From Ballet and Math Class to Lambada Masters with Iago & Vanessa

<p>&quot;I don&#39;t believe this person, they can really follow what this guy wants. I think they are guessing.&quot; That&#39;s Vanessa on why she started Brazilian Zouk, after fifteen years of ballet, jazz and contemporary.</p><p><br></p><p>If you have a job you like and a dance you love, and you keep running the numbers at two in the morning, this one is for you.</p><p><br></p><p>Iago was teaching mathematics in Campinas when Nina told him, &quot;If you wanna be with me, you gotta dance.&quot; The pandemic shut his school, and when it reopened he said, &quot;Well, good luck for you guys. I&#39;m not coming back.&quot;</p><p><br></p><p>I sat with both of them in person, and this half is about who they were before the stage.</p><p><br></p><p>What we get into:</p><p><br></p><p>→ Vanessa doing continuous turns with Philip Miha and hearing &quot;You are not following me.&quot; She found out years later he was right, because her ballet was supplying the momentum.</p><p><br></p><p>→ Nobody jumped without a net. Daniel Darbello gave Iago a room with no rent, and Vanessa&#39;s dad said &quot;if you can&#39;t, you have a home.&quot; Mine was kebab shops.</p><p><br></p><p>→ My advice on going full time is six to twelve months of savings, or build the dance income on the side until it matches what you already earn.</p><p><br></p><p>→ Iago on living together 24/7: &quot;it&#39;s a marriage.&quot; They were never dating, which he calls a golden rule, and I&#39;ve done that once and I don&#39;t recommend it.</p><p><br></p><p>The big takeaway: The time of life is the most precious thing we have to offer, so when someone chooses to dance with you, receive them with all the care you can.</p><p><br></p><p>What did you give up to keep dancing? Tell us in the comments.</p><p><br></p><p>Chapters:</p><p>00:00 Opening highlights</p><p>01:48 Meeting Vanessa Meirelles and Iago Hassuike</p><p>03:08 Why a ballet dancer didn&#39;t believe in following</p><p>05:42 From a math classroom to quitting the school</p><p>08:16 How the partnership actually started</p><p>11:16 The five-year plan that happened in two</p><p>13:04 The safety net that made going full time possible</p><p>16:14 Why a dance career is a whole different monster</p><p>19:34 The circles of information in a dance scene</p><p>21:53 Living together 24/7, and the golden rule</p><p>23:54 Travelling the world and still being alone</p><p>26:56 Why their partnership worked when others don&#39;t</p><p>29:48 Dance first or structure first: two ways to learn</p><p>32:08 The rule that settles every disagreement</p><p>34:03 The class that keeps a teacher awake at night</p><p>36:45 How to actually let a compliment land</p><p>38:43 The math student who came back crying</p><p>41:11 Their advice, and what&#39;s coming in part two</p><p><br></p><p>Guests: Vanessa Meirelles and Iago Hassuike, Lambada and Brazilian Zouk artists from São Paulo. Hosted by Alisson Sandi.</p><p><br></p><p>ZoukNerds: https://www.zouknerds.com/</p><p>Alisson Sandi: https://www.alissonsandi.com</p><p>Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zouk.nerds/</p><p><br></p><p>Episode: S06 Ep20 | ZoukNerds Podcast</p>