I'll be honest. I walk into a social and I pick who to dance with in about three seconds, and most of the time I don't even decide it. My body decides for me.

In this episode of Brazilian Zouk podcast ZoukNerds, Gui Prada and I pull apart that decision nobody talks about: the hidden social hierarchy I see in every dance community, including the ones I run.

Why does everyone sit in the same spot every party:

→ Find the DJ. The teachers are right there. We call it the red carpet, and the dancers who most want to be seen sit around it.

→ The opposite corner stays dark on purpose. Gui put his hands up here: without his current position, that's exactly where he'd be.

→ Back at Jaime Arôxa in Rio, they trained the older ladies to stand and move a little, to show they were ready. We went straight to them. No mistake.

But the harder question is who I actually invite, and why. We landed on five reasons, and the first one is the one I least want to admit:

→ Attraction. Not hitting on anyone. A subconscious pull I don't even notice.

→ Respect and age. I'm 38. A 22-year-old is too young for me to feel comfortable asking.

→ Ability. Some of us leaders are like a dog that wants to free run in the park.

→ Closeness to power. Are you friends with the organizer? That's the big one.

→ My comfort zone.

The big takeaway: I've stopped trying to dismantle the hierarchy. The friendliest scenes don't either. They transcend it while staying in it. I leave my group for one dance, then come back.

Chapters:

00:00 Intro: back in the same room, one year later

01:30 The hidden hierarchy nobody talks about

02:00 How you scan a room the second you walk in

03:50 The red carpet: where the DJ and teachers sit

06:00 The dark corner vs the main floor at Taiwan Zouk Festival

08:06 Alisson's three modes: unknown, invited teacher, local dancer

13:31 Jaime Arôxa: training the ladies to show they're ready

17:00 The five things that decide who you invite to dance

20:18 Comfort zone and the age gap

25:41 Closeness to power: the politics of the floor

34:21 The takeaway: transcend the hierarchy without dismantling it

Co-host: Gui Prada

ZoukNerds: https://www.zouknerds.com/

Alisson Sandi: https://www.alissonsandi.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zouk.nerds/

Episode: S06 Ep07 | ZoukNerds Podcast