Attitude & Communication During Partner Dance Practice

The approach will make the landing! What are your expectations? Think before you get into the space.
Do you talk about what you are noticing while you’re dancing, or talk about it afterwards? Both are good & lead to different results.

Go for neutral & constructive language 

Use exploratory & questioning language to talk to each other. You are here to support each other in your dance practice.

Sentences that work well

• What did you expect there? 
• That didn’t seem to quite work, what were you trying to do? 
• I felt x. What did you feel? 
• Is there something I could be doing differently? 
• Read: Not saying “what am I doing wrong?”
• Notice, Feel, Huh, What?, Different, Why?

Feedback “Trees” & “Seeds”

Trees are things that you are already really good at. Seeds are things that need a little nurturing and will eventually turn into trees. It sounds super cheesy, but it’s actually a pretty awesome way to talk to your friends.

Working on Trees. Find cool stuff.

• I like that! Let’s do that again. 
• Do the thing intentionally and with quality. Make it even better. 
• Diversify/find new things
• Find new ways of doing the same things. 
• Oo! What if we did this here? What if you went around instead of straight?
• Change a small thing and see what happens.

Working on Seeds. Making stuff better.

• I didn’t quite feel comfortable in that one part/it was surprising for me. Can you repeat that?Follow/lead it in several different ways. See what is interesting. Talk about it.
• That doesn’t seem to be working for me - why do you think that is? Do you notice something I could be doing differently?

Be Present

• Treat studio space & practice time as sacred - you don’t get to do this very often. 
• Stay present in the moment. 
• Try to keep discussions shorter and to the point. Nix tangents not related to what you’re working on.

I adapted these gems from a doc originally by Emilio Estevez & Flouer Evelyn At Recess Massive 2016.

Fountain Arms and Legs

A dancing fountain a la the Bellagio in Las Vegas is a perfect visual analogy of how to move your extremities in ballet (the link will take you to a wonderful example of what I'm talking about)! Energy initiating from the core. One hundred percent energy shooting out from root to tip. Limb bending organically with the joint closest to the center leading the motion. A terminal spray of fingers or toes completing the line with both strength, delicacy, and a continuity of line. I say and think these things all the time with slightly different picture representations. The most common ones my ballet teachers have used are of moving your limbs through water or pudding or molasses. Marc Brewer has a workshop on "organic styling" and uses visuals of trees. This analogy is both very Bruce Lee and very high tech. "Be water" is very old. Be a synthesized synchronized dancing fountain concert is very new. We often say water dances. Zenzouk master Ry'El has observed that water is the easiest element for me to adopt, my go to way of moving. But oh! to move with the strength of a shooting moving sprinkler system!

Mahina gentleness

One or two "Not So Secrets" of Mahina Hong's leading: If a follow is stiffening up, it may be to protect themselves from forceful leading. Please increase gentleness if you feel a follow is stiffening.

Please keep in mind follower's comfort and flexibility range is different for every person and can even differ for every person throughout the course of one day.

We are learning to connect and use our bodies in ways that we might not be practiced at. Sometimes it will be awkward and sometimes we will make mistakes. Please be sensitive to this process.

This dance was sooo frikkin fun! I think it's not a coincidence that the youtube url is "K joys!" My favorite part is Mahina's faces. WHO IS AFRAID OF DIRECT UNBLINKING EYE CONTACT?!

Tracking and Quantifying Progress

Maybe you're studying, taking classes, taking private lessons, attending workshops, travelling to festivals, but you are still feeling stuck in your dancing? Quantifying your achievements, whatever they are, is one way to start looking on the bright side.  Even if you aren't getting better on a linear vertical scale, you are at least going sideways! Self reflection and assessment over time is measurable and achievable. Are you shaping your time so you are living the life of your dreams? Give yourself a win. 

One Year Ago Today

This originally wasn't public, but it was meant to be, and it's one year later now, so shoots. Earlier this year I made the goal of taking other people's classes, and of training in more forms of movement. I was feeling stuck. I'm back to feeling a bit stuck when I dance zouk, but I know I'm developing as a teacher and training in pole and acro! I've never quantified this in terms of number of hours before, but as an always-somewhat-overachiever, it's satisfying to think of it in terms of numbers. An average week for me by the hour is

40 Desk Job
17.5-27 Dancing
7.5 Teaching Honolulu Zouk Team & Classes
6-7.5 Taking Polearity Classes
2-6 Social Dancing
2 Acro Gym Free Time Training
3 Burlesque until 7 weeks ago
And sometimes I take a contemporary, samba, CI, lyra, or other random
2-5 Magnetic Moments

This year I will have travelled to zouk events in Toronto, Seattle, and New York, and participated in 2 congresses in Hawaii. Completed a teacher training in Canada and won 2nd in the Pro-Am in Seattle. Family trip to Spain and NYC.

Honolulu Zouk will have hosted in 2017 nine artists: Peter Wright, Biki, Brad Meccia, Rachel Meth, Leo & Catherine, Mazouka, Marc Brewer, Layssa Liebscher, Michael Demski, and who knows what's coming later. Our own Mahina & Josh became official Honolulu Zouk teachers.

Honolulu Zouk produced a 45-minute show of over a dozen routines. New choreographies include a slew of solos, a twerk-tutting-zouk routine, and a team of twoscore people performing the International Zouk Flashmob.

I've never been injured so frequently (I guess that happens when you are over 30 and you take up pole dancing). After quantifying how much time I've been doing pole classes since February, I feel disappointed that I'm not better by this time. All the injuries have meant I've had to skip a lot of classes!

I could develop our scene more by teaching private lessons and going out social dancing more often. I'm doing well on the latter but still avoiding privates. Maybe one day when I am more semi-retired.

I could develop my own dancing more by leading more socially, by working on a solo performance of either pole or floorwork/acrobatics combined with dance, and by taking a variety of different classes. This week I am going to try a new contemporary teacher, and go to jiu jitsu and muay thai for the first time. I have half-formed thoughts of lyrical zouky partnerwork, and waterfeeling-based partner performance work.

Today

I had locked the post above up in social media and knew it would return to me. Life hasn't changed much since then.  If I were to write the same post today, it would look like this:  I am on the path of cross training different dances and I love it. Pole classes are still too few and far between, but my body has gotten more comfortable with the pole, and I have learned a few tricks for working with the pole as a partner just as how as a child I had to learn to work with the floor as a dancer. I no longer give myself as many pole bruises, although a week after I wrote my "one year ago" post, I sprained a toe, and I have tweaked out my shoulder several times because of pole. Knock on wood I still haven't been injured because of zouk! I still feel stuck and like I am possibly backsliding in my zouk, despite a renewed fervor for private lessons and workshops for a few months, I don't know how to improve anymore. I've downshifted my zouk teaching responsibilities. Acrobatics and inversions have been mostly self taught, and I know I don't have the discipline to become amazing on my own, but taking up ballet again a few months ago has helped quite a bit with strength and balance. Ballet as a student and teacher has been my dancing mental joy these past few months. I have also traveled and hosted more zouk events than ever before in my life. Making truly comfortable friendships is slow going for me, but I am proud to say it has happened and that I am slightly more comfortable interacting with people on a non-physical-movement level. Sometimes.

Weekly (The Dancing Hours are usually more, because every weekend we have special events!)

40 Hours Desk Job (in actuality, less)

7.25 Teaching

     1.25 Ballet

     3 Partnerwork Choreography

     1 Solo Choreography

     2 Zouk Technique

1.5 Social Dancing

0-10 Taking Class

     0-3 Taking Ballet Class

     0-6 taking Pole Classes

     0-3 Training in Acro

     0-1 Stretching

My teaching load has lightened, and I now feel quite competent teaching zouk technique for follows. I am thankful I have three other very competent teachers at Honolulu Zouk. Teaching ballet has been a pleasure since I started in June. 

Training and taking class is delightful because it is all optional, and I have a little more choice in life and therefore a little more capacity for feeling like I am opting in, rather than forced to be anywhere.

Since one year ago, I have traveled to 11 stops in the Viking Homelands. I have attended 4 major zouk events in San Francisco, Hawaii Island, Seattle, New York.  I have been involved with teaching and or planning three major local festivals. I have competed in three zouk JnJ competitions but never made finals in the intermediate division. I completed the ZenZouk Fundamentals I Teacher Training.

Since one year ago, I have hosted Honolulu workshops with 13 Artists: Marc Brewer, Michael Demski, Ry'El & Jessica, Brad Meccia x 2, Christina Montoya, Peter Wright, Ben Sodenkamp, Lena Simiesz, Thayna & Leo, Evelyn Magyari & Derrick. I have also hosted several sets of non dance teacher house guests.

We have kept our weekly Honolulu Zouk Sunday social going every week, and introduced a new and successful monthly event on Second Thursdays.

I have choreographed an acro zouk group routine, Hottie Heels Sex & Candy, and The Miss Fatty Project, which is about to debut this weekend. I forced myself to choreograph styles I am not necessarily the most expert in to train myself on them. I co-choreographed a beginning zouk routine with Josh. With Josh I also taught three of the four International Zouk Flashmobs, about to debut next weekend. I created a contemporary acro zouk duet with Mahina, but never performed it, and have not created a solo for myself since my salsa competition pieces in 2012. 

I still want to make a solo for myself. I still want to do a pole performance some day. I still want to create a flowy group piece.

I am still not teaching private lessons as much as I should. I have taught a few. 

Goals

Instead of keeping goals pent up in your head, try writing them down. Then try telling the world about the goal to keep you honest and on track! Rereading the list later is a great refresher and motivator. Keep the goals concrete and measurable when you create them. (Be able to do this skill three times in a row and hold it for five seconds, for example, instead of just "do this skill). Taking group classes? Keep your goals in mind and add them to your work during the class (See my recommendations for how to get the most out of class in this post, "How to Take a Dance Class")

Here is a list I wrote down a few weeks ago. I can't wait for the satisfying feeling of crossing some items off the list.

Goals of Kimberly

Constant awareness of balletic posture, esp while sitting.
Always be stretching or strengthening. Lacrosse ball.
-Do handstand wall walks and and handstand pike/arch on wall every time I am at Polearity to improve shoulder strength

Zouk

better balance and constant leg/knee flexion in zouk, wider stance
Feel as on balance and elegant social dancing in high heels as flats
Nail every time it is led competently one footed spins in zouk (hold that arm! At a strong diagonal right in front of me. Do not let it cross or open too much. close chest and pelvis, go with the lead, hand more open half moon and stable).
Ability to sensitively and dynamically follow crazy fast stuff T&L style
Better hollowness sensitivity more of the time. Not stretching legs in raul.
get better at figure 8 backwards
Train off axis exits
Train travelling vs on the spot roast chickens
Train wifi. closing of chest and opening diagonal vs roast chicken
Be people’s favorite while doing all these technique things

Ballet

Achieve consistently effortless double pirouettes in ballet with occasional triples (3 times in a row).
Stretch feet for a better point
Wear pointe shoes again one day and be better at it than when I was half my age
Extensions all above 90 Degrees.
Reach goal: Extensions at head level in all directions

Flexibility

Get squarer splits (hip flexors and hamstrings)
Completely flat middle splits
stretch and strengthen back
Touch my feet to my head backwards using active flexibility
Bridge with hands touching feet
Camel with head touching feet
Reach goal: Oversplits, all directions

Acro

Be able to hold for 5 seconds 3 times in a row, or achieve cleanly 3x in a row
Chest stand
Forearm stand
Scorpion in forearm stand.
Handstand as needle
Handstand in split
Back roll into shoulder stand
Cleaner front walkovers
Cleaner back walkovers
Back walkovers on one leg with splitty legs
Death Drop like from voguing
Reach goal: handstand press.
do the acro yoga things i see on ig with Mahina Hong. create and perform a cool acro contemporary piece.

Pole

Be able to do 3 times in a row both sides. If a pose, holding for 3 seconds
Janeiro
Reach my foot while in janeiro
Deadlift handsprings
Elbow grip ayesha
Iron X
Caterpillar climb gracefully
Bird of paradise
Titanic

Teaching

be able to create good dancers. be able to train a group of people into in sync choreography-performing dancers of a decent level. improve people's bodies and confidence and the way they interact with themselves and the world through dance.

What else can you do?

Keep your goals in mind and add them to your work during the class. See my recommendations for how to get the most out of your classes in my post, "How to Take a Dance Class"

Dance Bio and Blurbs

Every dancer has a short bio they copy and paste everywhere. Mine varies depending on what type of dance I'm performing or teaching. As an event organizer and promoter, I've seen a lot of really awful ones that took a lot of editing before they were presentable.  I feel lucky I have a background in writing and a bachelor's in English, because the bio is often the first impression of you that passes by people who matter. If the bio is poorly written, sometimes you don't get a second chance to make another impression with your dancing or your personality. If you are translating your bio into another language, please don't just plug it into a translating app! Ask a friend to help you. I think a decent bio will include some details about your dance training and your professional experience. It usually must be short, so you probably need to leave out a lot and tailor it to the job you are doing. Are you emphasizing teaching, or performing? Are you emphasizing competitions you have won? Your extensive and impressive training? Any certifications or degrees you've earned? Your teaching style or unique dance philosophy?  Here is the current general zouk version of my bio, and a little blurb about Honolulu Zouk, the dance company I started in January 2015.

About Kimberly Loo

Kimberly Loo began dance training at age 4 just couldn't stop. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Dance with a Performance and Choreography emphasis from Pomona College in California. Kimberly's formal training encompasses over two decades of ballet, jazz, modern, international ballroom, salsa, pole, partner acrobatics, and her favorite, Brazilian Zouk; she has trained intensively or completed teacher trainings with Ry'El and Jessica of ZenZouk, Marc Brewer, Kamacho, Layssa Liebscher, Evelyn Magyari Lopez, Peter Wright, MaZouka, and Jaime Aroxa. Kimberly also holds also holds bachelor degrees in Anthropology and English Literature, and 200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training Certification from Mahatma Yoga in India.

Kimberly has won 2nd in the Pro-Am Jack & Jill at Seattle Zouk, twice won the National Collegiate Championships in International Ballroom (both Latin and Standard), the Hawaii Salsa Championship, won runner up at the Texas Salsa Open, was a finalist at the LA Zouk16, and has been invited to perform and teach throughout the Aloha state and in California, Texas, Mexico, Morocco, Canada, and India.

Her dance career as a performer has spanned from nightly shows at Legends in Concert: Waikiki to latin dance and burlesque. Kimberly actively pursues spreading the warm fuzzy feelings of dance to every audience and every social dance partner she encounters; her most loved achievement is being a favorite on the social dance floor.

About Honolulu Zouk

Kimberly Loo founded Honolulu Zouk in 2015 as a vehicle for creating a dance family around teaching, performing, and choreographing Brazilian Zouk, celebrating its fusion with other dances. Her dance philosophy is based around a desire for each dancer to celebrate awareness of their bodies, and to find joy in connecting with themselves, accepting their sensuality and ability to express themselves through movement. The Honolulu Zouk logo emphasizes how 'ono (delicious) zouk is, and how its dancers love to zouk always and all ways. Kimberly's teaching style is influenced by her technical ballet background and her love of yoking in metaphors. The school is welcoming of nonheteronormative dance roles.

In its first year, Honolulu Zouk was invited to perform for "zouk royalty" at Zouk Night Love in Mexico and received a standing ovation! They have been gracing the Hawaiian Islands and North America with dance instruction and dazzling performances ever since!

Honolulu Zouk is comprised of several performance teams, social dance training teams, a heels dance team, a weekly zouk fusion social, ongoing drop in technique classes, and frequent intensive courses with renowned international instructors. Every Sunday #HNLzouk hosts drop in classes at 7p, no experience or partner necessary. Please contact kimberly@hnlzouk.com and come join the family or if you're interested in a performance!

Keep in Touch

Join weekly email list by emailing kimberly@hnlzouk.com

Join facebook group for most up to date updates: https://www.facebook.com/groups/hnlzouk/

facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/kimberlyloodancer/

facebook page for company: https://www.facebook.com/honoluluzouk/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/honoluluzouk/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6rZiBLeF_ELU09c3669S8g/videos

Why are we addicted? 

#HNLzouk

How to Take a Dance Class

I’ve noticed a big difference between the culture and the mindset of the students in adult drop in ballet classes and the adult drop in zouk classes that I attend. I am sharing this list because as adults, my friends, you are paying with money and time to be in class, so you must want to be there! The teacher is there to motivate you a little, sure, but you are there because you are motivated and you want to be there 100% and you want to improve! To maximize your time in class, to perform the best, to improve your body and advance your skills, I recommend doing these things I observe almost all the other people in my ballet classes doing but hardly anyone in my zouk classes doing.

It boils down to this

You want to advance your technique, balance, strength, connection, whatever, and you are willing to work on what the teacher is working on, but what are YOU working on right now, personally and possibly separate from what the teacher is working on? The teacher cannot and will not cover all facets of the dance in the class, so you need to pick a few things you want to improve, and improve them while also improving the things the group is improving as a whole. You’ve been studying this dance for a little while, what things did the teacher say last time about this movement or this exercise?

For example, If you are doing a connection exercise with the hands, the teacher probably won’t be talking about how your weight should stay grounded in your feet, and how your core needs to be engaged, and how you need to keep stacking or aligning your bones, but you should be thinking of these things and trying to achieve them all of the time in addition to thinking about the exercise at hand. Each exercise is not supposed to be done in isolation. In fact, pro dancers get frustrated when one body part is injured and the PT tells them to train without that one part, because to execute movements correctly your entire body must engage in concert. Instead of waiting for the teacher to give you corrections, think back to all the corrections you have ever heard and try to give yourself corrections.

During Downtime

During lulls in the class or when you are not actively moving or paying rapt attention to what the teacher is saying, you should never be idle. In my ballet classes, while the teacher is remembering how to teach the next combination, all of us are stretching, practicing the previous combination again, attempting balances, finding our centers, and actively doing something to improve ourselves. Observe the teacher very carefully during their demonstrations. Train yourself to notice the fingers, angles of wrists, how much turnout they have, what leg the weight is one, what quality of movement are they using, what angle do the elbows make, how straight are the knees, and how is that different form how you are doing it?

Corrections

Did you get a correction? Treat that correction like SOLID GOLD. Treasure it forever, be thankful for it, do not let it out of your mental sight! You are a special lucky one to receive such a valuable gift. The teacher is taking time away from all the other people in the class to pay attention to you, you must be trying hard and showing promise of improvement. Did someone else just get a correction? Awesome! Can you apply it to yourself? Do not tune out when the teacher is helping someone else individually. This is the time to tune in.

Rest Days

Take a rest if you need it. This is a big trending topic right now among all the circus community on social media right now. I had to google “rest days.” Oops. We are athletes, we are training like athletes! In the last two weeks and I knew I had to take a break from ballet. I couldn’t focus on remembering combinations, my body was sore and I was unable to execute anything to my potential. The beauty of drop in classes as opposed to the set training schedule of a teenager is that you can rest the parts of your body hurting from that dance, do a different activity for a few days, and come back stronger than before! No, seriously. By the way, this is different than showing up to class sick and feeling miraculously cured afterwards, which why I often drag myself out to dance when I’m not feeling well.

Be Prepared

Arrive early to stretch and warm up. I’ve only had to start doing this since I got older. If it’s a ballet class, I point and flex my feet, I sweep my leg longer with my hands, I do split stretches all way, I do bartenieff fundamental sea star floor sweeps, I may do attitude grande battement en cloche, I stretch my spine, upper back, arms, shoulders. Don’t just stand there and sullenly stare, or chit chat, or slump.

Overperform

Are you bored of practicing the thing the rest of the class is working on? What else about this movement or exercise can you add to it the next time you do it? I don’t mean do a different movement, I mean what technical thing can you make better about your own dancing within the framework on this movement? Point your feet harder, stretch your head movement further, pull your frame tighter. If you aren’t showing up to class one hundred percent, I almost think it’s better not to be there. Try your best!

Be Your Favorite Follow

In every class you are learning the skill of following. You are following the teacher’s framework while trying to add to it without disrupting it at all. You are bringing the most beautiful attitude and bringing the most beautiful dancing you can to this experience, like a follow during a social dance.

You are the favorite follow, so shush

I cannot remember the last time I can remember a ballet teacher having to shush us or work to get our attention. Sure, ballet is not a social dance, but are you in class to socialize or to improve your dancing? If you are there to socialize, please respect all the people who are there trying to improve their dancing who you are preventing from improving their dancing by talking over the teacher. Especially don’t try to teach other students in the class. Even if you are a teacher in another class, you aren’t teaching that day, and you will just be a distraction for everyone else, including the student who wants to learn from the current teacher. You should be too busy trying to improve your own body and mindset anyway. If your partner isn't doing the movement how you want it to be done, how can you change what you are doing to make it better for both of us? (Exception if they are hurting you)

I’d love to hear your own strategies for how you take classes or how you are improving your training. Please share.

You might enjoy my post about How to Take a Dance Class or taking a jaunt through our Honolulu Zouk Community Guidelines

Honolulu Zouk Community Guidelines

We recommend all people in our community, including ourselves, read over these guidelines periodically as a reinforcement.

Hygiene and Dress

1. Shower. Wear clean clothes. Be mindful of emitting body odors.
2. Don’t overuse scented products. Some people have allergies.
3. Sweaty? Bring 2-6 shirts per night and a sweat towel.
4. Avoid clothing with spikes or sharp edges that may hurt a partner.
5. It is polite to empty your right pant leg (of keys, phone, anything else) and to wear supportive undergarments.

Behavior During Events

1. Do not be drunk or high. 
2. Do not intentionally caress breasts or genitals.
3. Give the best possible dance to every partner. Dance with unfamiliar people. We want the community to grow. 
4. You are encouraged to voice concerns about any behavior to any of the Honolulu Zouk teachers, who will hear you without judgment and work to resolve the situation.
5. Do not teach or give feedback on the dance floor during a social unless it is requested or the movement was dangerous or painful. If you get feedback, you may listen to the feedback or kindly decline. For instance, you can say “I’d like for feedback to be given only during lessons, if you don’t mind.” 
6. If you want to teach something, you may teach on the side in pole areas. Examples of acceptable teaching: you may show beginners basic steps. Performers may practice a performance piece off the main dance floor. 

Consent & Safety

1. Respect physical and emotional safety
2. It’s good before dancing to ask questions like “how are you feeling today?” “Is close embrace ok?” “Anything I should be careful about today?”
3. Ask before you do these things the first time: lifts, hugs, kisses, and more intimate relationships. 
4. We encourage everyone to ask prior to initiating for the first time: head movement, dips, and close embrace. 
5. We are learning to connect and use our bodies in ways that we might not be practiced at. Sometimes it will be awkward and sometimes we will make mistakes. Please be sensitive to this process
6. You might unintentionally violate a boundary. Please be open and humble if someone tells you this. 
7. Others may violate your boundaries. Please be courageous in using your words to communicate your needs.

Promoting Your Boundaries During Socials

1. You have the right to accept or refuse any dance without needing to give a reason or apology. Learn to say “no,” “not right now,” and “yes.” Dancing with someone else during the same song may be viewed as impolite, but your safety is more valuable than good manners.
2. You can end a dance with a light squeeze and a thank you. 
3. Be cautious of anyone promoting themselves as a teacher or mentor by using tactics that undermine your way of seeing the world or undermine your confidence in yourself and/or your dancing. 
4. Practice using verbal and non-verbal methods of changing holds from close to open embrace.
5. Move to verbal feedback whenever you need. 

Dance Role

1. Anyone can lead, and anyone can follow, and anyone can try the other role. 

Dance Safely!

1. Avoid yanking, jerking, or forceful movement (risk of shoulder, arm, neck, and upper-back injuries)
2. Avoid bending over your partner during a dip (risk of lower back injuries)
3. Avoid sudden weight sharing (“dropping your weight”) 
4. Use caution with any movement that causes a dancer’s head to be lower than their hips (especially, but not limited to, dips), 
5. If the dance feels unsafe, clearly and politely communicate what feels unsafe and what you want. For example, say “That movement is too forceful for my body, can you please be more gentle.” 
6. If your dance partner seems in pain, ask if they are okay. For example, say “Hey, are you experiencing any pain? Is there a way we can dance together that would be more comfortable to you?”
7. Leads and follows should both be alert and practice good floorcraft. Be conscious of who is around. If you accidentally hit or kick another dancer, apologize and make sure they are ok. 

Honolulu Zouk Professional Conduct Standards for Teachers & Community Leaders

1. Zouk instructors value and care for students and act in their best interest. 
2. Zouk instructors are community role models who act honestly. 
3. Zouk teachers have a broad knowledge base and understand what they teach. 
4. Zouk teachers engage in learning throughout their teaching career. 
5. Zouk teachers advertise for, and solicit students, in an ethical manner. 
6. Zouk teachers are asked to be supportive of other teachers who follow these standards. 
7. Zouk teachers understand that the relationship between teacher and student has a power imbalance and act with according responsibility. When romantic relationships or friendships occur within the teacher/student power imbalance there is a risk that the person with less power may feel a reduced ability to enforce boundaries. The lines that separate what is okay from what is not okay can become blurry. The student may sometimes find it hard to even figure out their own comfortable boundaries. Thus, relationships with power imbalances have a greater risk of leading to hurt and even abuse. Zouk educators are asked to be aware of these risks.
8. Zouk teachers use best practices for gathering accurate feedback on their teaching by including a mix of both verbal and non-verbal methods and anonymous feedback. 
9. Zouk teachers are aware of abuses of power such as gas-lighting and other predator-victim grooming techniques so that they can avoid these behaviors and spot those actively engaging in them in the community. 

Updated by Kimberly Loo & Mic Lee, January 4, 2018

For the most updated version of these, please visit this google doc