Fantastic performer, Sandeep Samuel advise us to pursue to be both a good leader and a follower. ( Which Kazouk totally agree!)
1. You are nominated by Mr Antonio from Spain as a special zouker, would you tell me what is the relation with My Antonio from Spain and you and how did you know each other?
Firstly, it’s really an honour hearing such kind words from Antonio, he is really an amazing person with such a warm heart, a crazy friend and one inspiring teacher. I met Antonio at the Zouk ME festival in 2012, I barely knew him and he was helping me in a complicated M-Zouk move that was in my show with Samantha Ho. After hearing a lot about him and M-Zouk Style from Samantha, I was quite curious to try it out at Antonio’s class; listening to him teaching and explaining the little details is when I immediately fell in love with the style. Besides this… it was just cool to see another hardcore rocker on the dance floor. We again met and trained together in Spain at the first Zouk Devils Weekend festival (…one of the best festivals I’ve ever been too yet) and again at Zouk ME 2013. One can learn so much from him just through conversations…and not only in Zouk…hence, by far Antonio is my favourite instructor and an inspiring leader…I am very sure I am not the only one who says it too.
2 .When you started zouk and why? Why do you love zouk? What kind of zouk activity do you enjoy currently?
I started Zouk around June 2011, I was 6 months into Salsa where I am still confused what my feet were doing and was struggling to catch the beat. One my first inspiration
of Zouk was Ali Bacana; I walked into the studio to find him dancing Zouk with Virag Wolherr. I quietly sat on the floor and watched them glide across the room… apart from having my jaw wide open, I was amazed and determined to learn this style. My first basic lesson was in a car driving to the Zouk social, Ali literally held his hands above the wheel and said “Ok!...so this is your feet, the basic is Tum, Tak Tak, Tum, Tak Tak…easy right?!”.
Apart from being mesmerized by the Dubai Zoukers, the bass in the music, versatility of the dance and of course the hair wiping…I really have to say it was the people in the Zouk community (Local & Abroad) that got me addicted to Zouk; I must admit it was their individual energies that fuelled me. They were warm, welcoming, fun and really pushed me to learn more and more. Zouk really was the best medium to bond with these dancers, more than dancing the style itself and being able to express myself freely…I was looking forward to having a chance of sharing some great connections and energy with the people on the dance floor; they made me feel at home. More importantly…Samantha Ho has really been a major driver that really pushed me beyond my expectation, without her I would really be nothing, I can never thank her enough for her role in my life; I am proud to be her student and a friend. Currently, I enjoy teaching Zouk with my team Zouk Elements and try giving the students what Zouk gave us….Happiness and freedom of expression.
3. Please tell us about your passions in life apart from Zouk and any ambition or goal in your life (Or policy or motto)
If you take dancing away from me…I will just be a normal guy…probably playing a lot of video games lol. Dancing defines me, it has always been a huge part of my life ever since I was a kid…from pretending to be Michael Jackson with socks on my hands and dancing on tables at home to choreographing and performing on stage. Apart from Zouk & Latin dancing, before I used to be part of and formed several dance crews from Bollywood to Hiphop; I always enjoyed performing in several events. I did at one point during university days play bass/guitar for couple of bands; definitely would like to resume that one day. One of my goals is to never stop learning and exploring dance styles and to keep doing what I love…regardless of the circumstances. Other than that I have huge appreciation for Art in any form.
4. Do you have daily job? (If only you do not mind telling us)
Weirdly… a lot of people think I dance full time but I work for an Account Manager for a Canadian based firm that specialises in Safety Services in the Oil and Gas Sector. Well, yeah…that’s what I do…I enjoy the challenges. This is going to sound weird but I’ll say it anyway, I think other dancers can relate…I do feel like batman sometimes at work. During the day it’s all formal and serious…and by night I put on my piercings and change everything on the way I look and behave; it’s probably the reason why people think I dance full time.
5. Any particular message for zoukers?(or any advice to zokers)
Pursue to be a both a good leader and follower, trust me it will definitely pay off. I really enjoy dancing as a girl, I think girls have a lot of fun in Zouk and this really helped me to learn and understand how to lead better, knowing how the girl would feel. It’s a lot fun when you can switch roles during the dance.
Also, keep dancing with your beginners…be patient with them and just make sure they have a good time…make them smile. That’s this one thing I still have respect
for my senior dancers when I started… they were all so patient with me, advised me well and kept smiling… even when I was trying to show off my “cool moves”. All of us know what’s it like to be a struggling beginner, and that might as well make their dancing journey easier and fun. You never know who this beginner will turn out to be…and believe me…they will remember how you made them feel.
6. Please nominate a great zoker with interesting profile in your circle but in different country please? And tell us reason why he or she deserve to be a special zouker?
This is probably one of the toughest questions…I had this on my mind for days but one name always kept ringing back in my head. I’d like to nominate Noora Kykkanen from Finland. Noora really made a strong impact in my Zouk life and shared one of the most memorable dances that is till the date irreplaceable. That very memory is a popular story I tell the students and try my best to give them the same feeling I had.
Noora is not only an amazing gracious dancer that gives her all to her partner in the first five seconds but is also extending her boundaries in yoga, ballet and cross country learning, to not only make herself a better dancer but to actively elevate the dance scene in her region. I do respect her a lot for this and she is just a person with a good soul to be around with or talk to. I definitely think she would be the perfect person to share some interesting views for Kazouk.
7. Apart from these questions, please feel free to describe something important to feature about you, as we will edit.
I really don’t know what to say here to I’ll just give a few points about me.
1. I have a weird obsession with scarfs.
2. I really enjoy making people laugh…feel like it’s the best way to see them as its music to my ears. If I need to make an extra effort for that it’s totally worth the result.
3. Give me coffee first thing in the morning and no one gets hurt.
4. Music is not only my passion but also my therapist…I cant seem to go anywhere without my headphones.
5. I love bonsais…
I’d like to thank Kazouk and Kazuyo Hamilton for being so patient and allowing me to share a small part of my story. It’s such a great idea to connect Zoukers from around the world and learn from their stories. I wish you all the success; Zouk Elements has your support.
Finally, I hope to see and share some crazy wild moments with you at the ZOUK ME’s 4th Zouk and Latin Festival in U.A.E. I promise you it will be an endless number of pre & after parties. It will definitely be an experience to remember.
http://2014.zouk-me.com/
Lastly, thank you so much for taking time and agreeing to be featured in kazouk.
I am sure, many people would be interested in knowing you more and your connection worldwide will more expand.
Thank you very much for taking so much your precious time for Kazouk and shareing your story with full of love. I can see you are very popular among all kinds of people let along zouk ladies.
I wish you very success both on your future and for zouk Me's 4th zouk and latin festival in U.A.E!!!