Learn the Shim-Sham!
Learn the Shim-Sham!
Sept. 29th - Oct 1st.
Join us for a community rich intimate weekend of Zouk classes and dancing with the world-renowned DJ Kakah.
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Friday: 7:30-8:30pm Intro to Zouk with Deblin McKnight and Felipe Meger. Pre-party 9 pm at Equal Latin. Come join our beloved weekly salsa dance. DJ sets will include Zoukable music. This venue is a fantastic restaurant and bar, with an excellent dance floor in it's own room. Your ticket includes admission to Friday Salsa and Zouk after party
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Saturday: 12-3 workshops 9-late Social dance w/ after party.
The venue is the Eagles Grand Ballroom. We will have access to all three floors, including the Grand Ballroom with it's new windows, the cozy downstairs bar, and the third floor dance space with views of the bay.
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Sunday: 12-3 workshops. 9-late Social Dance
The venue is the Eagles Grand Ballroom. We will have access to all three floors, including the Grand Ballroom with its new windows, the cozy downstairs bar, and the third floor dance space with views of the bay.
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DJ Kakah
Eagles Grand Ballroom
The talent
DJ Kakah
DJ Kakah is internationally known for her music work with Brazilian Zouk, Bachata and Kizomba. She not only remixes songs but also produces original music for all dance styles. Her songs already surpass 30 million views across streaming platforms. A successful career that comes from years of training in music and dance.
Ana Paula Gomez
She started her dance journey at 6 years old, studying Ballet, Classico, and Jazz for 6 years. At the age of 12, she took a break as an academic dancer and dedicated herself to music and theater. Ana is recognized for their technique, a quality of their shows that mix elements of Lambada, Zouk and other dances, and versatility in the social to dance various styles of music, she has focused on all existent styles of Lambada and Zouk, aiming to offer students a 360 degree panorama of what happens in the zouk community. Since 2016 she has traveled around the world as an instructor and international artist from Lambada and Zouk, and have passed through 18 countries in Europe, Oceania, Asia and South America.
Za thomaier
He trained in ballroom for years, which includes over 24 different partner dance styles. He has been teaching and competing for over 10 years. Along the way, he discovered a love for social dancing that was almost as addictive as competing for him. When he discovered West Coast swing and Zouk where you could compete while social dancing it was a dream come true. Za competes in the All-star division of West Coast Swing and the intermediate division in Zouk. He travels the world spreading joy and love of the connection, music, and love of this dance. Za has several jobs and business in the dance community. He is an event producer, DJay, community leader, and professional partier. He is the founder of Zouk Addicts Anonymous, Founder of the West LAB, Co-founder Late Night Swing, co-founder of Future Zouk North West. Za believes that partner dancing is essentially the expression of oneself, and then sharing that with another person.
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DJ way
Julia Way (aka DJ WAY) fell in love with social dancing in 2003, progressed through Lindy hop, blues, fusion, and Brazilian Zouk, and started DJing 10 years later. Since then, she has been found spinning tunes wherever and whenever she can along with organizing events for her local Denver Zouk community. From sheets of ice high in the Rocky Mountains, to geodesic domes perched on precipices, to the ballrooms of New York City, she is determined to find those songs that make people jump up and dance. So get ready for some chunky beats and funky treats for your dancing feets.
Deblin McKnight
Deblin McKnight is one of the co-owners at VMAC and lives for dance. Deblin joined VMAC shortly after it opened and immediately fell in love with the community and environment. She joined teams and continued to thrive on and off the stage. Currently, Deblin operates the Zouk & Bachata program at VMAC. She focuses on social dancing technique and knows how to lead and follow.
In addition to teaching classes and directing performance teams, Deblin participates heavily in community building. She is a board member of the Rose City Salsa & Timba Festival, Director of Eclipse Zouk Marathon, and Co-Operator of PDX Bachata. In addition to major events, she also organizes Weekender events that focus on a specific artist and their style. She enjoys teaching, training and hiring other amazing artists to grow the dance community in Portland.
