A JOURNEY THAT STARTED IN NEW YORK
Teaching, performing & helping build community since 2011
Ry’el became involved in the growth of Brazilian Zouk in the United States in 2011, when he arrived in New York City as its Zouk community was beginning to develop.
He studied with and assisted his teacher Kim Rottier of Zouk NY, and later danced, taught, and performed alongside artists including his sister Clo Ferreira and Jessica Lamdon.
Over the following years, Ry’el taught weekly classes throughout New York City while traveling to teach workshops across the United States. But teaching dancers was only one part of his work.
He also developed teacher trainings designed to help other instructors find their own voices and become teachers, performers, DJs, organizers, and community leaders.
His mentorship and training have included artists and community members such as Jessica Lamdon, Vinny, DJ Power, Igor Fraga, Shane Rasnak, and Leslie Zouk.
THE RAD LAMBAZOUK METHOD
In 2023, Ry’el began a new chapter as a solo artist and expanded his work through the RAD LambaZouk Method.
The method was created to make LambaZouk more approachable while maintaining the technique and history behind the dance.
For someone new to the style, RAD can provide a stepping stone into Brazilian Zouk and Lambada. For experienced dancers, it provides another way to explore the relationship and synergies between the two.
The curriculum brings together three concepts Ry’el developed over more than a decade:
Zenzouk Colors — 2013
Exploring movement and dance through different qualities and expressions.
Lambazouk Dimensions — 2018
Developing a deeper understanding of movement, space, and connection.
Dance Calligraphy — 2023
Exploring how movement can create shapes, pathways, and expression.
Ry’el’s relationship with dance goes far beyond teaching steps.
As a performer, choreographer, instructor, dance coach, mentor, and community builder, he has spent more than a decade helping dancers discover movement, connection, and expression through LambaZouk — a hybrid of Lambada and Brazilian Zouk.
His background includes training in ballet, contemporary and modern dance, ballroom, and salsa before his journey into LambaZouk. That range of experience continues to shape how he teaches today: breaking complex movement into concepts dancers of different levels and ages can understand and make their own.
FROM NEW YORK TO THE WORLD
17+ Countries • 34+ Cities
Ry’el’s dance career eventually took him far beyond New York.
He has taught and performed in more than 17 countries and 34 cities, sharing LambaZouk throughout the United States, Europe, Asia, and Brazil.
Two experiences in particular changed the direction of his work.
Ry’el joined the international production Brazouka! as a dancer and Dance Captain, touring England, South Africa, and Australia while helping tell the story of Lambada legend Braz Dos Santos.
He later traveled to Porto Seguro, Brazil — the birthplace of Lambada.
Experiencing Lambada at its roots gave Ry’el a deeper understanding of the history behind Brazilian Zouk and reshaped the way he approached both his dancing and teaching.
Rather than separating innovation from tradition, his work began focusing on both: preserving an understanding of Lambada's classical roots while continuing to explore the evolution of LambaZouk.
ROOTS + CURIOSITY
The philosophy behind his teaching
Ry’el doesn't want students to simply memorize combinations.
His approach starts with understanding where the dance came from and developing a strong technical foundation. From there, dancers are encouraged to explore.
That balance between classical Lambada roots and individual curiosity helps students develop fluidity, versatility, musicality, connection, and their own voice as dancers.
The goal isn't to create dancers who all move exactly like Ry’el.
It's to give them the tools to discover how they move.
BUILDING COMMUNITY THROUGH DANCE
Ry’el's work has also extended beyond his own students. He has helped organize festivals, train instructors, mentor emerging artists, and support dance communities with limited access to LambaZouk education.
Today, based in Colorado, he continues that work throughout the United States while building the local Lambarado community.
He also serves as a council member of the American Lambada Organization and the Lambada World Dance Council, continuing his involvement in the preservation, education, and growth of the dance.
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