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HELPING ZOUK DANCERS AND COMMUNITIES GROW

I’m Fernando, a Brazilian Zouk teacher based in Europe, with over 16 years of experience teaching both internationally and in local communities. I travel to different cities to offer clear, structured workshops that help dancers and communities grow.

On this page you can discover my main programs, see how they can fit your community, check my open dates, and find out how to get in touch.

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Fernando Brazilian Zouk teacher

Learn with structure

Clear structure creates real progression. You’ll understand what you’re learning, why it matters, and feel steady satisfaction as your skills grow.

Plenty of practice

Less talking, more dancing. The goal is to build muscle memory through repetition, so you can take it straight to the social floor.

Pure love for social dancing

I train dancers to enjoy socials: adapt to different partners, feel confident, and connect with everyone—while keeping the dance comfortable and fun.

Brazilian Zouk social dancing

Programs

These are the four main areas where my teaching focus and the interests of the students resonate most strongly. Each program offers a clear structure and can be adapted to different formats and communities.

Zouk Atoms

Zouk Atoms

Stop memorizing choreographies. Learn how to navigate the structure of Zouk footwork, so you feel secure, free, and creative.

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The Leader Training

The Leader Training

Not more steps — better leading. Develop the skills behind great leading: clarity, comfort, and communication.

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Close Embrace

Close Embrace

Dance comfortably with body contact. Learn how to move, connect, and travel in close embrace in a way that feels safe, natural, and relaxed for both partners.

See details ↓
Brazilian Zouk Teacher Training

Brazilian Zouk Teacher Training

Teach with clarity and confidence.
Learn the tools and structure that help you create real progress for your students.

See details ↓
Zouk Atoms

Zouk Atoms

Brazilian Zouk can easily feel overwhelming because of the many steps to learn. The Zouk Atoms transform this complexity into a clear system. Based on footwork, they work like a map that shows you where you are in the dance and how patterns naturally connect with each other.

Instead of memorizing choreographies, you begin to understand structure. This creates real progress, more confidence, and a much more enjoyable learning process—both in class and on the social dance floor.

WHAT WE WORK ON

  • • The structure of old and new patterns
  • • How to combine atoms in smooth social dancing
  • • Leading and following skills
  • • Progressive variations for different levels
  • • Strong work in the technique for head movements
  • • Opening the body to move in any direction

RELATED RESSOURCES

FORMATS

Private class for leaders

  • Mapping your current repertoire to give you a clear overview
  • Learning new patterns that multiply your possibilities
  • Developing more confidence, creativity and freedom in your dancing

Private class for followers

  • Learning a technique that allows you to move comfortably in any direction
  • Intensive practice of different types of traveling head movements

4-hour workshop

  • A first taste of the Zouk Atoms and the power of this structured approach
  • Learning how to add head movements to different patterns

Weekender (2–3 days)

  • 6–12 hours of classes
  • Focus on core Zouk Atoms
  • Around 40% of the time dedicated to head movement technique
  • A strong kickstart for a community entering the Zouk Atoms system

Zouk Atoms Intensive Week (5–6 days)

  • 24–30 hours of training
  • Deep dive into the Zouk Atoms system
  • Improvement of overall leading and following skills
  • Real transformation in your dance and in the way you understand Zouk
The Leader Training

The Leader Training

When do we develop our leading skills? Very often, leaders focus on memorizing figures and performing as many of them as possible on the dance floor, while the essential leading abilities remain undertrained. And followers don’t remember which steps you led, but how you led them and how you made them feel.

In The Leader Training, the focus shifts from steps to skills. We work on the elements that make your leading memorable: clarity, comfort, presence, and refined body communication. The result is simple and powerful: more joy for both partners — and genuine, positive feedback from your followers.

WHAT LEADERS LEARN

  • • Body mechanics, axis and balance for leaders
  • • Clear communication without force
  • • Better understanding of the follower’s movement
  • • How to adapt to different followers and levels
  • • How to enjoy the dance floor more and feel less pressure
  • • Mindset: confidence, care and presence
  • • All leaders will learn some basics of following

RELATED RESSOURCES

FORMATS

Private class

  • Understanding how the follower’s body works
  • Training the skills that turn you into a clear, comfortable, and confident leader

Workshop

  • 3 to 4 hours of focused learning
  • Understanding how your body posture influences your leading
  • Training up to three key skills to improve your leading

Weekender (two levels)

  • Level 1 (beginner–intermediate): clean your leading to better understand how to use your body and reach clarity and comfort
  • Level 2 (intermediate–advanced): learn the skills that make your leading memorable, with a high level of communication

Leader Training Intensive Week

  • 30 hours of training creating a clear before-and-after effect in your leading
  • Practicing not only your leading skills, but also your follower skills
  • Working through both levels of the Leader Training, from clarity and comfort to high-level communication
Close Embrace Brazilian Zouk

Close Embrace

How can we create a comfortable body-to-body connection while continuing to dance Brazilian Zouk? When partners are close, posture and even the smallest movement are immediately felt. What often feels beautiful can quickly become uncomfortable.

This program builds a deeper awareness of both your own comfort and your partner’s and shows how body posture, tone, and pressure influence connection. The Zouk Atoms system will provide a clear structure even in close embrace and open new creative possibilities.

The content can be carefully adapted to the sensitivities and culture of each community.

WHAT WE WORK ON

  • • Body alignment, tone, and a shared axis for a comfortable experience
  • • Mindset to enjoy closeness and build trust
  • • Leading and following techniques in close embrace
  • • Musicality, pauses and micro-movements
  • • How to travel comfortably with body contact
  • • Adding head movements to the close embrace
  • • Smooth transitions between different patterns and elements

RELATED RESSOURCES

FORMATS

Private classes for leaders and followers

  • Understanding the differences between dancing in open embrace and close embrace
  • Developing comfortable, safe and clear body contact
  • Learning the head movement techniques needed to dance in close embrace

Workshop (3–4 hours)

  • Learning how to create body contact in a natural and respectful way
  • Adapting common Zouk steps to the close embrace
  • Getting a first idea of traveling in close embrace

Weekender (two levels)

  • Introduction to the close embrace: learning how to dance with body contact and how to add head movements
  • Close embrace for experienced huggers: unfolding creativity and musicality while dancing with body contact

Close Embrace Intensive Week

  • Deep immersion into dancing Brazilian Zouk in close embrace
  • Refining body contact, listening skills and subtle communication
  • Exploring creativity, musicality and traveling in close embrace
  • Creating confidence and comfort to enjoy close embrace on the social dance floor
Brazilian Zouk Teacher Training

Brazilian Zouk Teachers Course

Every Brazilian Zouk teacher eventually faces the same two questions: What should I teach in my classes? And how should I teach it?

This program addresses the first question through clear curricula and progressions. You’ll learn how to organize content so students feel continuous progress, stay motivated, and are genuinely prepared for social dancing.

To answer the second question, we focus on teacher tools: practical methods and strategies to work with attention, create the right class atmosphere, communicate movement clearly, and connect empathetically with students and their individual needs.

WHAT WE WORK ON

  • • How to structure a clear and progressive Zouk class
  • • How to create muscle memory in the students
  • • How to play with the attention to create the perfect learning environment
  • • Clear verbal explanations and demonstrations
  • • How to observe students and give useful feedback
  • • Adapting content to mixed-level groups
  • • Building long-term progression for a local community

RELATED RESSOURCES

FORMATS

Weekend format (2–3 days)

Curriculum Weekend

  • Building a clear map of what to teach at beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels
  • Understanding how the different levels connect with each other
  • Learning how to create real muscle memory in students through structured progression

Teacher Tools Weekend

  • Learning how to lead a class with clarity and confidence
  • Creating a healthy learning culture and a positive class atmosphere
  • Approaching different student types with empathy
  • Playing with attention so time flies and students truly enjoy the learning process

Intensive week format (5–6 days)

  • Time to work deeply on both curriculum structure and teacher tools
  • Space for each teacher to develop their own teaching personality and style
  • Tools to continue improving as a teacher and learn from your own teaching experience
Brazilian Zouk social dancing

FEEDBACK

Portrait of Shavit

Shavit

Teacher & Organizer · Koh Phangan · Thailand

Fernando is one of the top Zouk teachers in the world. His understanding of Zouk is exceptionally deep—deeper than anything I have personally encountered before.

 

He has a rare ability to guide dancers toward real, tangible results. He knows exactly which practices to give, how to structure training, and how to develop both the body and the mind in a way that creates lasting progress in Zouk.

 

On a personal level, the biggest growth I’ve experienced—both as a dancer and as a teacher—came directly from following Fernando’s teaching. His work has had a profound impact on the way I understand, feel, and teach Zouk in my community.

Portrait of Maria

Morten

Dancer & Organizer · Aarhus · Denmark

Fernando is an excellent teacher who focuses on teaching the structure of zouk and its essential techniques with clear explanations. He combines this with plenty of practice time, allowing students to truly absorb and embody what they learn. As a result, his classes are not only enjoyable and engaging in the moment—they also provide a solid foundation for long‑term growth as dancers.

 

He has played an important role in strengthening the Aarhus community (Denmark), where we’ve been fortunate to welcome him as a guest instructor for several weekenders.

Brazilian Zouk social dancing

CALENDAR & OPEN DATES

Upcoming events, travels and open dates.

NEXT EVENTS

OPEN DATES

  • May 4–31

    Traveling through the south of France, Spain and Portugal

  • Jul 27 – Aug 9

    Based in Bremen and available to work across Europe

  • Sep 7–20

    Spain

  • Sep 21 – Oct 4

    Available to work in Europe — Asia also possible

  • Oct 6 – Nov 16

    Considering traveling to Asia during this period, with a strong interest in Japan

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    *** Depending on the dates, it’s possible to collaborate with my dance partner, Olga Kostrova. I can also be assisted by local teachers. Very often, I travel together with my lovely girlfriend, Marta Patlewicz, who is able to assist me during the workshops as well. Just ask me!

ABOUT ME

Fernando Brazilian Zouk teacher portrait

Like for many of you, there has been a life before and after Zouk. In what now feels like the blink of an eye, 18 years have passed since I took my first Zouk class with Junior Carvalho in Bremen. Since then came my first class as a teacher, my first congress, my own dance school, and eventually traveling internationally with Zouk.

A major turning point came in 2019 through my partnership with Olga Kostrova. In 2020, during the Corona lockdown in Germany, we created the Zouk Atoms approach together. What began as ideas explored at home, in our small dance room, became a clear and structured system that—after the pandemic—took us to communities all over the world and continues to do so today.

And what remains from life before Zouk? The philosophy student is still there—the reason I originally came to Bremen. After my studies, my love for reading stayed with me. In recent years, my curiosity has been especially drawn to non-duality (Advaita Vedanta, Hinduism) and topics related to consciousness—particularly the idea that happiness does not depend on external circumstances.

And how does my future look? Very open. Traveling the world with my gorgeous girlfriend, Marta Patlewicz, searching for a place to live, and continuing to follow my passion for dancing and teaching Brazilian Zouk.

Quick highlights

  • • Dancing and teaching Brazilian Zouk since 2008
  • • Based in Europe, traveling internationally with Zouk
  • • Co-creator of the Zouk Atoms approach (2020)
  • • Background in Philosophy, with interest in non-duality and consciousness
  • • Focus on clarity, structure, connection, and long-term growth

PAST WORK 2025

These are some examples of my work during the last year working mostly together with Olga Kostrova.

  • Bremen, Germany - Dec

    Two Intensives Weeks of the Zouk Atoms

  • Hawaii, US - Nov

    One full month teaching in Big Island, Zouk Atoms intensive from Monday to Friday by Star and teaching three days a week in the local communities.

  • Vienna, Austria - Oct

    Zouk Atoms Weekend by Lisa and Adrian

  • Ljubljana, Slovenia - Oct

    Zouk Atoms Weekend by Sabina Duvelek

  • Munich, Germany - Oct

    Brazouky Germany organized by Alisson Sandi

  • Antwerp, Belgium - Oct

    Zouk Atoms Weekend with Lukas and Bojana

  • Bremen, Germany - Sept

    Introduction to the Close Embrace

  • Dramalj, Croatia - Sept

    Two weeks teaching in the Zouk Time Holidays by Ludek and Pavla

  • Berlin, Germany - Aug

    Zouk Atoms Weekend by Danca Alegria

  • Darmstadt, Germany - Aug

    Zouk Atoms Weekend by Marcus and Julia

  • Cambridge, England - Aug

    Close Embrace by Elli Hullis

  • Bremen, Germany - July

    Two Zouk Atoms Weeks

  • Hamburg, Germany - July

    Close Embrace Weekender by Flavia Felleti

  • Munich, Germany - June

    Zouk Atoms Weekend by Susanne Robledo

  • Madrid, Spain - June

    Zouk Atoms Weekend by William and Irene

  • Budapest, Hungary - June

    Zouk Atoms Weekender by Lilla and Alex

  • Heidelberg, Germany - Mai

    Zouk Atoms Weekender by Dominik and Estelle

  • Bremen, Germany - Mai

    Special Effects Weekend

  • Reykjavik, Iceland - Mai

    Zouk Atoms Weekend by Celina and Karol

  • Zurich, Switzerland - April

    Zouk Atoms Weekend by Manuel, Corinne and Brazilian Zouk Switzerland

  • Bremen, Germany - April

    Two Zouk Atoms Intensive Weeks

  • Koh Phangan, Thailand - Feb/Mar

    Zouk Month with different intensives and one Festival organized by Shavit

  • Antwerp, Belgium - Feb

    Zouk Atoms Weekend by Lukas and Bojana

  • Bremen, Germany - Jan

    Two weekends: Zouk Atoms Introduction and Close Embrace for experienced huggers

Brazilian Zouk social dancing

Contact

  • • Let’s connect! If you’d like to bring me to your city, feel free to message me on Instagram.
  • • In the Calendar & Open Dates section you can see my upcoming availability.
  • • Even if we can’t find the right dates right now, let’s stay in touch — I genuinely love teaching, social dancing, and meeting new Zouk communities.
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