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Ruanita Santos | NeoZouk

@ruanitasantos.dance

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✨ NeoZouk Co-Creator
🇧🇷 Brazilian Movement Researcher & Educator
Transforming lives through movement.

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#tbt❤️ de uma das sessões de fotos mais sofridas e mais divertidas que eu já fiz. Mas o resultado fez valer a pena 😍 by @ruanitasantos.dance

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5 years ago

Ruanita Santos: Dance Educador, Fitness Trainer, Cultural Ambassador, and Global Performer

Ruanita Santos is a renowned dance instructor, performer, and co-creator of NeoZouk, a pioneering evolution of Brazilian Zouk. She began her dance journey at the age of 5, with jazz dance, as a dance lover Ruanita was involved with several cultural dance manifestations such as axé, samba no pé, lambada, forró, carimbó, and funk in 1996 she began her professional dance career with Suor Brasileiro in Brasília under the guidance of Lambada champion Chiquinho Alves, excelling in various partner dances such as Bolero, Tango, Samba de Gafieira, and Zouk. Ruanita has performed at major festivals, government events, and embassies, becoming a prominent figure in the dance community. Besides her ballet & Jazz training with the renowned Rodrigo Mena Barreto.

Ruanita founded Ellegance Dance Company, earning top accolades at events like the Taguatinga Dança Festival, and received training from celebrated mentors like Carlinhos de Jesus, Renata Peçanha, and Jayme Aroxa. In 2005, her collaboration with DJ Mafie Zouker led to the creation of NeoZouk, revolutionizing Brazilian Zouk with a fresh, innovative style that gained international acclaim.

Based in Amsterdam since 2012, Ruanita serves as an ambassador of Brazilian culture in the Netherlands, where she has introduced the dancers of global superstar Anitta, enriching the local dance landscape. She leads Vibe Latina by Ruanita Santos, a vibrant dance and fitness hub offering a range of Brazilian/Latin-inspired programs. Beyond her expertise in dance, Ruanita is a dedicated trainer in gymnastics and dance for kids, and she also specializes in fitness training for women over 40, empowering them to embrace health and vitality.

Ruanita continues to make a significant impact with Vibe Latina Dance Events and Productions, curating events that celebrate Brazilian dance. Her global journey, which includes a notable visit to Canada in 2019, reflects her commitment to inspiring new generations through the power of movement and cultural expression.

#vibelatina💚💛💙 #ruanitasantos #danceeducator #neozouk #brazilianzouk taken in Amsterdam, Netherlands by @ruanitasantos.dance

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2 years ago

“As grandes coisas são importantes mas são os detalhes é que fazem a diferença!”
LaVelle Smith
( coreógrafo e dançarino do Michael Jackson) by @ruanitasantos.dance

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5 years ago

Obrigada, mini Ruanita, por sonhar tão alto, por ser tão curiosa, criativa e cheia de conversa! 😁❤️

Minha mãe dizia que eu era uma figurinha. Cantava antes de falar, queria descobrir tudo e, aos oito anos, já inventava coreografia. Olhando esse sorriso, quase consigo ouvir ela contando essas histórias. 🥹

A gente realizou todos os sonhos que você sonhou e tantos outros que foram nascendo pelo caminho. Nem tudo foi fácil, mas ainda tem muito de você aqui: a vontade de aprender, de criar, de dançar e de conversar pelos cotovelos!

Daqui a poucos dias, comemoramos mais uma primavera. E hoje eu celebro você, a menina que começou essa história.

Feliz Dia das Crianças e feliz aniversário pra nós! 🌷✨ by @ruanitasantos.dance

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4 days ago

Paris, you gave me so much to bring home! 🇫🇷❤️✨

Alex, @alexdecarvalhozouk what a joy to celebrate your 30 years in dance! Thank you for inviting us, for everything you bring to our Zouk community, and for always reminding me to celebrate our victories and keep believing. All four of us send you so much love! ❤️🥂

Being there with my family, surrounded by the family I found through Zouk, touched something deep inside me. Between the hugs, the music and the reunions, I made peace with feelings I’d carried quietly and let go of some old hurt.

My love for dance has always been there. In Paris, I rediscovered the joy of being among my dance family. And ohhh, how I missed us! 🥹❤️

I looked around and felt: “This is my place. I want to live more of this.”

I came home excited to reconnect, create and contribute. There’s still so much in me to share!

Congratulations, amigo Alex and thank you for being part of this return. ✨

Dance is my happy place. And my heart is ready to come home. ❤️ taken in Paris, France by @ruanitasantos.dance

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8 days ago

“Is it true that teachers have to study before teaching?”

“No, of course not. Everything we teach is revealed to us in dreams. We wake up, repeat whatever the angel whispered in our ear, and somehow hope it all makes sense in the classroom. 🥴”

Jokes aside, teaching takes preparation, study, and constant learning. A good class may look effortless, but there’s usually a lot of thought behind it, because helping someone learn is never just about knowing the subject.
IT’S ABOUT KNOWING HOW TO SHARE!!!! taken in Amsterdam, Netherlands by @ruanitasantos.dance

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17 days ago

Entre as diferentes pesquisas que surgiram dentro do Zouk Brasileiro nos anos 2000, uma delas ganhou nome, identidade e continua viva até hoje: o NeoZouk.

Mafie Zouker e Ruanita Santos foram os nomes por trás do desenvolvimento dessa linguagem, explorando conceitos como circularidade, continuidade, gestão de energia, liberdade de movimento e novas possibilidades de conexão e criação.

A parceria dos dois marcou uma fase importante dessa pesquisa e ajudou a estabelecer uma vertente que atravessou fronteiras e gerações.

Hoje, Mafie e Ruanita já não trabalham como dupla, mas os dois continuam ensinando e desenvolvendo seus trabalhos na dança, e o NeoZouk segue sendo estudado, praticado e ensinado. Ruanita é apresentada atualmente como co-criadora do NeoZouk em sua escola em Amsterdam, enquanto Mafie segue ensinando a vertente no Brasil e internacionalmente.

Por isso, rever Mafie & Ruanita juntos não é olhar para algo que ficou no passado. É voltar ao período de construção de uma linguagem que continua fazendo parte do Zouk Brasileiro de hoje. 🇧🇷 by @ruanitasantos.dance

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a month ago

✨Teachers presentation - Adam Zouk Festival - PART |

#adamzoukfestival #brazilianzouk taken in Amsterdam, Netherlands by @ruanitasantos.dance

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a month ago

You have NO idea how happy I am to share this with you!!! ❤️‍🔥

Our demo at @adamzoukfestival yesterday after class, with my love @dirkhoningh! We were soooo nervous, but even more HAPPY! 🥹❤️

I’m so proud to be back dancing with you all! And to come back at such a special festival, surrounded by so much love and so many memories… Gosh!!! ❤️

Edu, Valentina, Bruna & Felipe thank you for inviting us and making us feel so welcome! We loved being there with you!

Zouk family, I’M OFFICIALLY BACK!!! Let’s dance! 🔥❤️ taken in CanDance Studios by @ruanitasantos.dance

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a month ago

If my little world were an island, this is what it would look like. 🏝️✨

☁️ SKY — where everything begins.

VIBE LATINA is where I teach, create and watch people reconnect with their bodies, their confidence and their freedom.

Yes, it is deeply connected to women — to creating a space where they can feel powerful, playful and fully themselves again. But Vibe Latina is not only for women.

It is also a place for partner dancing: for connection, listening, exchange and the joy of dancing with someone else. And honestly, many men throw themselves into it too — with curiosity, energy and a real desire to learn.

Because partner dance is not about one person leading and the other simply following. It is about communication. Both people are present. Both people listen. Both people create.

And BB STUDIOS, together with Body Lab, is where we build the strength, awareness and physical foundation that allow us to keep dancing, creating and expressing ourselves for many years to come.

Because strength is not separate from art. It is what allows art to exist.

❤️ HEART — where everything pulses.

NEOZOUK is the methodology created with Mafie Zouker and I as co creator — born from our research, our questions and our desire to understand Brazilian Zouk more deeply.

It is not just about steps or technique. It is about connection, intention, musicality and the freedom to make the dance your own.

This is the work that carries my identity. My research. My legacy.

🎭 STAGE — where everything becomes alive.

ZOUK SHOW is where all of this comes together: the technique, the strength, the emotion and the freedom.

Where methodology becomes presence.
Where movement becomes light.
Where dance becomes something you can feel.

Three worlds.
One woman.
Teacher. Creator. Performer.

This is my island. And every part of it is connected.

Which part speaks to you most: SKY, HEART or STAGE? 🏝️

#neozouk #brazilianzouk #zoukshow #vibelatina #bbstudios amsterdamdance partnerdance danceteacher taken in Amsterdam, Netherlands by @ruanitasantos.dance

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a month ago

DENTRO DA VIBE - Episode 2.
What does learning Brazilian Zouk through the NeoZouk Methodology really feel like when you’re taking your first steps? 👀

At Vibe Latina, we can explain the structure behind what we teach — but only our students can tell you what it feels like to experience it.

In this episode of Dentro da Vibe, Katarina from Vida Laranja hands the microphone to one of our newest zoukeiros.

If you’ve been curious about starting Zouk, listen to someone who has just done it. 🎤🍊 taken in Vibe Latina by Ruanita Santos by @ruanitasantos.dance

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2 months ago

YOU CAN TEACH THE MOVEMENT
WITHOUT UNDERSTANDING THE BODY.
But should you? 🤔

KNOWING HOW TO MAKE A MOVEMENT LOOK RIGHT - IS NOT THE SAME AS UNDERSTANDING

WHAT MAKES IT POSSIBLE.

And that difference matters.

You can teach steps.
You can demonstrate beautifully.
You can have years of dance experience.

But movement is still produced by a body.

A body that needs to generate force.
Absorb force.
Stabilise joints.
Control range of motion.
Accelerate.
Decelerate.
Rotate.
Recover.
And repeat.

So when strength training, mobility work or physical conditioning are dismissed as “not really dance”, something important is being confused:

dance skill and physical capacity are not the same thing.

One does not replace the other.

And understanding that doesn’t make someone less artistic.

It means understanding the instrument behind the art.

You don’t need to be an anatomist to be a dancer.

But when you teach bodies for a living, understanding how bodies produce and tolerate movement should never be treated as irrelevant.

Because sometimes what looks like “just a step” is asking the body for strength.

What looks like “more flexibility” actually needs control.

What looks like “just throw yourself into it” may require the ability to produce, transfer and absorb force.

And forcing the shape is not the same as developing the capacity to create it.

Knowing the choreography is one thing.
Preparing the body to sustain it is another.

At Vibe Latina, we train both.

BODY LAB
Train the movement. Understand the body. Build the capacity. taken in Vibe Latina by Ruanita Santos by @ruanitasantos.dance

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2 months ago