Mark Waden
ZRDance – Zouk Revolution
Brisbane's ZRdance director Mark Waden experimented with a number of the world's best-loved dance styles before dedicating himself to zouk.
Introduced to Hungarian dancing by his parents in tribute to his heritage, Mark has been a passionate dancer since he was 12 years old. His studies started with Brisbane's Hungarian CSÁRDÁS Dance Group in 1988, and included various title wins at the Australian Folkloric Dance Championships (1989 – 1st, 1990 – 1st, 1991 – 4th, 1992 1st), and a fourth place at the World Folkloric Dance Championship (1991) in Malorca, Spain against 52 countries. This was the beginning of a lifelong passion and dream, and culminated in the establishment of ZRdance – Zouk Revolution Dance in early 2008.
Mark has completed extensive training in Hungarian dance, Spanish Flamenco, followed by intensive ballroom studies focussing on Latin and South American styles. After discovering ballroom dancing, Mark focused on Latin dance, and, at the Dancecorp National Dance Championship, he placed overall second in all dance styles, and equal third in the Argentine Tango choreography section (2002).
After competing in various dance competitions locally and internationally, it was the passion, excitement, and fluidity of zouk which finally captured Mark's heart and inspired him to set off for Amsterdam in 2006, where he immersed himself in zouk studies with world leading exponents of the style including Adilio Porto (Zouk Love), "the father of Lambada" Braz Dos Santos (LambaZouk), Gilson Damasco (Zouk and LambaZouk), Rodrigo Delano (Zouk Love), Bebe Duarte Genivaldo (LambaZouk), Claudio Gomez (Zouk Love), and Joao Gilberto (Zouk Revolution). Adilio Porto subsequently invited Mark to present a workshop at the prestigious Salsaventura dance studio at Den Haag, Holland. Mark continued to make regular trips to Europe over the following years to further improve and understand the correct teaching methods. He was also the first to introduce lambazouk, zouk revolution and roda de zouk (zouk partner swapping in a circle) to Australia.
Upon returning to Australia, he co-founded ZADdance in 2007. Then seeing the potential of zouk as a style that could be the next 'Salsa', he established a new Latin dance school, ZRdance, on Brisbane's Northside in 2008. The distinctive "personality" of zouk now underpins both Mark's dance philosophy and the ZRdance curriculum, which specialises in zouk styles.
In 2009, Mark chose to expand ZRdance and offering students a broader range of Latin styles and introduced salsa, bachata and Zumba® to the curriculum. Mark was also fortunate to launch and be the first qualified Zumba® instructor to run classes in Brisbane.
Since 2007, he has taught throughout the Eastern coast of Australia and and DJ'd (DJ Marky Mark), performed and taught at several major Latin events including Brazil Meets Brisbane in 2008, Doudoule in 2009 and 2011, and Brazil Central in 2009 and 2010.
With Mark's unique teaching style, methods and wealth of knowledge from years of dancing in over 20 different styles , he brings a new and fresh flavour to each of his classes.
He has also become well known for running and DJ'ing Brisbane's most successful zouk events, 'Zouk and the City Sunday Sessions' and 'Nightclub' which has now become the Mecca and hub for zouk in Brisbane.
Career Highlights:
- Performer – World Expo 88, 1988
- Performer – Australia Day Folkloric Dance Championships 1989 – 1993, 1st place for 3 years
- Performer – Warana Street Festival and Parade, 1990
- Performer – Palma de Mallorca World Folkloric Dance Championships 1991, 4th place
- Performer – Hungarian Trianon Day Festival, 1995
- Performer – Solstice Festival, 1994
- Competitor - DanceCorp National Dance Championships Latin & South American 2003, 2nd place
- Instructor – SalsaVentura Den Haag Holland, 2006
- Instructor – Groove Brazil, 2007
- Instructor – Zouk Nights, 2007
- Co–founder – ZADdance – Zouk ADict Dance 2007
- Director and Founder ZRdance – Zouk Revolution Dance, 2008
- Performer and Instructor – Brazil Meets Brisbane, 2008
- Instructor – New York Ballroom, 2008
- Founder and Host – Zouk and the City Sunday Sessions, 2008
- Instructor and Performer – Doudoule Latin Dance Camp, 2009
- Founder and Host – Zouk and the City Nightclub, 2009 (The largest and most successful Zouk party in Brisbane)
- Performer – Brazil Central Zouk Lambada Congress, 2009
- Instructor, Performer and DJ - – Brazil Central Zouk Lambada Congress, 2010
- Instructor and Performer – Doudoule Latin Dance Camp, 2011
- Instructor, Performer and DJ – ZoukHQ Mega Party Weekend, 2011
Testimonials
"Mark is a great and experienced dancer himself, but more importantly for his students, he knows how to teach. He does an excellent job of breaking down all of the steps, without overlooking the important details such as footwork, frame and posture. And all in an hour! We are very lucky to have such a talented teacher who sincerely loves to teach. Mark's personality makes being in his class a delight and the whole learning experience a pleasure. Thank you Mark for sharing your expertise!"
Regan Carr
"My wife and I just completed a Level 1 workshop with ZRdance. We found our instructor easy going and welcoming. His teaching techniques allow even the novice to master the moves necessary to dance. We highly recommend ZRdance to anyone who wishes to learn to dance!"
Tom and Kal Juhasz
Hannah Hayson
ZRDance – Zouk Revolution Instructor, performer
Hannah began dancing at Brisbane's Vida Latina in 2006 at age eighteen. While she had a strong sporting background, having competed in numerous sports at a regional and state level, she had never danced before. At first taking dance classes to keep a friend company, Hannah quickly fell in love with the energy and passion of Latin dance.
She initially concentrated on learning LA on one style salsa, and made her performance debut in December 2006 at the first Latin Dance Extravaganza. By 2007, she had reached an advanced level of salsa and commenced teaching beginner salsa classes for Vida Latina at both their studio and through the University of Queensland's recreational program. As she progressed as an instructor and social dancer, Hannah also continued to develop her passion for performing. She expanded her repertoire to include zouk, samba no pe, merengue, bachata and reggaeton. Throughout 2007 and 2008 she performed and instructed at many functions, workshops, concerts and events around Brisbane. She first performed as a soloist in 2008 at NRMA Dancing in the Street. During this time, she also developed choreographies for student and professional ensembles.
In 2009, Hannah accepted a position as salsa instructor and dance partner with Mark Waden of ZRdance. The pair have since developed a strong partnership, and bring a unique flavour to zouk. Since partnering Mark, Hannah has focussed intensively on zouk, and has performed and taught at Australia's premier zouk event, Brazil Central, as well as other major events such as DouDouLe Latin Dance Camp. In November 2010, she and Mark conducted a sold out workshop and performance tour of Canberra. She has been invited back to several of Australia's largest Latin events for performances and workshops in 2011. In addition to her teaching and performance duties, she is also currently head choreographer and performance coordinator at ZRdance, and is currently producing dynamic choreographies in zouk, salsa, and samba no pe.
Career Highlights:
- Performer – Latin Dance Extravaganza, 2006
- Performer – Latin Dance Extravaganza, 2007
- Instructor – Brisbane City Council Active Parks, 2007
- Performer – NRMA Dancing in the Street, 2007
- Performer – NRMA Dancing in the Street, 2008
- Performer/Instructor – Brazil Meets Brisbane, 2008
- Performer/Instructor – Australian Latin Dance Festival, 2008
- Performer/Instructor – Brazil Central Zouk Lambada Congress, 2010
- Performer/Instructor – Doudoule Latin Dance Camp, 2011
- Performer/Instructor – ZoukHQ Mega Party Weekend, 2011
