INTERNATIONAL FLASH MOB - Press Release
HONG KONG,
Sep 16 – Hong Kong will participate in the first
ever Guinness record-breaking International Zouk Flash Mob, happening on 16th September
2012, Sunday.
Currently, more than 90 cities across 37 countries are hosting this event on the same day. Over 3,000 Brazilian Zouk dancers from all over the world will be participating and dancing to the same song and choreography.
“We’re really excited about bringing in the Zouk dance phenomenon into Hong Kong. For the first time ever, Hong Kong is going to witness Zouk in the most amazing manner through an international flash mob. Currently, we have over 80 participants, residing in Hong Kong, from all walks of life and nationalities, performing in this event.” said Emily Ma, founder of RioZoukAsia.com.
The International Zouk Flash Mob is not just another flash mob to raise awareness of a dance. The idea is to see beyond our cultural differences and respect each other’s identities. It allows us to embrace those differences through a universal symbol of acceptance - dance. Zouk is the perfect choice as it requires a flexible mindset to adapt to a dance partner’s style. In doing so, the zouk dancer does not surrender his or her individuality, but blends it with that of his/her partner.
The dance is the common language bringing people together and creating a positive energy. This Zouk flash mob will show the world that cooperation, co-existence and collaboration is not a distant dream but can be achieved with a common goal through social media.
“One of the biggest misconceptions is that you have to be a professional to perform in a flash mob,” says Marcos Fonseca, co-founder of RioZoukAsia.com. “You do not have to be a trained, perfect dancer. It’s about the joy of movement. That's the whole beauty of dance. Anyone can dance. Anyone can move.”
The event is non-commercial, has no sponsors or financing, no links to any commercial organisation and all participants are volunteers.
The date and time of the performance will be kept secret right until the last minute. To learn more about International Zouk Flash Mob, please visit http://izfm.org/Press-info.html.
For further information, please contact:
Joyce Chung
Tel: +852 6376 0332
E-mail: [email protected]
Currently, more than 90 cities across 37 countries are hosting this event on the same day. Over 3,000 Brazilian Zouk dancers from all over the world will be participating and dancing to the same song and choreography.
“We’re really excited about bringing in the Zouk dance phenomenon into Hong Kong. For the first time ever, Hong Kong is going to witness Zouk in the most amazing manner through an international flash mob. Currently, we have over 80 participants, residing in Hong Kong, from all walks of life and nationalities, performing in this event.” said Emily Ma, founder of RioZoukAsia.com.
The International Zouk Flash Mob is not just another flash mob to raise awareness of a dance. The idea is to see beyond our cultural differences and respect each other’s identities. It allows us to embrace those differences through a universal symbol of acceptance - dance. Zouk is the perfect choice as it requires a flexible mindset to adapt to a dance partner’s style. In doing so, the zouk dancer does not surrender his or her individuality, but blends it with that of his/her partner.
The dance is the common language bringing people together and creating a positive energy. This Zouk flash mob will show the world that cooperation, co-existence and collaboration is not a distant dream but can be achieved with a common goal through social media.
“One of the biggest misconceptions is that you have to be a professional to perform in a flash mob,” says Marcos Fonseca, co-founder of RioZoukAsia.com. “You do not have to be a trained, perfect dancer. It’s about the joy of movement. That's the whole beauty of dance. Anyone can dance. Anyone can move.”
The event is non-commercial, has no sponsors or financing, no links to any commercial organisation and all participants are volunteers.
The date and time of the performance will be kept secret right until the last minute. To learn more about International Zouk Flash Mob, please visit http://izfm.org/Press-info.html.
For further information, please contact:
Joyce Chung
Tel: +852 6376 0332
E-mail: [email protected]
About Zouk
The Zouk dance, also called Brazilian Zouk or Lambazouk, is a dance style that evolved from Lambada in the early 90's. Although it has roots in the Lambada, it contains many influences from other dances, such as Salsa, Tango, Samba de Gafieira, Rumba and Forró. Brazilian Zouk is danced to the Zouk music from the French Antilles as well as to other music with the same beat. There is also the original Caribbean Zouk dance, which is very different from the Brazilian Zouk.
The word 'zouk', quite appropriately, means 'partying'. The original Zouk music was created by Kassav, a band from Guadeloupe & Martinique. Later Zouk spread to Brazil and then into Africa, where it evolved into Kizomba. Meanwhile, in the early 90's, Brazilian Lambada was going out of fashion and Brazilian musicians stopped making Lambada music. Zouk became a popular alternative. It also changed the way that Lambada was danced: instead of sideways hip movements, the dance dynamic altered to more of a back-and-forth one and became compatible with other latin dances like Tango, Samba and Bossa Nova. In the late 90's, Zouk spread to Europe where contemporary dance themes were added. It also became popular to remix other styles of music with the Zouk beat. Nowadays Zouk is danced to a great variety of music styles, including Hip Hop, R&B, Lounge, Kizomba and Neo-Classical.
Part of the popularity of Zouk lies in the freedom that dancers have to add their own interpretations to the movements. It is much less regulated than, for example, Tango. This resulted in the development of several distinct Zouk styles, which can be primarily differentiated by their music, but also by the moves, ways of leading and general dynamic. For instance, Rio-style usually uses slower music like Zouk Love, while Porto Seguro style is closer to the original Lambada and uses faster rhythms.
Lambada was a typical beach dance. It was danced barefoot in beachwear, bikinis, short skirts, capoeira pants, etc. By evolving into Zouk, it became more of a social club dance and has thus gained a pathway to international acceptance in countries one wouldn't normally associate with Brazilian dances. As a result, Zouk has become very popular in, for example, Australia, Russia, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands and even in exotic places like Dubai, Bangkok and Oman.
The word 'zouk', quite appropriately, means 'partying'. The original Zouk music was created by Kassav, a band from Guadeloupe & Martinique. Later Zouk spread to Brazil and then into Africa, where it evolved into Kizomba. Meanwhile, in the early 90's, Brazilian Lambada was going out of fashion and Brazilian musicians stopped making Lambada music. Zouk became a popular alternative. It also changed the way that Lambada was danced: instead of sideways hip movements, the dance dynamic altered to more of a back-and-forth one and became compatible with other latin dances like Tango, Samba and Bossa Nova. In the late 90's, Zouk spread to Europe where contemporary dance themes were added. It also became popular to remix other styles of music with the Zouk beat. Nowadays Zouk is danced to a great variety of music styles, including Hip Hop, R&B, Lounge, Kizomba and Neo-Classical.
Part of the popularity of Zouk lies in the freedom that dancers have to add their own interpretations to the movements. It is much less regulated than, for example, Tango. This resulted in the development of several distinct Zouk styles, which can be primarily differentiated by their music, but also by the moves, ways of leading and general dynamic. For instance, Rio-style usually uses slower music like Zouk Love, while Porto Seguro style is closer to the original Lambada and uses faster rhythms.
Lambada was a typical beach dance. It was danced barefoot in beachwear, bikinis, short skirts, capoeira pants, etc. By evolving into Zouk, it became more of a social club dance and has thus gained a pathway to international acceptance in countries one wouldn't normally associate with Brazilian dances. As a result, Zouk has become very popular in, for example, Australia, Russia, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands and even in exotic places like Dubai, Bangkok and Oman.