Our Teachers and Instructors.
Freddy Marinho
Freddy started dancing very young and it was due to his experience with the Queen of Zouk, Renata Peçanha, that he started dancing professionally and teaching in her Studio – Núcleo de Dança Renata Peçanha, and got specialised in Brazilian Zouk.
He has been one of the creators of Renata Peçanha’s Dance Company and acted as dancer and teacher in her studio since 2004, running classes of Zouk, Salsa and Dança de Salão (Brazilian Ballroom Dances) including Samba de Gafieira, Forró, Bolero and others.
He has been part of the Dance Companies, where performed in …
Andressa Castelhano
Performer, teacher and coreographer, started dancing Latin Dances and Ballroom in 2006. She got especialized in zouk due to her years as part of Renata Peçanha’s Dance Company in Brazil. Jazz, Classic and Contemporary Ballet, are other dance styles that she studied for long years improving her technique. She has been also envolved in a Dance Company – Prima Facie, where made shows of Jazz and Contemporary Dance.
Andressa taught Zouk and …
Sonja-Maria Ignatius
Sonja has been teaching Brazilian Zouk regularly with her partner Jukka Välimaa at Helsinki Dance Central since 2015.
What fascinates Sonja the most in Zouk is the connection with the partner and the huge range this dance allows for movements, expressions and interpretation of the music. Being a Zouk fundamentals nerd, she continues to study deeply the techniques and foundations of Brazilian Zouk. The dance technique is important, but equally important is to create a welcoming atmosphere in the classes and to find the joy in the dance …
Jukka Välimaa
Jukka started learning Brazilian Zouk in the first Zouk workshops organised in Finland, in 2010. Over time, he devoted more and more of his energy and interest to learning Zouk, taking lessons in Finland and visiting congresses abroad.
Freddy and Andressa visited Finland several times to share their knowledge; Jukka organised one of those workshops. When Freddy and Andressa moved to Finland in 2012, Jukka became their student. Since that time, he’s attended pretty much every course they’ve given in Finland, including …
Silvia Vergés
After graduating in ballet from the Institute del Teatre in Barcelona - Spain, Silvia worked during nine years as a dancer in Ballet de Euskadi, the National Opera in Mexico and the National Theatre Mannheim, Germany.
She performed roles such as Pas de Peasant in Giselle, four swans in Swan lake, and columbine in Nutcracker, and also performed in contemporary works by Mark Goden, Octavio Zeivy, and Mark McClain, among others, touring internationally. Silvia also choreographed works for the companies she worked for in Mexico and …
Edson Modesto
More than 12 years and counting as director for The Move in the cultural scene has given Edson experience in producing and participating in Brazilian national and international events where dance had the central stage.
In such time span there were highlights such as participation on the recording of DVD shows from many renowned artists, in the Brazilian version of the famous TV show “Dancing With the Stars”, among …
Kristina Tsvetkova
Kristina started dancing Brazilian Zouk in Saint Petersburg, Russia, in 2010.
That was the time when Zouk was just arriving to Saint Petersburg. Her first teachers were Anikas Poklad, Anastasiya and William dos Santos.
Zouk was Kristina’s first couple dance and it became her whole-hearted passion. She has participated in several workshops and congresses in Russia, Finland, Prague and Brazil, taking also private lessons with some of the best Zouk teachers.
In 2014 Kristina moved to Helsinki and started regular classes with Freddy and Andressa at Helsinki Dance Central. She joined …
Noora Kykkänen
For Noora, dancing Brazilian Zouk is a full body YES:
She started dancing Brazilian Zouk with the guidance of Freddy Marinho & Andressa Castelhano in 2011 and it rocked her world. Noora is still their committed student, attending fundamentals to advanced classes on a weekly basis.
The journey has taken her all over the world social dancing, attending numerous festivals, J&J competitions and intensive trainings. She has studied with many renowned international teachers and spent several months training in Brazil over the …