism 11:16 The 10-15x learning iterations confession 12:53 Closing reframe: the dance is a mirror to your fragility Co-host: Gui Prada Listener question from: Veronique Dupont — ZoukNerds Facebook Group ZoukNerds: https://www.zouknerds.com/ Alisson Sandi: https://www.alissonsandi.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zouk.nerds/ Episode: S06 Ep06 | ZoukNerds Podcast

    16 min
  4. Why Brazilian Zouk Has a Leader Shortage Problem (S06 Ep05)

    May 27

    Why Brazilian Zouk Has a Leader Shortage Problem (S06 Ep05)

    Brazilian Zouk has a leader shortage problem at every social — and no organizer has solved it, including me. I've run BraZouky with strict ratio control for years. Some years we hit 1.1 to 1 at sign-up. The social still tilts the same way every night. In this Q&A episode, Gui Prada and I read Billy Lou's question from our ZoukNerds Facebook Group. He's in a leadership course and asked us: what are the "wicked problems" in the Brazilian Zouk scene right now? This one was easy. I think about it every day. Here's the pattern I see at almost every social. Leaders arrive at 9 p.m. to warm up. Same leaders already taught or took four classes that day. By 1 a.m. they are gone — body, mind, feet. The followers who came late see fewer leaders and tell me the ratio was terrible. I controlled the door. I cannot control who walks through it at what time. The leader shortage is not a numbers problem. It is a load problem: → The early-leader trap: leaders show up first, dance non-stop, then crash. Same body that taught at 11 a.m. → The late-follower complaint: followers arrive in the second half, blame the ratio, study harder for next time. → The silent mental load: a leader is running music, floor craft, space, and the lead at the same time. Gui calls it making 30 dishes from the same ingredients. You either repeat yourself or you cook yourself. The leader shortage is mirrored upside down on the follower side. We call this the Reverse Learning Curve: leaders find it hard early and easier over time, followers find it easy early and harder over time. The follower who tells me she's "still not getting many dances" — she is not under-training. She is over-training. Gui's line is, "what if you try a little less hard?" The big takeaway: Maybe the wicked problem is not the ratio. It is what we think is "enough" to walk into a social. Leaders feel they need to master everything. Followers feel they need to be flawless. Both stay home and we count chairs. Chapters: 00:00 Intro: Billy Lou's question about "wicked problems" 00:43 What is a wicked problem? Why it applies to Brazilian Zouk 01:32 BraZouky's ratio experiment and why it still fails 02:33 Why leaders arrive early and burn out by midnight 04:18 The follower-arrives-late problem 05:54 How taxi dancers and volunteers help 06:35 The marathon case study: even with even tickets 07:21 Why leaders disappear to the lounge 09:02 Why most dance scenes are run by followers 11:11 Why beginner leaders rarely buy festival passes 12:31 Mental exhaustion: the silent load leaders carry 14:00 Leaders as cooks making 30 plates 15:00 The classroom paradox 16:40 The cultural layer: Asia, Japan, Brazil 17:45 The Bolsista system at Jaime Arôxa 19:30 The reverse learning curve 22:14 Why followers fall into the "try harder" trap 22:31 Wrap: what we think is "enough" Co-host: Gui Prada Listener question from: Billy Lou — ZoukNerds Facebook Group ZoukNerds: https://www.zouknerds.com/ Alisson Sandi: https://www.alissonsandi.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zouk.nerds/ Episode: S06 Ep05 | ZoukNerds Podcast

    26 min
  5. Most Zouk Scenes Don't Need More Socials! (S06 Ep04)

    May 20

    Most Zouk Scenes Don't Need More Socials! (S06 Ep04)

    Most Brazilian Zouk scenes don't need more socials. They need more Practicas. And the reason most Practicas fail comes down to the DJ: songs that don't end. In this Q&A episode, Gui Prada and I read a question from Star Bolton in our ZoukNerds Facebook Group. Her school changed their practice time from a Spotify playlist to a DJ set list. Followers started going home without dancing. I learned this the hard way running Practicas at District Zouk. The fix is simple. Most teachers get it wrong because they try to make practice feel like a party. Why beginner Practicas need songs that clearly end: → The cue problem: Brazilian Zouk is the only major social dance whose DJs blend songs together. Beginners can't tell when to thank their partner and change. → The marathon trap: when songs never end, followers get stuck with one leader for 15 minutes. Other beginners don't dance at all. → The boring-leader fear: leaders already think they're "not interesting enough" for a long dance. Clear endings give them a moment to change partners without feeling rejected. If you've ever sat at a Practica wondering "is this song still going?", that's a setup problem, not a you problem. Beginners don't need more awareness. They need clearer music. The big takeaway: A Practica is not a mini-social. It's a different format with different rules. The music has to do half the work of teaching beginners how to change partners, rest, and try the same move with three different people. Chapters: 00:00 Intro: Star Bolton's question from Hawaii 00:42 What's the Practica problem with blended DJ sets? 01:18 Why long marathons hurt beginner followers 02:20 What's a Practica vs a social dance? 03:08 Why clear song endings help students change partners 04:55 The "I'm a boring leader" anxiety, explained 05:31 Why Brazilian Zouk DJs blend more than other dances 06:44 The District Zouk class experiment with set songs 07:08 How experienced dancers still get caught by good transitions 09:25 Why we ask DJs to phrase clearly early in the night 11:15 Practicing with at least 3 different partners 12:16 Most scenes don't need more socials. They need more Practicas. 13:00 Treating beginner students fear-free for retention 13:47 How Practicas drive community growth 14:15 Wrap and listener thank you Co-host: Gui Prada Listener question from: Star Bolton, Hawaii — ZoukNerds Facebook Group ZoukNerds: https://www.zouknerds.com/ Alisson Sandi: https://www.alissonsandi.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zouk.nerds/ Episode: S06 Ep04 | ZoukNerds Podcast

    16 min
  6. Style vs Technique: Finding What Fits Your Body (S06 Ep03)

    May 13

    Style vs Technique: Finding What Fits Your Body (S06 Ep03)

    What If Your Teacher’s Style Isn't For You? Ever taken a class and thought, "Man, this technique just doesn't feel right for my body"? Gui and I are hanging out in Taiwan to tackle an awesome question from Emily in our Facebook group! Emily asks: "How would you feel if a student said, 'I know you teach it this way, but I'm sticking with my own way'?" The Short Answer? Go For It! Honestly guys, as teachers, we are totally fine with this. You Know Your Body: If you found a way that keeps you safe and balanced, keep doing it!The "Why" Matters: It's a huge turnoff when teachers just say, "That's wrong," without explaining the mechanics.Safety First: The only time we'll step in and correct you is if your technique might actually hurt your knees or neck. Style vs. Proper Technique Gui brought up a fascinating chat he had with Alex de Carvalho. Alex says there are really only three base styles from the ground up: Traditional Zouk, Neo Zouk, and Lambada. Everything else? That's just personal expression. My "style" or Gui's "style" is just how we choose to express the dance. Put On Their Glasses Even if a teacher’s vibe isn't your favorite, learn from them! Are they teaching a visual shape for the stage, or a sensation for a crowded social floor? Put on their glasses and try to understand their background. The Big Takeaway: Don't follow one teacher blindly. Grab the tools that feel good to you, and build your own unique dance. Ever tweaked a teacher's move to fit your own body? Let us know in the group!

    22 min
  7. Why Dance Reveals Your Deepest Insecurities (S06 Ep02)

    May 6

    Why Dance Reveals Your Deepest Insecurities (S06 Ep02)

    Does Dance Reveal Your Inner World? Do you feel like the way you interact with your dance partner reflects your inner world?  In this episode, Gui Prada and I are together in Taiwan to tackle a deep question from our Facebook Group! Our listener, Victor, asks if Zouk reveals what you need to work on in your personal life. Spoiler alert: 1000% yes. The Mirror on the Dance Floor The Good & The Bad: Dance is a massive mirror. It highlights our empathy and joy, but it also shines a harsh spotlight on our insecurities, perfectionism, and need for validation.From Chairs to Zen: Gui shares a hilarious (and slightly scary) story from his teenage years to show how social dancing actually taught him patience and presence.The "Belonging" Trap: We discuss how easy it is to use Zouk to fill an emotional gap. It’s natural to want to belong, but when dance becomes your only source of validation (or your only strategy for human connection), it can become a disguised addiction.Navigating the Phases of Dance Victor shared his own journey: moving from a strict "technique" phase to a "fake spiritual" phase (where he judged others for not having the "right" intention), and finally stepping away when he realized he was just seeking acceptance. Dance is the Messenger: Dance is highly therapeutic, but it is not therapy. If Zouk triggers anxiety, jealousy, or insecurity (like after a stressful Jack & Jill!), take that message and do the internal work off the floor.The Big Takeaway: Don’t let the things dance reveals push you away from the community. Acknowledge the message, do the personal work, and return to the floor from a place of joy, not need. Has dance ever revealed something surprising about yourself?  Share your story with us in the comments!

    24 min
  8. Is Social Dancing a Form of Storytelling? (S06 Ep01)

    Apr 29

    Is Social Dancing a Form of Storytelling? (S06 Ep01)

    ‘How to Co-Create with Your Partner’ Do you ever feel like you're trying to tell a deep, emotional story during a social dance, but the connection just breaks?  In this special Q&A episode, Gui Prada and I pull a question straight from the ZoukNerds Facebook Group! Our listener, Amit, asks how to craft and sustain a narrative while social dancing. Our Take on Dance Storytelling Interpretive vs. Narrative: I personally don't try to "tell a story" from scratch when I dance. Instead, I try to interpret the story that the DJ and the music are already telling. It’s a three-way collaboration between me, my partner, and the music.The Instrument vs. Lyric Connection: We discuss how your cultural background (e.g., Bollywood or traditional Samba vs. European pop) can change whether you connect more with the heavy drum beats or the poetic lyrics.The "Jack & Jill" Trap: If you go into a social dance with a strict plan to "tell a story" (or train for a comp), you might leave your partner behind. You have to check if they are "game" for that vibe first! The Magic of "Ludic" Dance Gui shares a concept from his training days in Rio: Lúdico (Ludic). It means playful, spontaneous, and channeling an archetype (like pretending you're dancing on a beach at sunset). The Secret: It only works if your partner is tuned in. Gui shares a funny story of a "confident" leader who tried to force his musicality onto a master follower, only to be told: "You did your whole thing, but you didn't do it with me."The Big Takeaway: Expectation is the thief of joy. Instead of forcing a narrative, build the dance slowly. Start with simple weight transfers and see where the connection takes you. Do you try to tell a story when you dance, or do you just go with the flow?  Let us know in the comments!

    20 min
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Ratings & Reviews

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out of 5
3 Ratings

About

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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