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About Us - Toronto Zouk's teachers team

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Toronto Zouk was founded in November 21, 2009 by Valentin Danci, upon several online discussions with Freddy Marinho and Jorge Elmiro (DJ El Romantico) about developing the Brazilian Zouk dance in Toronto. Since then Valentin has done an intensive campaign of promoting the Zouk dance in Toronto, connecting hundreds of dancers from Toronto and the rest of the world for the cause of this beautiful dance. He is very grateful to all those who have supported the Brazilian Zouk in Toronto with an open heart, especially to Freddy and Jorge.

Valentin Danci

Valentin Danci is known by many as the founder of the Brazilian Zouk scene in Toronto. His love for Zouk has a deep artistic background, which started in his youth with 14 years of education in Classical Music. Valentin discovered the world of social dance styles in 2006 when he started taking Salsa lessons in Toronto, and he continued seriously the Salsa lessons and practicing for more than 4 years Salsa On2 and On1. He learned also Bachata, Cha-Cha-Cha, and a few introductory courses of Ballroom and Argentine Tango.

His passion for Zouk-Lambada started as a love-at-first-sight in 2007, when he saw it danced in the legendary club "Cantinero" in Amsterdam, Netherlands. It was only in the late 2009 when he thought to do something more about it in T.O.: he started promoting Brazilian Zouk intensively in the Salsa scene of Toronto, and to support anybody interested in developing Zouk.

Since May 2010 he has travelled frequently to learned from the excellent international Zouk instructors at many congresses in Porto Seguro + Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), Berlin (Germany), New York City (US), Montreal + Toronto (Canada), Amsterdam (Netherlands), Prague (Czech Republic), and Helsinki (Finland).

After years of extensive training Valentin started to teach Rio-style Zouk in Toronto in February 2012. His attention for technical details and his structured lessons are dedicated to always teaching the students something really useful for their social dance, while aiming that every student makes a real progress in each lesson. Valentin's work ensure that the artistic beauty, the authenticity and complexity of the Brazilian Zouk will always be the guiding values of Toronto Zouk's lessons, performances and events.

Monica Urrutia

Her passion for dance was discovered at an early age when Monica was invited to participate in a small choreography mounted for a function at the Chihuahua’s city theater leaded by her aunt Lourdes – then the Ballet teacher for the Autonoma University of Chihuahua, Mexico.

After that first dance experience she asked her parents register her for Ballet lessons at Sergio Franco’s academy which she has attended for 6 years after. She began her dance journey by learning not only classic Ballet but other kinds of dance like the Mexican regional dance with rhythms from all over the country; Latin dance – including Bachata, Salsa, Cumbia and Cha-Cha-Cha; Hawaiian Dance and Jazz.

For seven years before coming to Toronto, Canada, she performed as a dance teacher at two different dance schools where she shared her knowledge and passion with people who felt that same love and joy for dance. Monica is also a Certified Zumba Instructor in Toronto, Canada.

Now as part of Toronto Zouk’s team, not only she is discovering a new great dance rhythm but she also continues to share with new people her acquired love for Brazilian Zouk. Since May 2013 Monica has been helping Valentin teach the regular Zouk classes and hosting the Wednesday Zouk Social at "The 8.0.5 Studio".