Connecticut Zouk

Jennifer has a background in commercial print and catalogue modeling, commercial and film acting, singing, and her native cultural and social dancing, before pursuing her undergrad in college, Jennifer trained and studied Performance Arts/ Theater Arts, as one of her double majors. As part of her training, Modern Dance with introduction to styles of modern dance pioneers like Martha Graham, classic ballet conditioning, contemporary, African, and choreography. Other movement conditioning included contact improvisation, stage work, voice & diction, and more as main fundamentals in training. She continued on training and doing work as a Stage Production Manager several productions locally, while also studying and training in the Eastern medicine before pursuing grad/med school. During her past time, she took up social dancing such as swing, blues, & fusion, salsa, bachata, merengue, joined ballroom at University, and fell for Brazilian Zouk and Lambada. Her experience in movement in her traditional apprenticeship and grad program in her studies included Internal martial arts, Tai Chi Chuan, Qi Gong, Nei Gong, & Ba Gua Zhang. She also dabbled in several martial arts fighting arts like BJJ, aikido, self-defense, yoga, boxing, and CrossFit. She was often active in fitness and outdoors hiking, running, rollerblading, long boarding, biking, and occasional light surfing. She also enjoyed sports as a past time like basketball, soccer, occasional volleyball, touch football, baseball, tennis, badminton, rollerskating,  since childhood. Jennifer has also led community drum, sound, dance, and meditation circles; during her work as a healer, bodyworker, and while she had her clinical rotation, and extensively studying in Easter Medicine, Mindful practices, and is certified in several additional modalities.  Certified in Zheng Gu Tui Na, she studied with renown Instructors/masters in her field like Tom Bisio.  Later on, fully immersed in her field, she has 2 masters and a doctorate in TCM, but during, she found herself pulled into dance more, in contrast. She began Brazilian Zouk late 2016, attending Zouk weekender with Evelyn Magyari partnered with Jonathan Troupe in NYC, and fell for Brazilian Zouk and was a frequent in NYC Zouk Community. Helped with major weekenders and events, and currently helping at Zenzouk events in NYC, as well as organizes and teaches in Connecticut. In addition to initially only wanting to focus on being considered a social dancer, she felt  it would take away from her personal joy and comfort and creativity, but still continued on to take courses, weekenders, and teacher training intensives regularly before the pandemic.  Her innate nature for learning and detail, she believes you can never learn enough. Teacher training and intensives included Zenzouk’s Lambazouk with R’yel and Jessica Lamdon, Brenda & Anderson, and more.  Among her other favorite training was with BRIC, Bruno & Raiza. Currently, she was asked to help in DJing, and now under guidance of DJ Power, studies DJ Kakah curriculum, and pursuing producing.