Growing up in a family, I developed my dancing skills and discovered my love for Kizomba during a joyous gatherings with my mum, aunty, once, cousin, sisters, brother, and etc. I was born in France and proudly come from a Cape Verdean background, where music and Kizomba dance have always been a natural part of life because playing music and dancing were more than just movement it was fun, a joyful expression of our culture.
I never imagined that dancing Kizomba in London would take me this far. Interestingly, my professional journey began in a completely different world. I trained as a caterer, earned qualifications in catering and accounting, and even worked as a restaurant manager! Yes, you heard that right. I was once managing staff teams and running restaurants on behalf of others.
I arrived in the UK back in 2000, like many others, just planning to travel. Fast-forward 18 years, and I’m still here! I spoke very little English at the time (up until today!😅), and started searching for a job of catering in restaurants. Luckily, I landed a role in a restaurant, even if it meant working crazy hours. As always, I gave it my all and slowly started climbing the ladder. Every time a promotion came up, I grabbed it without hesitation and kept pushing myself forward. During those years, I was so busy working that I had no idea about palops parties nearby. Most of my friends were white, when we used to party late at night after a few drinks (many ), I would be like “let me show how we dance in my country, a dance called Passadas-Kizomba”. I used to take the girls and lead them to what they don’t know! Lol, guess just my passion and nostalgy is the driving force that always gives me the ability that I’m using to show the guys their steps. It felt so good, I used to play to Gil Semedo, Beto Dias, Grace Evora or even Zouk songs Jean Michel Robin, Harry Diboula, Jocelyne Beroir, and many more which were my favorite when growing up.
There’s something about dancing Kizomba that touches deep within, something that fills the space when you’re far from home. For the longest time, even though I was building a life in the UK, something inside me always felt… missing (Kizomba dance) . A part of my heart, my soul, my being, longed for the joy I used to feel when dancing Kizomba and others. One day, I stumbled upon a Salsa class in London then I thought of getting back to dancing because I missed dancing Kizomba so much. After just a few weeks, I met another palop who changed everything. They told me about Kizomba Night in London on a particular day 😀😀😀. Let me tell you… my heart ❤started racing, like a hundred miles per hour! I couldn’t believe it. I was so overwhelmed with happiness I could hardly contain myself. I counted down the days, buzzing with excitement, until that upcoming Kizomba party in London 😃.
And when I finally walked in, I did OMG!!! The music wrapped around me like a warm hug, songs that spoke to my soul, rhythms that brought me home. And when I danced Kizomba with a lead that made me float, I swear, it felt like an orgasm on the dance floor, yeah I said it! That’s real “Kizombasm” ❤.
From that moment onward my life change, and I was able to find my source and enjoy dancing this time it was Kizomba in London every week, embracing the Kizomba community in London which has helped me met great people. Do not forget that dancing Kizomba, Semba, Urban Kiz, Salsa, Tarraxo and other dance is a beautiful world where you can meet lovely people, make friends and build unforgettable moments. Love my life with Kizomba lessons in London, Kizomba parties in London, Kizomba workshops and most of Kizomba festival in UK.
For a long time, I started as a casual Kizomba dancer, enjoying the Kizomba London scene with friends. Until one day a friend asked me to teached Kizomba in London for Kizomba beginners. Initially, I hesitated cause I never thought of teaching at Kizomba events in London, I only dance naturally. However, I eventually accepted the offer, and that moment marked the beginning of my professional Kizomba journey. After that moment, I never looked back. My Kizomba journey progressively continued to evolve. I started teaching Kizomba lessons on a weekly basis for over two years. In 2011, I took on a huge challenge, competing in the AfricAdancar Kizomba dance competition. It was one of the scariest experiences of my life. Although I had a dance background and had performed publicly before, the AfricAdancar Kizomba dance competition took it to another level. I was incredibly stressed, and to this day, I still remember that feeling like it was yesterday. The dance competition had two parts: the first was an improvisation to a 2-minute song chosen by the organizers. It was nerve-wracking, but having other dancers on the floor made it a bit bearable. The real stress kicked took over the second part which was creating a 2 minutes Kizomba choreography and we messed it up, but somehow finished 4th/5th at the time (if I am not wrong Riquita was a Judge on the panel lol). Despite the chaos, the relief and the Kizomba experience were unforgettable. More of my journey to come!
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