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TOCA STUDENT · Lesson 01 · Kizomba technique

TOCA is not a collection of kizomba steps. It is four things I check in every dance

It is four things I check in every single dance. Touch, connection through contact and never through force. Observation, listening to the body, the energy and the music before acting. Control, precision without tension. Awareness, being fully present with yourself, your partner and the track.

Dawou Tarraxo, pioneer of Tarraxo. TOCA is not a collection of kizomba steps. It is four things I check in every dance

When a couple does not work, the answer is almost always in one of the four. A touch that forces. An observation that never happened. A control that is not there yet. An awareness that has not woken up.

Listen before you act. Feel before you move. Connect before you dance.

Touch, observation, control and awareness, in kizomba as in tarraxo.

The four pillars of TOCA, step by step

  1. TOCA IS NOT A COLLECTION OF STEPS.
  2. It is a way to listen, move and connect.
  3. T - TOUCH` / Connection through contact, never through force.
  4. O - OBSERVATION` / Read the body, energy, timing and music.
  5. C - CONTROL` / Precision without tension.
  6. A - AWARENESS` / Be fully present in the shared moment.
  7. Touch. Observe. Control. Become aware.
Which pillar do you need to develop most?

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TOCA is not a collection of kizomba steps. It is four things I check in every dance, slide 1 of 9 TOCA is not a collection of kizomba steps. It is four things I check in every dance, slide 2 of 9 TOCA is not a collection of kizomba steps. It is four things I check in every dance, slide 3 of 9 TOCA is not a collection of kizomba steps. It is four things I check in every dance, slide 4 of 9 TOCA is not a collection of kizomba steps. It is four things I check in every dance, slide 5 of 9 TOCA is not a collection of kizomba steps. It is four things I check in every dance, slide 6 of 9 TOCA is not a collection of kizomba steps. It is four things I check in every dance, slide 7 of 9 TOCA is not a collection of kizomba steps. It is four things I check in every dance, slide 8 of 9 TOCA is not a collection of kizomba steps. It is four things I check in every dance, 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.