What is a Zoukation?
A Zoukation is an opportunity to work directly with top tier instructors in an intimate, small group setting
so that you can learn intensive material progressively.
If you want to enhance your dance skills, make some new friends, and discover the charms of an exotic new location,
then you will enjoy a Zoukation. Whether you are a beginner or a pro, the experience of working closely with
these exceptional instructors help you see true improvement in your technique and broaden your creativity in a retainable format.
People really speak a lot about the amazing friendships that they formed while on zoukation.
You will do a lot of dancing but it is not ALL dancing.
We place most of your classes in the afternoons or evenings
so that you have your days free to explore and adventure on the gorgeous orchid isle of Hawaii.
Each day offers you opportunities to hike to a waterfall, lounge at the beach, swim, snorkel, dive, cliff jump, slackline, zipline, surf,
try archery in the forest, get a massage, go deep sea fishing, visit the volcano or the snow on Mauna Kea or go shopping...
you may join the group or do your own thing- it's up to you.
Some of the optional activities may require a fee to participate.
A Zoukation is an opportunity to work directly with top tier instructors in an intimate, small group setting
so that you can learn intensive material progressively.
If you want to enhance your dance skills, make some new friends, and discover the charms of an exotic new location,
then you will enjoy a Zoukation. Whether you are a beginner or a pro, the experience of working closely with
these exceptional instructors help you see true improvement in your technique and broaden your creativity in a retainable format.
People really speak a lot about the amazing friendships that they formed while on zoukation.
You will do a lot of dancing but it is not ALL dancing.
We place most of your classes in the afternoons or evenings
so that you have your days free to explore and adventure on the gorgeous orchid isle of Hawaii.
Each day offers you opportunities to hike to a waterfall, lounge at the beach, swim, snorkel, dive, cliff jump, slackline, zipline, surf,
try archery in the forest, get a massage, go deep sea fishing, visit the volcano or the snow on Mauna Kea or go shopping...
you may join the group or do your own thing- it's up to you.
Some of the optional activities may require a fee to participate.
About past instructors...
Solange Dias is one of the world’s most highly recognised dancers and choreographers of Zouk-Lambada. She is from Porto Seguro, Brazil, where Lambada originates. Qualified with the UK Alliance, she has been teaching and performing internationally for 15 years and has appeared numerous times on television. A leading figure in the Zouk-Lambada world, she is known for her original, sensual style and the passionate energy she brings to the dance.
Solange was a performer and consultant on Strictly Dance Fever 2005 and 2006. She has appeared in many music videos including Basement Jazz, March Almond, Victor Manuel, Miramundo and on television with Simply Red. She has been teaching and performing Zouk-Lambada internationally for 15 years at all the major international Zouk-Lambada congresses including Brazil, Australia, Argentina, Israel, Los Angeles, Sweden, Barcelona, Italy and Amsterdam. She has won both the world 1995 Lambada Championship and the 2001 Salsa Championship. She is an experienced Samba performer and it teaches every week at DanceWorks. She is involved with many international projects and has worked with schools, theatre, film and television. She realised a dream to produce a ladies styling DVD in 2012.
Solange’s passion for Zouk-Lambada is evident in both her teaching style and in her powerful performances. She has an ability to both encourage and inspire her students whilst commanding focus and commitment. She is dedicated to promoting and developing Zouk-Lambada worldwide, and is the co-founder of Zouk-Lambada UK, along with her husband and dance partner Joseph Koniak. Solange and her husband created the first ZoukLambada teacher’s training course from which 3 teachers are currently teaching in the UK. The husband and wife team are also co-founders of the UK annual Zoukfest event!
Solange was a performer and consultant on Strictly Dance Fever 2005 and 2006. She has appeared in many music videos including Basement Jazz, March Almond, Victor Manuel, Miramundo and on television with Simply Red. She has been teaching and performing Zouk-Lambada internationally for 15 years at all the major international Zouk-Lambada congresses including Brazil, Australia, Argentina, Israel, Los Angeles, Sweden, Barcelona, Italy and Amsterdam. She has won both the world 1995 Lambada Championship and the 2001 Salsa Championship. She is an experienced Samba performer and it teaches every week at DanceWorks. She is involved with many international projects and has worked with schools, theatre, film and television. She realised a dream to produce a ladies styling DVD in 2012.
Solange’s passion for Zouk-Lambada is evident in both her teaching style and in her powerful performances. She has an ability to both encourage and inspire her students whilst commanding focus and commitment. She is dedicated to promoting and developing Zouk-Lambada worldwide, and is the co-founder of Zouk-Lambada UK, along with her husband and dance partner Joseph Koniak. Solange and her husband created the first ZoukLambada teacher’s training course from which 3 teachers are currently teaching in the UK. The husband and wife team are also co-founders of the UK annual Zoukfest event!
JEREMEY ADAM REY
I started dancing when I was 8 years old. It started as a Michael Jackson impersonation at a school talent show and from there I was the talk of the school in the 5th grade. That’s when the career of Jeremey Adam Rey started. I was always dancing with the other kids who lived near me and always going to little dance battles they had in the lobby’s of some apartments and we would just have a blast with just a radio and we would not hold back our dancing. It was all or none. I felt so confident in this hip hop dancing that I thought I could master every other dance out there. so I thought it would be a good idea to start taking it upon myself to learn the art of dancing outside of hip hop. In the 8th grade I took it upon myself to join the American ballroom dance theater company where I learned ballroom dancing. Which consisted of all ballroom dances such as Waltz, Viennese Waltz, Foxtrot, Tango, Rhumba, Salsa, Mambo, Cha Cha, as well as Swing Dancing. Trained by Xavier Auza in the ballroom dance instructor. Thanks to the guidance of Xavier, Xavier introduced me to a company named The Rod Rodgers Dance Company. I enrolled in The Rod Rodgers Dance Company and learned a whole new world of dance. I learned Ballet, Jazz, West African, Traditional Haitian and Modern dancing. I later became hypnotized by the new sensational dance Brazilian Zouk. Soon became a new hit sensation in the Zouk Scene in New York city. But I wasn’t satisfied, I wanted to know if there was a way to put the partnering dance and the independent arts together into one dance, or at least do a performance where I can have the excitement of dancing with someone but still shine by myself. So as I gradually progressed in my dancing I met a man named Sekou McMiller . A man who thought I had the amazing ability to adapt to anything I out my mind to and thought I would be a great and prideful member of his team. I was soon a member of the Sekou McMiller Dance company and my whole world was blown away when I found out you can fuse two different styles of dance together. When I heard you can put latin dancing and street jazz together. I WAS SOLD! I got the greatest experience being in the SMC. I learned latin street jazz, latin jazz, Afro Cuban, street salsa, New York salsa, and from then I started my dancing career with a partner in crime, and started competing in salsa competitions, traveling to Canada, Houston Texas, Orlando florida, Toronto, Miami, Seattle, and Charlotte North Carolina. But I don’t compete anymore for I am teaching and performing Hip Hop , Salsa, Acrobatics, ballroom dancing , body movement and body isolations. I am now performing for artist’s such as Victor Manuelle and performing around the united states sharing and teaching the knowledge that I gained and take so much pride and sharing it with those who want the same knowledge and are willing to take this power of adaptation into their own hands. |
MARIE ALONZO SNYDER
Marie Alonzo is the founder and artistic director of Tangerine Dance Collective, a modern dancer, choreographer, scholar and educator. Born in the Philippines, Marie was raised in Italy and eventually settled in New York City attending New York University's Tisch School of the Arts earning her BFA and MFA in Dance. She has performed and toured with HT Chen & Dancers, Asian American Dance Theater, Hikari Baba Dancers, Second Avenue Dance Co., Maude Baum & Co., and performed works by Don Redlich, Ruby Shang, Joan Finkelstein, Cliff Keuter, Remy Charlip, James Cunningham, Yung Yung Tsuai, and Rozalind Newman. Since 1986 Marie’s works have been presented in New York, Princeton and throughout the United States and Canada. She has also been produced several times by the Chen Dance Center/Mulberry Street Theatre, NYC and commissioned by Ear to the Ground Series, supported by the Jerome Foundation. Marie is a founding member of the West Windsor Arts Council and in 2004 she co-founded the “I’ll have what she’s having…” Dance Project, a dance cooperative of NJ 40Up women choreographers. Marie also earned her EdD from Teachers College, Columbia University. As a scholar Marie has presented papers at conferences and classes at Texas Women’s University, Teachers College, Michigan State University, the University of Quebec, Princeton University, Barnard College, University of the Philippines, University of North Carolina, Raritan Valley Community College and Rider University. In 2009 she performed at the Lincoln Center Festival with Shen Wei Dance Arts as guest dancer. Also a certified Classical Pilates, American DanceWheels Foundation and ZoukNY instructor, Marie is on the faculty of Princeton Dance and Theater Studio and an adjunct at The College of New Jersey. Marie is Program Director for DanceVision, bringing quality dance education to the central NJ community. She has facilitated the collaboration with The Parkinson Alliance in bringing to the community Princeton Dance for Parkinson's, a special class for people with Parkinson's Disease. Her works have been presented at the 92nd St Y, Dance New Amsterdam, Dance Steps, Miami Salsa Congress, Philadelphia SalsaFest, LA Zouk Congress, New Jersey Performing Arts Center, NJ State Theater, Trenton War Memorial, Morristown Theater and Loree Dance Theater. |
STAR BOLTON
Stephanie Bolton discovered belly dancing when she was 17 years old and it has been a passion in her life ever since. She loves to share the intriguing history and aesthetics of this dance art that fascinate her so. Creator of the Nouveau Gypsy BellyDance troupe and format.
In 2011 she was certified to teach SEEDs which is a teen mentoring dance program created by Myra Krien. SEEDs stands for Self-Esteem, Empowerment, and Education through Dance and is an amazing rite of passage that teaches young women how to cultivate their talents and develop physical and emotional well being. She has incorporated her love of the visual arts & costuming into her Hawaii based version of the program called Incense.
Featured on the cover of two different UK BellyDance magazines (Mosaic & Majency), Stephanie's artwork has been featured in several Dance and Fine Art publications and she is a contributing writer and illustrator for Fuse: a tribal and tribal fusion belly dance magazine. Discover more here: http://nouveaugypsybellydance.weebly.com
Stephanie Bolton discovered belly dancing when she was 17 years old and it has been a passion in her life ever since. She loves to share the intriguing history and aesthetics of this dance art that fascinate her so. Creator of the Nouveau Gypsy BellyDance troupe and format.
In 2011 she was certified to teach SEEDs which is a teen mentoring dance program created by Myra Krien. SEEDs stands for Self-Esteem, Empowerment, and Education through Dance and is an amazing rite of passage that teaches young women how to cultivate their talents and develop physical and emotional well being. She has incorporated her love of the visual arts & costuming into her Hawaii based version of the program called Incense.
Featured on the cover of two different UK BellyDance magazines (Mosaic & Majency), Stephanie's artwork has been featured in several Dance and Fine Art publications and she is a contributing writer and illustrator for Fuse: a tribal and tribal fusion belly dance magazine. Discover more here: http://nouveaugypsybellydance.weebly.com
AARON KALANI DUNCAN
We are so, so, so lucky to have Aaron Kalani Duncan offering some optional morning yoga classes to our Zoukation schedule.
One of the Big Island's most detailed and intuitive yoga instructors, Aaron guides you on an invigorating flow of intricate sequences that open and challenge the body. His spiritual insights and humorous approach will have your heart laughing and soul smiling by the time you finish. Ask him about slack-lining on the Big Island.
"Over the course of the last 24 years I have enjoyed the many salubrious ( health giving ) benefits of yoga. Drawing from personal life experience my classes include a variety of asana styles, pranayama exercises, and meditation aimed at opening ones body and self-awareness."
We are so, so, so lucky to have Aaron Kalani Duncan offering some optional morning yoga classes to our Zoukation schedule.
One of the Big Island's most detailed and intuitive yoga instructors, Aaron guides you on an invigorating flow of intricate sequences that open and challenge the body. His spiritual insights and humorous approach will have your heart laughing and soul smiling by the time you finish. Ask him about slack-lining on the Big Island.
"Over the course of the last 24 years I have enjoyed the many salubrious ( health giving ) benefits of yoga. Drawing from personal life experience my classes include a variety of asana styles, pranayama exercises, and meditation aimed at opening ones body and self-awareness."
ROBYN CHANCE
We are also excited to announce that we have the uber talented Robyn Chance joining us for this special week! She dances, she paints, she models, and is just an altogether DELIGHT to be around- you will definitely enjoy spending some time with this unique and sweet lady! She will be sharing some special surprise extras to our itinerary that you won't want to miss!
Although she was told she wouldn’t become successful without a college degree and couldn’t model at five foot three (with crooked teeth and a crooked nose), she continued learning, imagining and developing herself with little attention to the system’s limitations. Within a decade of leaving high school, she became a Nationally-published glamour model, Creative Director to over one-hundred photo and video shoots, an MTV music video vixen, Co-founded R-tress Designs, Chance Gallerie and became a Nationally-acclaimed Salsa and Bachata dance performer and instructor. She holds a sacred responsibility in bridging the worlds of beauty and entertainment together and allows herself to be a billboard for conscious living. Robyn has played multiple roles in her professional career: dance team director, creative director, set designer, painter, makeup artist, model, vocalist, actress, dancer, dance instructor and choreographer.
We are also excited to announce that we have the uber talented Robyn Chance joining us for this special week! She dances, she paints, she models, and is just an altogether DELIGHT to be around- you will definitely enjoy spending some time with this unique and sweet lady! She will be sharing some special surprise extras to our itinerary that you won't want to miss!
Although she was told she wouldn’t become successful without a college degree and couldn’t model at five foot three (with crooked teeth and a crooked nose), she continued learning, imagining and developing herself with little attention to the system’s limitations. Within a decade of leaving high school, she became a Nationally-published glamour model, Creative Director to over one-hundred photo and video shoots, an MTV music video vixen, Co-founded R-tress Designs, Chance Gallerie and became a Nationally-acclaimed Salsa and Bachata dance performer and instructor. She holds a sacred responsibility in bridging the worlds of beauty and entertainment together and allows herself to be a billboard for conscious living. Robyn has played multiple roles in her professional career: dance team director, creative director, set designer, painter, makeup artist, model, vocalist, actress, dancer, dance instructor and choreographer.
About Orchid Isle Manor...
Mauna Lea Manor is a beautiful 5 acre estate nestled on the slopes of Hualalai volcano on the Kona (West) side of the Big Island of Hawai'i.
Here there are 4 cottages where visitors can stay and enjoy cool, comfortable nights and warm, sunny days. |
Here are some photos of the Manor house and cottages, art studio and dance studio: Heaven.
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Each visitor's cottage is equipped with 5 beds, tv, kitchenette, outdoor bbq, bathroom and covered lanai (patio).
There are only the sounds of nature to greet you. Just a 15 minute drive away from the coastal town of Kailua-Kona or Keahou and 7 minutes from the Holualoa artists' village. |