(VOVworld)- Have you ever asked yourselves what you could do to handle the stress we face in this busy life? Some may think of taking a week or even month long trip somewhere far away, some others may think of getting drunk just to have some short time to forget about all the stress and worries of life.

I was so focused on admiring the movement that I didn’t recognize the presence of Hoai Phuong, instructor of the club. I quickly approached him to get a brief idea of what zouk dance is about: Zouk in the native language of the Caribbean means party. The zouk rhythm sounds like chic chic boom and originally comes from France. But then in 1990s Brazilian dancers modified the Lambada dance into a new style called Rio Zouk or Brazilian zouk. Today there are many DJs who remix pop songs into zouk. When you practice zouk, first, you start with basic steps and figures. Zouk is different from other dances, a man leads a woman by the body not just the hands. You need to make isolated moves with different part of the body. And that skill is not easy, it may takes months even years to master it.

Heart Zouk Dance club, the first club in Vietnam which offers Zouk Lambada training has a lot of work to connect the Zouk community in Vietnam with the region and the world and also pass on the passion of zouk to the youth of Vietnam. Observing the orientation on exercising the motions of neck and chest, two of the very typical techniques of zouk, one may see it very simple but to do it correctly without being injured is another matter. Despite the pain a dancer may feel, they still put the passion and strong interaction above everything once they are on the dance floor: The connectivity and the music are two features I like the most. Connectivity means the connection between the two dance partners. Unlike Salsa or Barchata or other dances where people stand in a distance between their partners, for zouk, their distance can be minimal. A dancer can even feel his partner’s breath. For music, Zouk is free in music so you can improvise the movements. There are a lot of movements I did on the dance floor but I can never do it again. It only happens for that specific song and specific partner. It’s like you are having spaghetti when you dance Salsa. For Barchata, I feel like I’m having sweet pizza but for Zouk, I’m having tiramisu, very smooth, sexy and sensual.

After 45 minutes of being instructed in how to behave on the dance floor and how to form musical critical thinking, students at Heart Zouk Dance take a short break. Amazingly, not all of them sat and relaxed, some chose to continue practicing the newly introduced techniques. It seemed that their passion for dancing overcomes their tiredness. Nguyen Thu Hoai is one of these active students: I love the special connection between two partners. When we listen to the zouk beats and melody, we hug each other for several seconds. Then we begin to establish a connection with the other via the movements of hand or the head. We leave the world behind us, both feel uplifted. Sometimes I feel like I am actually in love with my dance partner. I remember the time I and my partner enjoyed dancing along to a song called “Beautiful in white”. Oh dear, I just wanted to marry my partner and we would dance the song at our wedding".

Zouk does not only appear in classes or at parties, it is also present in the daily life of a dance lover, Hoai added: "I am a white collar worker who spends 8 hours a day at the office, sometimes, I feel like I can not bear any more stress. However, since I started to dance Brazilian zouk, my life has become a lot more enjoyable. I refresh myself every day by making the head and the shoulder motions while brushing my teeth. Better still, I used to hate washing the dishes a lot but listening to zouk music has turned into a more exciting task. I can not thank zouk enough"..

Apart from zouk dance classes twice a week, zouk lovers can also have the opportunity to gather at sideline events such as workshops, flashmobs, and especially an annual event called “Z-factor” that includes the participation of zouk experts from Australia, Brazil, and Singapore. For couples, they can have another venue where they can show their love for each other. For single people, they can make friends and simply have a good time. Sharing a message about the dance from President Mai Van Binh is an ideal way to wrap up the story about zouk: Zouk is the dance for couples, the dance of love. Love here means love between people, love for music, a love for dancing, and above that the love for peace. Every year, the international zouk flashmob takes place worldwide on September 21, known as the international day of peace where people around the world together enjoy the same dance wishing for the most beautiful things that could ever happen.