ZOUK HEAT: FAQs

GENERAL faqs

WHICH AIRPORT SHOULD I FLY INTO?

You'll want to fly into Dulles International Airport (IAD): https://www.flydulles.com/ Our festival venue, the Hyatt Regency Dulles, has a FREE shuttle to/from that specific airport.

OTHER AIRPORTS: You may choose to fly into the other 2 area airports at your own choice bearing in mind the distance from those airports from our official event hotel:

Regan National (DCA): 28miles/35mins+ (without traffic)
Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI): 57miles/1hr+ away (without traffic)

HOW DO I SCHEDULE PRIVATE LESSONS?

Please contact the artists directly. Artists may be contacted via their individual social media platforms (i.e. FB & IG)

PLEASE NOTE: Private lessons are prioritized for Full Pass holders.

I'M AN EVENT PROMOTER. CAN I BRING MY EVENT BANNER AND/OR FLYERS?

Any event promoter wishing to bring any promotional materials (i.e. banners, flyers, etc) must be approved. Any unapproved promo materials will be promptly removed & can be picked up at the Registration table. Unapproved & unclaimed promo materials not belonging to Zouk Heat will be disposed of at the conclusion of the festival weekend.

HOW TO GET APPROVED: Please send an email requesting to bring your promotional materials to: zoukheatdc@gmail.com

WHERE'S THE SCHEDULE?

Here on this website. Click on the "ZH 2025: SCHEDULES/THEMES" page of this website. The workshop & DJ schedules will be published no later than 4-6 weeks out from the event start.

CAN I/MY TEAM/MY PARTNER & I PERFORM AT ZOUK HEAT?

In the interest of providing more social dance & time to connect with you fellow attendees, we are limiting the number of performances at our festival moving forward. Should you wish to perform at our festival (solo, couple or team), please contact us via email (zoukheatdc@gmail.com) no later than: JANUARY 13, 2025.

HOW DO I GET THE EVENT FB PROFILE FRAME?

Yasssss! COMING SOON!

CAN I VOLUNTEER AT ZOUK HEAT?

We're fortunate to have a dedicated team to run this festival and, therefore, are not in need of many volunteers. If/when we require volunteers, a post will be made here on the website & the Zouk Heat FB fan page. Be sure to "Like" the Zouk Heat FB fan page to get alerts when we post: https://www.facebook.com/zoukheatdc

CAN I GET HIRED TO TEACH, DJ, ETC AT ZOUK HEAT?

We are fully staffed on instructors, DJs & Media Team for the 2025 festival. Should we require additional staffing in any capacity, we'll proactively manage such needs. Thank you for your understanding ahead of time.

CAN I BE A VENDOR AT ZOUK HEAT?

Yes. To avoid unnecessary competition among our vendors, we only accept a limited number selling specific products each year. Should you wish to vendor at out upcoming festival, please contact us via email (zoukheatdc@gmail.com) no later than: MARCH 17, 2025.

DO I HAVE TO BE AN ADVANCED DANCER TO ATTEND THIS EVENT?

Absolutely not!

Our 2025 festival plans to have a dedicated 1-day Beginner Bootcamp geared towards our newest members of the Zouk community run by our lit local Brazilian Zouk school: District Zouk.

Zouk Heat's workshops are 75mins/1.25hrs & our workshop schedule will have different level workshops so that Zoukers of all dance levels can gain value from this event.

HOW DO I FIND ROOMMATES?

Traditionally, most festival/congress attendees will coordinate with dancers within their local community or those they connect with at other events to find roommates for the next event.

We'll setup a moderated chat for event attendees to communicate directly with one another several weeks out from the festival. Only ticketed/registered event attendees will receive the chat link.

TICKETS/Pass faqs

All pertinent info regarding tickets/passes for this year's festival can be found on the ZOUK HEAT 2025: TICKETS page of our website.

GOT A PASS & CAN'T COME ANYMORE?

For pass transfers & credits: https://zoukheat.com/credits-%26-pass-resales

CAN I GET A REFUND?

No. Zouk Heat's events are No Refund events. You do, however, have 2 options should you have a pass to ANY Zouk Heat event & can no longer attend:

1. SELL YOUR PASS: $20 Pass Transfer Fee for Full & Single Day passes.

2. REQUEST A PERMANAENT CREDIT: The value of your pass can be applied to future Zouk Heat event tickets. If an attendee doesn't sell their pass for any reason by the Pass Transfer deadline (March 28, 2025), a Permanent Credit request will be the only remaining option.

PLEASE KINDLY READ DETAILS HERE. FEEL FREE TO DM or EMAIL WITH ANY ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS AFTER REVIEWING THE INFO: https://zoukheat.com/credits-%26-pass-resales

I CAN NO LONGER ATTEND THE 2025 FESTIVAL. CAN I TRANSFER MY PASS TO 2026 OR ANOTHER EVENT?

No. The pandemic taught us that a lot can happen over a year, so, we don’t transfer passes from year-to-year nor from event-to-event. You will need to sell your pass or request a Permanent Credit: The value of your pass can be applied to future Zouk Heat event tickets.

PLEASE KINDLY READ DETAILS HERE. FEEL FREE TO DM or EMAIL WITH ANY ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS AFTER REVIEWING THE INFO: https://zoukheat.com/credits-%26-pass-resales

CAN I TRANSFER MY LEAD PASS TO A FOLLOW?

No. In an effort to keep a reasonable Lead-to-Follow ratio, only the following transfers are permitted:

Follow-to-Follow
Lead-to-Lead
Follow-to-Lead

NOT Lead-to-Follow.

HOW DO I TRANSFER/SELL MY PASS TO THE NEW PASSHOLDER?

1. READ THE INFO: Be sure to read & understand all info on the CREDITS & PASS RESALES page: https://zoukheat.com/credits-%26-pass-resales

2. FACILITATE PAYMENT: You may facilitate payment for whatever price the Seller & Buyer agree upon you choose: Venmo, Cash, etc. DON'T GET SCAMMED: Check with us, via FB Msg or email (zoukheatdc@gmail), BEFORE you send money to an unknown seller. Zouk Heat is not responsible nor liable should an attendee obtain a fake pass from a scam seller. Scam passes will not be honored by Zouk Heat.

3. COMPLETE THE FORM: Complete the quick & easy "I Can't Make It" form, choosing to sell your pass. The form is embedded in CREDITS & PASS RESALES page: https://zoukheat.com/credits-%26-pass-resales

4. PAY THE PASS TRANSFER FEE: Purchase the Pass Transfer Fee on the Zouk Heat 2025 ticket page. The Pass Transfer fee is purchased just like a ticket. You'll be prompted to provide the Buyer's name & email. Once we receive the Pass Transfer Fee, we'll take care of the transfer directly with the Buyer within 3-5 business days (Mon-Fri). THAT'S IT!

2025 Pass Transfer Deadline: MARCH 28, 2025!

CAN I BUY ONLY 1 OR 2 WORKSHOPS?

No. There is no a-la-carte pass for individual workshops for our festival.

CAN I PAYPAL, VENMO, ETC FOR THE BZDC J&J?

No. Official Brazilian Zouk Dance Council (BZDC) Jack & Jill (J&J) entries are purchased specifically online, via Dance Place, to track BZDC scores, points and competition levels in the BZDC database. BZDC entry fees go towards registration fees, trophies and other related J&J expenses. You can register to compete via the BZDC J&J page here on our website. BZDC J&J REGISTRATION COMING SOON FOR 2025!

I FORGOT TO USE A DISCONT CODE. CAN I GET THE DISCOUNT AFTER I ALREADY PURCHASED?

No. Once a pass purchase is completed, no discounts will be retroactively applied.

WILL THERE BE SINGLE DAY OR PARTY PASSES?

Yes. Those pass types will be available approx. 2 weeks prior to the festival an in VERY LIMITED quantities. Just to clarify what those passes include:

1) SINGLE DAY PASS: Include all regular daytime workshops (no master classes) & the evening par-tayyyy.

2) PARTY PASS: Includes ONLY the nighttime par-tayyyyy for the specific day purchased (i.e. Friday Party Pass, Saturday Party Pass, etc). Attendees with this pass type will not be permitted into the event area prior to their pass admission time. Again....these passes are valid for nighttime only & do not include day parties.

PLEASE NOTE: Only Full/Performer Passes are eligible to compete in our BZDC J&J competition.

HOTEL faqs

All pertinent info regarding the hotel for this year's festival can be found on the ZOUK HEAT 2025: HOTEL page of our website.

IS THERE AN OFFICIAL HOTEL BLOCK?

Yes. Please click on the "ZOUK HEAT 2025: HOTEL" page of this website. BOOKING LINK COMING SOON!

MAY I BOOK IN THE EVENT ROOM BLOCK IF I'M NOT ATTENDING THE EVENT?

ABSOLUTLY NOT.

MAY I BOOK MORE THAN 1 ROOM IN THE EVENT ROOM BLOCK?

While we realize the "hotel point hustle" is real, we want to kindly remind our community that when any single individual books too many rooms, this can present a challenge for everyone planning to book their room(s) over the coming months leading up to the festival. Please kindly keep room bookings to no more than 3 rooms booked per attendee. Our event block is setup expressly for use by our valued event attendees only. We will continually review our event bookings to ensure our attendees have fair access to rooms so we can all have a lit festival weekend!

IS PARKING FREE AT THE EVENT HOTEL?

Yes. PLEASE NOTE: Parking is only free to event attendees. All other parking is subject to the hotel's $15.00 per day fee. There's a pic denoting parking around the hotel under "Amenities" on the ZOUK HEAT 2025: HOTEL page.

HOW DO I TRANSFER A HOTEL RESERVATION TO ANOTHER ATTENDEE?

EMAIL: Jaime Issa at: Jamie.Issa@hyatt.com

Please CC us on your email: zoukheatdc@gmail.com

IS THERE A SHUTTLE THAT RUNS TO/FROM THE HOTEL TO THE AIRPORT (IAD)?

Yes. Airport shuttle service, to/from DULLES INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (IAD) only, is complimentary.

TO CLARIFY: All other DC Area airports do NOT have a free shuttle to the Dulles Regency Hyatt. You may choose to fly into the other 2 area airports at your own choice bearing in mind the distance from those airports from our official event hotel:

Regan National (DCA): 28miles/35mins+ (without traffic)
Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI): 57miles/1hr+ away (without traffic)

HOW DO I FIND ROOMMATES?

We'll have a moderated chat setup several weeks out from the festival to help facilitate direct communication between event attendees. Additionally, many festival/congress attendees coordinate with dancers within their local community or those they connect with at other events to find roommates for future events.

SAFETY PSA: Please be mindful of WHO you are rooming with and/or accepting 2nd-hand room reservations from.

IS THERE FOOD CLOSE TO THE HOTEL?

There's a number of food options within a 4-6min drive from the hotel as well as a Target & Costco 12mins away from the hotel. There are several restaurant options within a 10min walk of the hotel.

BZDC J&J faqs

All pertinent info regarding this year's official BZDC J&J can be found on the ZOUK HEAT 2025: BZDC J&J page of our website.

WHAT DOES BZDC J&J STAND FOR?

BZDC J&J = Brazilian Zouk Dance Council (BZDC) Jack & Jill (J&J)

WHAT IS A BZDC J&J COMPETITION?

A J&J is a dance competition in which competitors enter as individuals & are randomly assigned partners. The BZDC J&J competition is designed to highlight skills in social Brazilian Zouk dancing and showcase competitors’ ability to dance well with a variety of partners to unknown music selections.

WHAT ARE THE RULES OF A BZDC J&J COMPETITION?

Competition Rules can be found on the Brazilian Zouk Dance Council (BZDC) website:

https://www.brazilianzoukcouncil.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/BZDC-RulesGuidelinesforCompetitors2022.pdf

CAN I ENTER THE BZDC J&J WITH A SINGLE DAY OR NIGHT PASS?

No. All Jack & Jill competitors must have purchased either a FULL PASS or PERFORMER’S PASS to the current Zouk Heat festival year in order to participate in the competition. No other pass holders will be eligible. The J&J entry must be purchased in addition to the pass as it's not included with the festival pass.

HOW/WHERE DO I SIGN UP TO COMPETE IN THE BZDC J&J?

Only attendees possessing either a Full Pass or Performers Pass may sign up, via Dance Place, to compete. No other pass type is eligible for competition in the J&J. 2025 BZDC J&J REGISTRTION COMING SOON!

I'M NEW TO ZOUK. CAN I STILL ENTER THE BZDC J&J?

Yes. There are different competition divisions:

Newcomer
Novice
Intermediate
Advanced
All-Star
Champion

Please Note: Most events run:

Novice
Intermediate
Advanced
All-Star

Novice would be the applicable category for new dancers to sign up for at Zouk Heat.

More detailed information about the various divisions can be found in the BZDC competition rules: https://www.brazilianzoukcouncil.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/BZDC-RulesGuidelinesforCompetitors.pdf

WHAT DO THE JUDGES LOOK FOR WHEN JUDGING?

You can find the judging criteria on the Brazilian Zouk Dance Council (BZDC) website: https://www.brazilianzoukcouncil.com/competitors/judging-criteria/

CAN I PAYPAL, VENMO, ETC FOR THE BZDC J&J ENTRY FEE?

OH NO! I DON'T HAVE A BZDC NUMBER. CAN I STILL REGISTER TO COMPETE?

Yes. Competitors won't be assigned a BZDC Number until after they have placed, not just competed, in an official BZDC J&J competition at any event hosting an official BZDC J&J. simply leave that part blank as you register online in Dance Place. No worries!

WHAT DO I WIN IF I PLACE IN MY BZDC J&J COMPETITION DIVSION?

Prizes are typically only awarded to the 1st, 2nd & 3rd place couples in each division. A prize package typically consists of:

A trophy/medal/certificate
Free ticket(s) to other events that also host official BZDC J&J competitions
BZDC Points: As you accumulate points for placing in various official BZDC J&J competitions, you'll rise up in competition divisions.

WHERE CAN I FIND SCORES & FINAL PLACEMENTS FROM OTHER OFFICIAL BZDC J&J COMPETITIONS?

These are housed on the Brazilian Zouk Dance Council (BZDC) website: https://www.brazilianzoukcouncil.com/competitions/

HEALTH, SAFETY & CONDUCT FAQS

Our Code of Conduct can be found here on our website: https://zoukheat.com/code-of-conduct-1. All attendees are expected to abide by this as agreed upon in the waiver upon purchasing a pass.

WILL ZOUK HEAT 2025 HAVE COVID PRECAUTIONS?

No. We graciously thank our community for their cooperation & understanding with our health policies applied to our events over the recent years. We've released pandemic measures and are running our events "as normal."

We strongly encourage our community to continue engaging in best practices to include making decisions that are most effective for each individual's specific health circumstances, particular personal/professional responsibilities and known risk tolerance levels.

WILL ZOUK HEAT 2025 HAVE SECURITY?

Absolutely. Our event will have security present to monitor wristbands, any reports of dangerous behavior & ensure an overall higher of level safety at our event.

WHERE CAN I FIND ZOUK HEAT'S CODE OF CONDUCT?

CLICK HERE: https://zoukheat.com/code-of-conduct-1

FAQS: Frequently Asked Questions

GENERAL faqs

TICKETS/Pass faqs

HOTEL faqs

BZDC J&J faqs

HEALTH, SAFETY & CONDUCT FAQS

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