"I don't believe this person, they can really follow what this guy wants. I think they are guessing." That's Vanessa on why she started Brazilian Zouk, after fifteen years of ballet, jazz and contemporary.
If you have a job you like and a dance you love, and you keep running the numbers at two in the morning, this one is for you.
Iago was teaching mathematics in Campinas when Nina told him, "If you wanna be with me, you gotta dance." The pandemic shut his school, and when it reopened he said, "Well, good luck for you guys. I'm not coming back."
I sat with both of them in person, and this half is about who they were before the stage.
What we get into:
→ Vanessa doing continuous turns with Philip Miha and hearing "You are not following me." She found out years later he was right, because her ballet was supplying the momentum.
→ Nobody jumped without a net. Daniel Darbello gave Iago a room with no rent, and Vanessa's dad said "if you can't, you have a home." Mine was kebab shops.
→ My advice on going full time is six to twelve months of savings, or build the dance income on the side until it matches what you already earn.
→ Iago on living together 24/7: "it's a marriage." They were never dating, which he calls a golden rule, and I've done that once and I don't recommend it.
The big takeaway: The time of life is the most precious thing we have to offer, so when someone chooses to dance with you, receive them with all the care you can.
What did you give up to keep dancing? Tell us in the comments.
Chapters:
00:00 Opening highlights
01:48 Meeting Vanessa Meirelles and Iago Hassuike
03:08 Why a ballet dancer didn't believe in following
05:42 From a math classroom to quitting the school
08:16 How the partnership actually started
11:16 The five-year plan that happened in two
13:04 The safety net that made going full time possible
16:14 Why a dance career is a whole different monster
19:34 The circles of information in a dance scene
21:53 Living together 24/7, and the golden rule
23:54 Travelling the world and still being alone
26:56 Why their partnership worked when others don't
29:48 Dance first or structure first: two ways to learn
32:08 The rule that settles every disagreement
34:03 The class that keeps a teacher awake at night
36:45 How to actually let a compliment land
38:43 The math student who came back crying
41:11 Their advice, and what's coming in part two
Guests: Vanessa Meirelles and Iago Hassuike, Lambada and Brazilian Zouk artists from São Paulo. Hosted by Alisson Sandi.
ZoukNerds: https://www.zouknerds.com/
Alisson Sandi: https://www.alissonsandi.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zouk.nerds/
Episode: S06 Ep20 | ZoukNerds Podcast
