My name is Célia, I am a 35-year-old French professional with a background in business and foreign languages. Although my initial academic path centered around corporate skills and linguistics, my true passion has always been rooted in movement and dance. From an early age, I immersed myself in Modern Jazz and Classical Ballet. However, my journey took a transformative turn at the age of 23 when I discovered couple dancing. From the moment I took my first steps, I never stopped. My dancing evolved naturally over the years, moving from salsa to bachata, until I finally discovered Brazilian Zouk—the dance style that would become my ultimate passion and life’s calling.
To master this art form, I dedicated the past four years to traveling extensively across South America, focusing almost entirely on intensive Brazilian Zouk training and immersion. Today, I am undergoing a complete career transition to become a professional Brazilian Zouk instructor. I chose to apply for the EYE (Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs) program after my dancer friend, Nicolas, completed it and shared his great experience. I realized this was an incredible opportunity to jumpstart my career as a dance teacher, structure my course offerings, develop rich instructional content, and build the confidence and hands-on experience necessary to thrive. Doing all of this on a breathtaking paradise island in Spain makes the opportunity even more exceptional.
This exchange is directly accelerating my professional growth. It provides me with the practical platform I need to refine my teaching methodology, sharpen my pedagogical skills, welcome my very first students, foster a genuine connection with them, and test my course design in real-time.
My first two weeks here have flown by unbelievably fast. I settled into a bright and charming apartment that I had booked while still in France, featuring a lovely terrace with a view of the sea in the distance. I met my dance partner, Geoffrey, and we immediately hit the ground running. We have spent countless hours training, discussing instructional theory, and defining our teaching concepts. Together, we have already taught our first group classes, observed other local instructors’ sessions, given private lessons to established resident teachers, and danced at the weekly Brazilian Zouk social nights. I have also connected with other female instructors to foster collaborative projects; we created a brand-new choreography and are currently organizing an upcoming event specifically tailored for followers. The local Zouk community has been exceptionally welcoming, and the students are wonderfully encouraging. The city itself is very pretty. While living on an island feels a bit unusual after spending years in bustling big cities, I am thrilled with how everything is unfolding. My schedule has been packed so far, leaving little time to explore the surroundings, but I look forward to everything that lies ahead!