Why Every Brazilian Zouk Dancer Needs To Learn A Solo Dance

26 July 2026 · dance

As part of my journey, one thing that accelerated my growth as a dancer in terms of balance, technique, confidence, and musicality was learning to solo dance.

Yes, I’ve dabbled in solo dances a little over the first 12 years of my dancing journey (I even wrote about practising Zouk solo back in 2017!), but the game changer was learning to dance with my own body better.

When I decided to step back from the Brazilian Zouk community, after about a year of rest, my body was itching to dance… but I never felt ready to go back to Brazilian Zouk. That was when I decided to explore solo dances.

Six Months of “Beginner” Classes

I went and joined so many classes in London, spending a good 6 months trying to find fundamental classes, ranging from heels, to pole dancing, to commercial, vogue, K-pop, afrobeats and hip hop. Every class marketed as beginners wasn’t beginners. There was no explanation of the names of the moves, how they work, where they came from and why. It was just another choreo class disguised as beginners, doing copy and paste moves with no reasoning. That’s not what I was looking for, because those will not teach you how to dance well and become a better dancer. I am seeking knowledge and truth, not copy and paste dancing.

Take My Money

The struggle ended one day at Base Dance Studios. I went to a hip hop class, and afterwards they said they were starting a course on how to dance hip hop and afrobeats that focuses on building the fundamentals. I was immediately sold, take my money! The course started the next day by the way lol.

The course I joined was with a community group called Not Just Hip Hop (NJHH), doing their Level 1, which was a 10-week course every Tuesday at Flow Studio (aka Unit 3) at Oval, London.

It was intense, but yummy intense. I got to learn Hip Hop and Afrobeats, which complemented each other so well. It wasn’t just about learning the basic moves, but also the history and culture, timing and weight transfers, musicality structure, how to count the layers, and the techniques and body mechanics that go along with it. The last 3 weeks focused on building a performance, which we had to perform at their Christmas event, on stage in front of a crowd.

I was so proud of that performance, since I’ve never been the type who likes to be the centre of attention. But it was the hard work and the journey that made me feel proud, along with the people who walked this journey alongside me.

Signing Up To Two Levels at Once

I was so ecstatic that the next term, I signed up to both Level 2 and Level 1 again. It was mad because I was the first person to sign up to both levels at the same time. And if someone asked if I would do that again… probably not! Why? 1.5 hours each class, times two, which was 3 hours straight of intense training with no breaks. Each session was already a workout and felt like leg day at the gym (which everyone hates). I lost so much weight during that period of time, but my legs are so much stronger now.

They do have a Level 3, but I still feel I’ve got so much to practice and enough material to last me a few years. So I still meet up with the NJHH crew and students occasionally, and I still practice my Hip Hop and Afrobeats regularly, and I’ve been experimenting and integrating it into my Brazilian Zouk dance and movements.

Three Years On

It’s been 3 years, and I can see how much progress I’ve made. My legs are stronger, and my technique and musicality have improved significantly, so much that even I notice the changes.

So there you go. I can proudly say that Hip Hop and Afrobeats have become my solo repertoire, alongside the partner dance Brazilian Zouk.

My Honest Take

It doesn’t matter what solo dance you choose, you should pick one. Whether it’s contemporary, street dance, hip hop, afrobeats, reggaeton, samba, heels, etc. I recommend everyone who is learning Brazilian Zouk to also go and take some solo dances, and I highly suggest the Not Just Hip Hop courses. You can just thank me later, or buy me a pint, after seeing how it can transform you into a better dancer overall!