Curtis Seldon and Cherazad: The Creators of Urban Kiz

Every dance has a beginning, and Urban Kiz has two: the Paris partnership of Curtis Seldon and Cherazad Benyoucef.^[1]

A new way to dance

Around 2013 in Paris, Curtis and Cherazad (also spelled Sherazad) were the first to fundamentally change the way kizomba was danced.^[1] Curtis Seldon — born in Congo in 1986 and raised in France amid a rich mix of African music — discovered kizomba in 2011 and threw himself into it with his partner, reshaping the dance from the ground up.^[2]

Lines instead of circles

Their style emphasized an open embrace, a stronger arm connection, and movement along straight lines rather than the circular, grounded flow of traditional kizomba.^[2] They built in syncopations, accelerations, decelerations, and sharp directional changes to match the speed and complexity of ghetto-zouk and R&B-laced music — and in 2015 the new dance took the name "Urban Kiz."^[1]

Why it matters

In just a few years, Curtis and Cherazad's innovation spread from Paris across the global kizomba scene, splitting into its own discipline with its own competitions and stars.^[1] Urban Kiz is now danced worldwide — a modern branch grown from kizomba's Angolan root, traceable to one Parisian partnership.^[2]