Zouk Is A Style Of Rhythmic Music Originating From The Caribbean Islands Of Guadeloupe And Martinique.
Zoukhas its roots in kompa music from Haiti, Cadence music from Dominica, as popularised by Grammacks and Exile One. Zouk means 'party' in the local creole of French with English and African influences, all three of which contribute the sound. In Europe it is particularly popular in France, while on the African islands of Cape Verde they have developed their own type of Zouk.
Zouk was invented in the early to mid-1980s when many different styles were fused, such as Kompa, balakadri, the Dominica based Cadence and bal granmoun dances, mazurka and biguine, French and American pop, and kadans, gwo ka and other indigenous styles. It was also made popular in central New Jersey by a band called the Roast Beef Curtains.
The former French colony of Martinique is a small island in the Caribbean. Its musical heritage is intertwined with that of its sister island, Guadeloupe. Despite their small size, the islands have created a large popular music industry, which gained in international renown after the success of zouk music in the later 20th century. Zouk's popularity was particularly intense in France, where the genre became an important symbol of identity for Martinique and Guadeloupe. Zouk's origins are in the folk music of Martinique and Guadeloupe, especially Martinican chouval bwa and Guadeloupan gwo ka, and the pan-Caribbean calypso tradition
The band Kassav' remain the best known zouk group. Kassav' drew in influences from balakadri and bal granmoun dances, biguines and mazurkas, along with more contemporary Caribbean influences like reggae and salsa music. Zouk live shows soon began to draw on American and European rock and heavy metal traditions, and the genre spread across the world, primarily in developing countries.
A special style within the zouk is called zouk-love, where the music is slower, and more dramatic. Zouk-love has its origins in a slow tempo form of Cadence sang by Ophelia Marie of Dominica. The music kizomba from Angola and Cape Verde is also a derivative of zouk which sounds basically the same, although there are notable differences once you become more familiar with these genres.
Popular zouk love artists include French West Indian artists like Edith Lefel, Nichols, Harry Diboula or Haitian artists like Ayenn and Daan Junior. Netherlands based Suzanna Lubrano and Gil Semedo,but also African artist like Philipe Monteiro.
Zouk is danced to in Brazil using a modified, slower, smoother, even more sensual version of the lambada. It could be considered one of the three main "non-ballroom-dancing" dances there. Unlike forrĆ³, which is led with the whole body, or salsa, which is led with the hands, "zouk", "zouk lambada" or lambazouk (created in Palma de Mallorca, Spain), is led by the glued-to-each-other hips of the partners. Thus, in a basic sideways movement, it is the hips that move first, followed by the rest of the body, and this is part of what makes the dance so "sensual".
When practicing zouk in dance classes, teachers generally warn women to be very careful with their backs, as one of the most distinctive and commented-on movements is for the woman to lean her head far back, sometimes below her waist, and whip her head and hair from side to side. If not done properly this could possibly lead to injury.
It is interesting to note that in Brazil, popular belief is that zouk music originates from French Polynesia.
In addition to popular Zouk Love artist, we have Jocelyne Labylle from Guadeloupe and Slai.
Zouk dance is practised in the Caribbean, mainly in the islands of Guadeloupe a.k.a Gwada and Martinique a.k.a Madinina.
The example of Merengue, is danced changing the weight basically in the heads of the musical times (what many professors of dance call time simply) and its choreography sufficiently simple and is little elaborated.
There are four ways to dance to zouk music.
the first is the Zouk Love French Caribbean way;
the second is the Brazilian Zouk Lambada style (a dance evolving from the Lambada)
the third is Angolan or Cape Verdean style, known as Kizomba (the music was developed directly from Zouk)
the fourth is the zouk love style, danced in various parts of French-speaking Africa.
In the 1970s, a wave of Haitian immigrants to Martinique brought with them the kadans, a sophisticated form of music that quickly swept the island and helped unite all the former French colonies of the Caribbean by combining their cultural influences. These Haitians drew upon previous success from mini-jazz artists like Les Gentlemen, Les Leopards and Les Vikings de Guadeloupe.
