Nelly Caldeira

Nelly Caldeira is a passionate, fun, and energetic Brazilian Zouk Instructor, as well as a Transformation & Communication Coach from Brazil.

With a background in philosophy, Nelly is dedicated to creating and contributing to dance communities that value connection, authenticity, growth, and transformation. She is known for creating projects that include dance, communication, and self-development and for collaborating with other organizers and artists to grow the Brazilian Zouk community in quantity and quality by focusing on the PERSON as much as the SOCIAL dancer. She makes use of tools such as Neuro-linguistic Programming, Mental & Emotional Release, Non-Violent Communication, Enneagram, Huna, and other modalities to assist her students and coaching clients to become more confident in themselves, realize their true desires, pursue their genuine interests, and achieve their most significant goals.

Since June 2018, Nelly has been living and teaching in the Bay Area, California. She has also taught at various congresses, projects, and events in the USA, Brazil, and Mexico. Her dance journey began in 2014 when she fell in love with Zouk and with all the possibilities this dance brought into her life. While her baby steps into zouk started through Renata's Peçanha's school, her most significant influences and mentors over the years have been Paloma Alves & William Teixeira and Val Clemente & Vanessa Bonilha. Joining the Zouk Needs You team and moving to the USA was a pivotal step that helped her to go from a "simple" social dancer to a dedicated Brazilian Zouk instructor.

Nelly values zouk and dance technique as much as she appreciates helping us find a home, groove, and free expression within our minds and bodies.

She has competed and placed in Jack & Jill competitions a few times and has performed on stage with Boneca Baddies, Zouk SF, and Kadu & Larissa followers team. Since 2020, she's been the director of the Zouk Babes Bay Area team (follower’s choreography team created by Christina Montoya) and has hosted her own dance & self-development projects in the USA, Brazil, and also at the MAC Project in Paris.

Nelly deeply believes that achieving our goals and leading a healthier and more fulfilling life, both on and off the dance floor is only truly possible when we dare to embrace our authentic selves and our truest path. Life lessons come through social dance lessons. The question is are you ready to see and learn from them?