Zoukology’s Jessica Carro had the privilege of interviewing well-known instructor and dancer Renata Peçanha at Berg’s Congress 2015. In part II of this interview, Renata opens up about her divorce, changing the name of her school and how her partnership with Jorge Peres came to be. Watch as she tells this personal story and see bonus demo footage!

(Part 2) — Renata the Artist

Renata and her partner Jorge are confirmed for Vision Dance Encounter this weekend! It will be their first time teaching in North America. For more information or to purchase tickets click below:

Vision Dance Encounter

To see part I of this interview - The History of Zouk, click below:

(Part 1) - The History of Zouk

The interview

Jessica Carro: I know that now you no longer dance with Adílio — you have a new dance partner. How long have you been working together?

Renata Peçanha: Well, Adílio and I broke up in marriage — we divorced — and unfortunately we stopped working together in 2005. Then I danced with Alex de Carvalho for three years. Then I danced one year with Leonardo Neves; that was for my dance company. And after Leo, I started dancing with Jorge. With Jorge, it's going to be six years now.

Jessica: You work well together. I saw you in the class, and I saw you perform — you look beautiful. I saw the performance yesterday; it was a lyrical kind of dance, slower, very romantic — "A Thousand Years." I looked and thought, "they look so in love." How long did you rehearse for that?

Renata: Usually we rehearse one month, because we don't have much time to create new choreographies. I run my school in Rio, I teach, I take care of my daughter, I live with my mother — and we have the trips. When we are traveling it's difficult to rehearse, so when we decide to do a choreography, we have to do it fast — as fast as possible.

Jessica: How old is your daughter?

Renata: Thirteen. Just one — and just one is enough!

Jessica: Tell me about your dance school. When did you open it, and how long has it been around?

Renata: Me and Adílio together, we opened the Núcleo de Dança Adílio e Renata Porto — that was my name when I was married. I was not Renata Peçanha; I had his name, Renata Porto. That was in 2000. And when we separated, I decided to change the name of the school, because he was going away to work in Europe. So I made it Núcleo de Dança Renata Peçanha, from 2005 until today.

Jessica: Is he still involved, or is it just your school now?

Renata: Just mine. When we divorced, I paid his part, he went to live in Holland, and we really separated everything.

Jessica: And how is the school going? You have a very important name in Zouk — I'm sure it's a very well-known school there.

Renata: Fortunately, people accepted this after some time — because it's difficult for a woman. When you divorce, sometimes there is a prejudice that only the man can run the school and have success. And it was really difficult. I felt some people judging, or not believing that I was able to have success alone. And not alone — because you don't go anywhere alone — but with my name in front of the school.

Jessica: That would be machismo. But now you have the school, and you also have a huge congress — and I know your own event starts literally the day this congress ends. How do you handle it all — being here, a family, a school, the congress, rehearsing?

Renata: I think when you have many years working with this, you get the practice. Nowadays I can be here three days before my event. When I began doing the congress, that would have been impossible — I was going crazy, so many things to do; I was not so organized. Now, as I practice, I feel organized enough to have everything almost ready.

Jessica: How many congresses have there been so far?

Renata: The congress I do every two years — I have had four. And between the congresses, in the year that is not the congress, I do a smaller event. I have been doing this kind of event for about ten years.

Jessica: So you probably already have the people you trust, who know what to do.

Renata: Fortunately, I have many friends — a good team of friends and students that help me, and they have been with me a long time. The same people. They already know what to do; I don't have to explain, because I keep the same people.

Jessica: Have you been traveling a lot? Where have you been lately?

Renata: Last year I went to many places. I went to Prague, to Holland — twice, I think — to Russia twice, to Spain, to Zurich… France.

Jessica: What about the United States? We haven't seen you there at all, and everybody knows about Renata there — everybody talks about you. You have to come to the US!

Renata: Yeah, it's incredible, but I was never invited to the United States to work. I went to the United States for holidays — to Disney World, to go shopping. We got crazy there!

Jessica: We'd love to see you there, so hopefully we'll find a way to get you to come. I'm from New York, so I want you in New York.

Renata: Me too — I dream of going to New York.

Jessica: We'll see what we can do. Thank you so much for the interview and for your time — it has really been a pleasure and an honor.

Renata: Thank you so much.