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TOCA TEACHER · Lesson 19 · Teaching

How to build trust and safety in your dance class

Fear of the mistake freezes the body, narrows attention and turns a class into an exam. Building a space where it is safe to fail is not a soft extra, it is one of your core technical skills.

Dawou Tarraxo, pioneer of Tarraxo. How to build trust and safety in your dance class

Correct the movement, never the person. Attach every correction to a next attempt. Name what improved alongside what still needs work.

And watch the climate of the whole room. You set it in the instant someone gets it wrong, because that is when everyone is watching to learn whether this is a safe place to try.

In partner dance, safety is the condition for everything else.

Safety is not separate from technique.

Build trust and safety, step by step

  1. STUDENTS CANNOT EXPLORE IN A ROOM THAT DOES NOT FEEL SAFE.
  2. Fear of the mistake freezes the body and narrows attention.
  3. A space where it is safe to fail is a space where people learn fast.
  4. Correct the movement, never the person.
  5. The lead did not reach her is a correction. You are not clear is a judgment.
  6. A competing room produces anxiety. A cooperative one produces courage.
  7. You set the climate in the instant someone gets it wrong.

The full carousel

How to build trust and safety in your dance class, slide 1 of 9 How to build trust and safety in your dance class, slide 2 of 9 How to build trust and safety in your dance class, slide 3 of 9 How to build trust and safety in your dance class, slide 4 of 9 How to build trust and safety in your dance class, slide 5 of 9 How to build trust and safety in your dance class, slide 6 of 9 How to build trust and safety in your dance class, slide 7 of 9 How to build trust and safety in your dance class, slide 8 of 9 How to build trust and safety in your dance class, slide 9 of 9

This lesson comes from the book

Page 430 of The teacher's guide by Dawou Tarraxo, the TOCA Method page this lesson comes from
The teacher's guide · page 430

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.