social dance
Brazilian zouk & lambada
Directed by Osei Bonsu,
Nhat & Gigi Ho, & Keely Duong
(Austin, TX)
Austin Brazilian Zouk and Lambada grows a living home for Zouk and Lambada in Austin, where culture, music, and community move together. We run inclusive classes, workshops, and performances with real access built in, from multilingual materials to adaptive options for blind and visually impaired dancers. Partners across the city help us keep entry points free or low cost so beginners and veterans can train side by side. This is culture in motion, open to all, and meant to last.
atxzouk.com
Cumbia bajo
de la luna
Free Family Friendly Cumbia Events
(Austin, TX)
Cumbia Bajo la Luna is a monthly outdoor gathering that turns Austin’s plazas and bridges into dance floors under the stars. Founded by Daniel Hernandez, Laura Olvera, and Vanessa Rodriguez, the project uplifts Cumbia as a living tradition of joy, resilience, and resistance. Each event is free and accessible, created in collaboration with local Mutual Aid groups and initiatives like Dance Away Detention, connecting movement with solidarity and care. By keeping the beat alive in public space, we honor culture as a shared heartbeat of the city.
fisterra.xyz/cumbia
AusTin Swing SYndicaTe
(Austin, TX)
Since 1999, the Austin Swing Syndicate has brought thousands of dancers together over the past 26 years, keeping Lindy Hop and jazz-era swing alive in Central Texas. Every Thursday night, the historic Texas Federation of Women’s Clubs fills with music, beginner classes, and social dancing that welcome people of all ages and abilities. The Syndicate also hosts the Austin Lindy Exchange, one of the nation’s longest-running swing exchanges, drawing musicians and dancers from around the world. With a commitment to accessibility, affordability, and cultural preservation, the Syndicate ensures swing dancing remains a thriving, open, and joyful part of Austin’s cultural life.
Echale salsiTa
Alejandra Hernandez (Austin, TX)
Échale Salsita Austin Social, led by Alex Hernandez and a team of 12 teachers, DJs, and media artists, brings together one of the largest Latin dance communities in the city. Each second Saturday, more than 300 dancers fill two rooms—one for salsa and one for bachata—for a night of classes, socials, and live DJs. Beyond the monthly gathering, the team also hosts free pop-up events across Austin in public spaces.
HoT RhYThm FoundaTion
Lindy Hop, Balboa, Collegate Shag
(Austin, TX)
Hot Rhythm Holiday is Austin’s annual celebration of classic swing and jazz culture, running since 2009. Each February, hundreds of dancers from across the country gather for three days of live jazz bands, workshops, competitions, and late-night socials that bring Balboa, Collegiate Shag, Lindy Hop, and more to life. The festival partners with historic venues, local Black jazz musicians, and master dance teachers to honor the African-American roots of swing while creating space for today’s diverse and inclusive community. More than just a weekend of dancing, Hot Rhythm Holiday is a living archive of rhythm, history, and connection.
hotrhythmholiday.com
GenZouk
Daniela Gutierrez Cohen & Yuxiang Zhou
(Houston, TX)
GenZouk is a BIPOC immigrant-led initiative in Houston dedicated to preserving Brazilian partner dance as cultural heritage. Weekly progressive classes at Rise MVMT welcome multilingual, mixed-ability, and intergenerational participants, led by artists Daniela Gutierrez Cohen and Yuxiang Zhou. Our international gatherings feature world-renowned instructors such as Iago Pinho, Ninna Zatta, Renato Ramalhos, Tamara Valle, and João Cabral, alongside guest artists like Vanessa Meirelles and Jerry Zhou. By connecting Houston’s community with global dancers, GenZouk builds equity, resilience, and cultural continuity through movement.
rhYThm House
Lisa Vargas
(Austin, TX)
Rhythm House, founded by Lisa Vargas, Travis Herman, and Lizeth Katz Pallagi, is Austin’s dance home offering weekly classes in Salsa, Bachata, Swing, West Coast Swing, Two-Step, Country Swing, and Cumbia, plus ballroom and rhythm styles. With group lessons, private coaching, youth ballet & creative movement, socials, and performance teams, they offer welcoming spaces for dancers.
