Why "Beyond Zouk"
"Beyond Zouk" is designed to help participants, from all walks of life, explore movement and touch, in a fun and safe manner. Keeping the sensitivities of individuals in mind, in the context of a conservative Asian culture, the program aims to introduce dancers and non-dancers alike to the experience of deep human-to-human connection, through music and movement; but always in a way that is non-intimidating, and consent-based.
Join us on this journey of self-discovery. Learn about how you interact with other humans, both physically and mentally, and what your relationship with touch is. All partner exercises are conducted with a wonderful variety of songs that you can't help but move to. As consent is very important in building a safe environment, you will be asked for your permission, before any exercise involving touch commences.
P.S. Why the name "Beyond Zouk"? We discovered the magic of co-creation through the dance of Brazilian Zouk. But we found that the lessons we learned from this dance can be applied to areas of our life, beyond the dance itself. Beyond Zouk is not a dance workshop; it is a immersion program to explore how we connect to other humans.
The class has completely changed my perspective of partnering in partner dances! Jean's teaching strategy sets a very solid foundation for understanding leading and following. Her concepts of 'co-creation' and 'following the follow' has helped broaden my perspective in both dance and personal life. The depth of her teaching is truly one of a kind and will definitely be taken with me throughout my zouk (and life) journey! - Carin Lee
Jean teaches dance in a way that is absolutely unique. Nowhere in the world have I seen anyone make a whole class feel so comfortable, and make dancing feel so natural! I wish everyone could have this experience to understand what dance is really all about. - Kareem Shehata
Beyond Zouk is not really about zouk, in the best possible way. For me Jean touches the very foundation of why I dance — to move my body without insecurity nor ego, to connect to another dancer fully, to yearn to connect vulnerably and without shame or guilt. And finally, after all that, to connect in some little way, to the core of my own being. - Y. H.
Day 1 (Sat) - The Building Blocks
Tuning the body
We invite you to slow down from the busyness of this life, through a series of body-based exercises. Just like how we warm our bodies up before working out, these exercises will bring more awareness to our breathing, and prepare our spine, joints, and muscles for the day’s movement.
Consent & Boundaries
Diving into a topic that is essential but uncommon, we will introduce ways to open up continual conversation on navigating the requesting and giving of consent. We hope to empower participants, to own and express their boundaries with confidence while acknowledging those of others.
The Good Touch
Touch – another taboo topic, especially in this side of the world – is something that nourishes our minds and bodies. Think about how we feel when a loved one holds our hand, or gives us a hug: it is soothing, comforting, reassuring. In this module, we explore and breakdown the technicalities and intricacies of the touches we enjoy, and how touch can be separated from sexual connotations. We hope to empower participants to extend this practice into their various dance forms.
Day 2 (Sun) - Bringing It All Together
Co-creation & Play
With new awareness and connection to ourselves, we invite you to extend this exploration beyond the self. Through a series of partnered exercises, you are invited to connect with your partner, through visual, energetic, and kinesthetic modalities.
Building trust within our bodies & with-out
Exploring our relationship with touch can sometimes be confronting. As we take steps towards understanding this territory, we invite you to lean into this vulnerability through a series of trust exercises. These exercises will encourage us to listen to our bodies, as well as develop a sensitivity to how others respond to us physically.
Surrendering to music
Music: just a mere combination of sounds and frequencies. Just like touch, it has the ability to release oxytocin and encourage social bonds. Our final module invites us to pair our new-founded connectedness to our bodies, and to others, with music. Through a series of scaffolded activities, we invite you to experience the joys of co-creating movement with your partner, and with music as our third collaborator.
Notes to participants
Experiential Explorations
Modules in this immersion are conducted in the following format. We invite participants to immerse themselves as deeply as they can to reap the benefits of this experience.
Reflection upon the experience
Participants will be given some time to collect their thoughts and/or pen their thoughts post-activity.
Sharing of the reflection
Participants will be invited to share their reflections either in pairs, small groups, or with the whole class. (Participants can choose not to share should they not feel up to it at that moment.)
Facilitator
Jean Goh
With a Masters in School Psychology, Jean has a deep interest in understanding how people learn. Since 2004, she has applied her knowledge and been a community leader in the Singapore Latin dance scene (Salsa, Bachata, Rueda, Brazilian Zouk).
After running a successful dance school for 12 years, she decided to focus on delving deeper into the art of Brazilian Zouk. It was through this dance that she discovered new ways of connecting with people, through movement and music, that resulted in a level of synergy and enjoyment that she had not experienced before.
Since 2018, Jean has been studying this phemonema of deep connection through the dance, seeking knowledge from other Brazilian Zouk artistes who practise a similar style. Her research has culminated in the 8-hour program known as "Beyond Zouk".
Since it's introduction, the Beyond Zouk program has met with great success, and participants have been astonished at the level of connection they could attain, with individuals that they had no pre-existing relationship with.