What is brazilian zouk?
Brazilian zouk is a flowing partner dance known for head movements, body waves and elastic stretches. It is danced in a slot like West Coast Swing and uses a slow-quick-quick basic to French Caribbean zouk, R&B and pop remixes.
History
When the lambada craze faded around 1990, Brazilian teachers such as Adílio Porto kept dancing lambada steps to slower zouk music from the French Antilles. The result became Brazilian zouk, with Rio, Porto Seguro and "neo zouk" styles.
Basic technique
- Basic — slow, quick-quick ("boom-chick-chick")
- Lateral and elastic movements
- Head movements (cambré, chicote) — learned safely with a teacher
Music & tempo
Zouk, R&B and pop remixes, usually 70–100 BPM.
Songs for brazilian zouk
| Song | Artist | BPM | Key | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avec des si | Soumia | 85 | D# major | 2002 |
| Rice | It’s Dynamite | 87 | A# major | 2020 |
| Bladi | Soumia | 88 | E major | 2008 |
| Dança Kizomba | Stony | 89 | B minor | 2015 |
| Toutes les nuits | Colonel Reyel | 95 | A# major | 2010 |
| Viens jusqu’à moi | Élodie Frégé en duo avec Michal | 140 | A major | 2004 |
| No One Gonna Love You | Jennifer Hudson | 72 | F major | 2011 |
| Behind Closed Doors | Percy Sledge | 72 | D major | 1991 |
| I'm in a Crying Mood | LaVern Baker | 73 | C major | 2005 |
| The Only One | Omarion | 73 | A# minor | 2014 |
BPM as measured by audio analysis; some tracks read at half or double the danced tempo.
All 218 brazilian zouk songs by BPM →
What to wear
Smooth-soled shoes and comfortable clothing; long hair tied back.
How to get started
Join a beginner series; head movements should only be practiced under supervision.
We list 8 studios that teach brazilian zouk, or browse all dance studios by state.
Key partner-dance terms
Recent research
- The Effectiveness of Dance Interventions on Psychological and Cognitive Health Outcomes Compared with Other Forms of Physical Activity: A Systematic Review with Meta-analysis. — Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.), 2024
- Human interpretable grammar encodes multicellular systems biology models to democratize virtual cell laboratories. — Cell, 2025
- B7-H3 and Prostate Cancer: New Therapeutic Dance Partners. — European urology, 2023
- Effect of Ballroom Dancing on the Physical, Psychological, and Mental Well-Being of Oncological Patients: A Pilot Study. — International journal of environmental research and public health, 2025
- The cognitive neuroscience and neurocognitive rehabilitation of dance. — BMC neuroscience, 2024
More brazilian zouk research →
Books about brazilian zouk
- Kokuritsu Kokkai Toshokan shozō Meijiki kankō tosho maikuro-ban shūsei by Kokuritsu Kokkai Toshokan (Japan) (1991)
- The Third Wheel by Jeff Kinney (2003)
- My Life by Isadora Duncan (1927)
- Inspecting post-16 by Ofsted. (2001)
- Angelina Ballerina by Katharine Holabird (1983)
- Jean and Johnny by Beverly Cleary (1959)
Encyclopedia summary
Brazilian Zouk is a partner dance which began in Brazil during the early 1990s. Brazilian Zouk evolved from the partner dance known as the Lambada. Over time, Zouk dancers have experimented and incorporated other styles of music into such as R'n'B, pop, hip hop and contemporary.
Frequently asked questions
Is Brazilian zouk related to lambada?
Yes — it evolved from lambada in Brazil in the 1990s.
What BPM is Brazilian Zouk?
Brazilian Zouk is usually danced to music between 70 and 100 beats per minute. Browse 218 songs that fit on our Brazilian Zouk music page.
How many calories does brazilian zouk burn?
About 331 calories per hour for a 155-lb (70 kg) person, based on a MET value of 4.5 from the Compendium of Physical Activities. See calories burned brazilian zouk for every body weight.
Related styles
Kizomba
Angola
Latin Social DanceBachata
Dominican Republic
Swing & Vintage Jazz DanceWest Coast Swing
California
Latin Social DanceSalsa
New York City — Cuban son and mambo, Puerto Rican musicians
Latin Social DanceMerengue
Dominican Republic
Latin Social DanceCumbia
Caribbean coast of Colombia
Last reviewed October 2026 · Editorial policy