Chicote
Brazilian zouk whip action
ZoukLevel: Intermediate1 min read4 citations
Chicote is a Brazilian zouk figure whose name is Portuguese for “whip,” referring to the visual rebound of the follower’s head, hair, and upper torso rather than to a forced neck action.[1] It belongs to the Brazilian zouk vocabulary that grew from lambada practice in Brazil in the early 1990s, with development associated with scenes such as Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, and Porto Seguro.[2] In partnered mechanics, the leader prepares the follower’s axis, redirects the torso through connected frame or visual lead, and gives the follower time to let the head follow the body’s pathway; the action may be soft or sharply accented, but it remains controlled.[3] The follower does not throw the head independently: the lower body and hips organize balance while the upper body releases after the base has been placed.[4] Musically, chicote is usually placed as an accent across a zouk phrase rather than as a fixed basic-step replacement, with preparation, redirection, and recovery distributed over successive counts so the movement reads as a staged rebound rather than a single snap.[1]
How it's danced
Lead and follow cues
CountBrazilian zouk phrasing: commonly prepared over 1-2-3 and accented or redirected over 5-6-7, with recovery completed before the next phrase. Chicote is an accent figure, not a separate timing system.
Lead
Across counts 1-2-3, establish the follower’s base and prepare the torso pathway without pulling the head. Across 5-6-7, redirect the follower’s center and upper torso so the head follows in sequence, then absorb the rebound and return the partnership to neutral. The rotation or tilt is budgeted in stages: preparation through the base first, upper-body release second, recovery last; no single count contains the whole action.
Follow
Across counts 1-2-3, place the base under the body and keep the neck released but supported. Across 5-6-7, let the torso respond first, allow the head and hair to follow after the body changes direction, then recover the axis into neutral with the leader. The movement is staged as base, torso, head, recovery rather than as an isolated head throw.
Song timingBest at moderate Brazilian zouk social tempos where the preparation, head release, and recovery can each be heard. Faster tracks require smaller amplitude; slow lyrical tracks allow a softer, more suspended chicote. The figure should be omitted or reduced when the music or partnership does not allow controlled deceleration.
Learn first
Prerequisites
- Brazilian zouk basic timing and weight transfer
- Comfortable close or elastic frame connection
- Follower head-movement technique and neck safety
- Leader control of preparation, redirection, and deceleration
- Shared ability to stop or reduce amplitude immediately
Watch out
Common mistakes
- Leading from the follower’s head or neck instead of from the prepared body pathway.
- Follower throwing the head independently before the base and torso have organized the movement.
- Compressing preparation, release, and recovery into one abrupt count instead of staging the action across the phrase.
- Using more amplitude than the follower’s mobility, balance, or current musical tempo supports.
- Failing to absorb the rebound, leaving the follower off-axis at the end of 7.
Don't confuse with
Easily confused moves
- Lambada hair whip: historically related vocabulary may look similar, but Brazilian zouk technique usually emphasizes slower preparation and controlled recovery.
- Head roll: a circular head pathway is not the same as chicote’s directional whip-and-rebound quality.
- Cambre: a backbend shape can appear in related zouk material, but chicote is defined by redirection and release rather than by holding a backbend.
- Solo hair flick: the visible hair accent is not the figure unless it is supported by partnered timing, axis, and lead-follow mechanics.
Around the world
Other names
Brazilian zouk, Brazil
Chicote
Portuguese term; literally “whip.”
International Brazilian zouk scene
Chicote
The Portuguese name is commonly retained in English-language zouk instruction.
English-language zouk classes
Whip
Used as an explanatory gloss, but the Portuguese term remains the figure name.
References
How to cite this article
Choose a style and copy the citation.
Bailar Editorial Team. (2026). Chicote. Bailar Biblioteca. Retrieved July 4, 2026, from https://getbailar.com/biblioteca/move/zouk-chicote
Bailar Editorial Team. “Chicote.” Bailar Biblioteca, 2026, getbailar.com/biblioteca/move/zouk-chicote. Accessed 4 July 2026.
Bailar Editorial Team. “Chicote.” Bailar Biblioteca. Accessed July 4, 2026. https://getbailar.com/biblioteca/move/zouk-chicote.
@misc{bailar-move-zouk-chicote, author = {{Bailar Editorial Team}}, title = {{Chicote}}, year = {2026}, howpublished = {Bailar Biblioteca}, url = {https://getbailar.com/biblioteca/move/zouk-chicote}, note = {Accessed: 2026-07-04} }
Editor-in-Chief: Paul Thomas Plawin
How we research & review these articles