Inspired by the movie “Shall We Dance?”, Gui Prada started dancing in 2004. However, it was only in 2006 that he really began to dive deep into dance as a work-study trainee of the Jaime Aroxa Dance School in Rio de Janeiro, one of the most prestigious dance schools in Brazil, which trained some of the most renowned dancers in the country. During his 6 years as a member of the school’s team, he learned all Brazilian partner dances (Forró, Samba de Gafieira, Soltinho, Bolero and Zouk) and Argentine Tango. As he matured more as a dancer, he found he preferred to focus less on the steps and more on turning partner dancing into a relaxing experience for the mind and body.
In 2009, on his first visit to Buenos Aires, Argentina, he was introduced to the authentic tango hug – the close embrace – and all of its complexity and power to create the ultimate feeling of “conforto, cuidado e entrega” – comfort, care and surrender. After that, he continued learning from other remarkable instructors in Brazil, including Fabiano Vivas, Kelly Reis, Érico Rodrigo, Guilherme Pimentel, Lídio Freitas and many others; and went on to research the close embrace and its application to all partner dances, with the purpose of conveying a sense of well-being and relaxation between dance partners.
Apart from dance, Gui also studied and worked as a tantric massage therapist. This work helped him to create a unique perspective of human nature, as well as a deep understanding of the capabilities of the human body. His investigation of the close embrace continued over the years, and through many sources both inside and outside of the dance world. These studies guided him to form a multidisciplinary understanding of dancing and connecting in close embrace as a healing and therapeutic experience. Due to its versatility in movement, music, speed and approach, Brazilian Zouk became the perfect dance to apply this concept and explore the possibilities, which he has been doing since 2016, when he attended the first Zouk Retreat in Valencia, led by Xandy Liberato, Brenda Carvalho and Anderson Mendes. After that, his research on partner dancing took a new direction, as he continued working with Brenda and Anderson to seek for the application of the concepts explored at the retreat in different ways by using the references of the other Brazilian partner dances and tantra.
Currently, he continues to develop the idea of partner dancing as a true therapeutic experience, having dancing in close embrace and the basics as the focus point. Although Gui started his career less than one year ago, he was able to develop and improve this concept through a workshop called “The Universe Behind the Hug”, which visited 7 cities around the US and was attended by dozens of people. Besides that, Gui had the opportunity to teach in 4 Brazilian Zouk congresses together with Hannah Miller-Jones and Ashley Kent; one Brazilian Zouk retreat in Seattle; a new workshop about the origins of Brazilian Zouk called “Finding Zouk” and a new workshop with Brenda and Anderson called “Think and Feel”.
Gui spend his last year in Washington DC, US, developing the local community with regular, weekly and progressive classes. This work allowed him to acquire a rich perspective and experience in community building with focus in quality, integration and, most importantly, fun!