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Level Guide

Every dancer progresses differently. Conexão’s levels are here to help you find the right starting point and move at a rhythm that suits your dance.

Each level combines the same five foundations, with a blend of more universitário and roots movement qualities.

Two dancers practising forró together
Level guidance Read the descriptions and compare what each stage expects.

New to forró?

Start with Level 1 unless a teacher suggests another level. You do not need a partner or previous dance experience.

How Levels Work

If you have danced forró before, compare the level descriptions below to see what level might suit you best. If you have questions, get in touch before registering.

If you're already following classes with Conexão and wondering about changing levels, have a think about:

Feedback Week, at the end of the trimester, is the best opportunity to check in with a teacher and decide together what level is best for you.

Typical Rhythm

As a guideline, we would expect most dancers to spend:

This is a minimum, not a target.

There are lots of things which can influence how long you spend in each level. For example, flexi vs. full registration, illness or other absences, whether you review the class content or practise between classes, how regularly you are able to attend social dance events, and so on.

And there is no right or wrong rhythm: just the rhythm that works for you.

The aim is that every student is in a group where they will learn and progress at a rhythm that suits them.

Level 1

Good news! Everyone is welcome: no experience is needed for Level 1.

Level 1 is where we lay the foundations for your forró journey. We want to create good habits that will allow you to learn and grow as a dancer, and correct any “bad habits” which risk holding you back in the future.

Even if - or perhaps especially if! - you have experience of other partner dances, we recommend starting with Level 1. This is where you will learn how forró is both similar and different to other couple dances.

Scheduled Classes

Vocabulary Videos

The Level 1 vocabulary playlist shows each movement individually.

Open the Level 1 vocabulary playlist on YouTube

Level 2

From Level 1 to Level 2

Level 1 is where we lay the foundations for your forró journey. We want to create good habits that will allow you to learn and grow as a dancer, and correct any “bad habits” which risk holding you back in the future.

You are ready for Level 2 when you can use the following fundamentals and figures in your dance (see PDFs below).

Scheduled Classes

Vocabulary Videos

The Level 2 vocabulary playlist shows each movement individually.

Open the Level 2 vocabulary playlist on YouTube

Level 3

From Level 2 to Level 3

Level 2 aims to develop your body intelligence and familiarity with the fundamental forró figures. We want to build the quality of your dance and your confidence.

You’re ready for Level 3 when you can use the following fundamentals and figures in your dance (see PDFs below).

Scheduled Classes

Vocabulary Videos

The Level 3 vocabulary playlist shows each movement individually.

Open the Level 3 vocabulary playlist on YouTube

Level 4

From Level 3 to Level 4

You’re ready for Level 4 when you can use the following fundamentals and figures in your dance (see PDFs below).

Scheduled Classes

Everyone Leads, Everyone Follows

In this course, every participant both leads and follows. The moves we teach are generally easy on the follower side while being challenging on the leader side, and sometimes we flip it depending on the group.

The core idea is to explore moves with an intentional imbalance in technical difficulty between leader and follower. This lets us put the focus of learning on just one side at a time, something that would normally be annoying for one of the partners to sit through if it were not for the fact that everyone leads and follows here.

Prerequisites

Have completed Level 2 and be comfortable with all the concepts covered in Level 2.

Scheduled Classes

Roots

The roots offering is for dancers who want to go deeper into the roots side of forró. It focuses on a more specific movement quality and vocabulary than the regular level classes.

Prerequisites

Have completed Level 3, or be able to perform the following figures: Trava, Sacada, Xique xique, Paulista, and Bêbado.

Scheduled Classes