Torri Zzaoui started dancing at 3. By 12, the studio was letting her assist with adult classes. By 22, she was a US Open champion. The woman who first taught her — the one who put her in dance shoes as a toddler and said "this one is different" — passed away before Torri won her first major title. She never got to see it. 💔 #WestCoastSwing #TorriZzaoui #SwingDance #DanceJourney #USOpen
2026/07/03
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She Started Dancing at Age 3. By Age 12, She Was Teaching Adults. By Age 22, She Had Won the US Open. The Teacher Who First Put Her in Dance Shoes Never Saw It Happen.
Torri Smith Zzaoui began dancing in California when she was three years old. This is documented in her competitive biography and confirmed in multiple interviews.
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The woman who first put Torri in dance shoes and who, within the first few lessons, told her parents that their daughter moved differently than other children — the teacher who shaped the foundational years of what would become a championship career — passed away before Torri competed at The Open for the first time.
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