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TOCA STUDENT · Lesson 12 · Connection

Consent and comfort in partner dance. Connection without comfort is not connection

Every partner has a different body and a different boundary. Do not assume that one embrace fits everyone.

Dawou Tarraxo, pioneer of Tarraxo. Consent and comfort in partner dance. Connection without comfort is not connection

Offer contact gradually. Observe how the body answers. Adjust without making the moment awkward. None of this is separate from technique, it is the condition that makes real expression possible.

Awareness includes your partner's comfort. Always.

In kizomba and tarraxo the embrace is offered, never assumed.

Respect is part of technique. Share this.

Consent and comfort in connection, step by step

  1. CONNECTION WITHOUT COMFORT IS NOT CONNECTION.
  2. Every partner has a different body and boundary.
  3. Do not assume that one embrace fits everyone.
  4. Offer contact gradually.
  5. Observe the body's response.
  6. Adjust without making the moment uncomfortable.
  7. Respect creates the safety required for real expression.

The full carousel

Consent and comfort in partner dance. Connection without comfort is not connection, slide 1 of 9 Consent and comfort in partner dance. Connection without comfort is not connection, slide 2 of 9 Consent and comfort in partner dance. Connection without comfort is not connection, slide 3 of 9 Consent and comfort in partner dance. Connection without comfort is not connection, slide 4 of 9 Consent and comfort in partner dance. Connection without comfort is not connection, slide 5 of 9 Consent and comfort in partner dance. Connection without comfort is not connection, slide 6 of 9 Consent and comfort in partner dance. Connection without comfort is not connection, slide 7 of 9 Consent and comfort in partner dance. Connection without comfort is not connection, slide 8 of 9 Consent and comfort in partner dance. Connection without comfort is not connection, slide 9 of 9

This lesson comes from the book

Page 10 of The student's book by Dawou Tarraxo, the TOCA Method page this lesson comes from
The student's book · page 10

The student’s book takes dancers from the first foundations to real feeling. The teacher’s guide gives instructors the structure to pass it on. Both in English, French and Spanish, on Amazon and Apple Books.

The student’s book The teacher’s guide

The method

T O C A

Two bodies. One connection.

TTouchThe connection with your partner. Feeling through contact, never through force.
OObservationListening to your partner’s body, energy and tempo.
CControlMastery of your own movement. Precision without tension.
AAwarenessFull presence: with yourself, your partner and the music.