A Brief History of Bachata

From our post Introduction to Other Latin Dances we now delve further into the sensual dance from D.R. known as Bachata.

Bachata is another dance from the Dominican Republic, with subjects of forlorn emotion, romance, and heartbreak. Bachata is the equivalent of Blues in America, many of the same themes are discussed a similar resolutions such as looking for yourself at the bottom of the bottle. You can easily recognize bachata for its predominant use of the electric guitar which usually plucks out the main rhythm, usually an eight note run. An evolution from the Bolero, bachata has had much success in clubs in recent years.

This music form had a rough beginning from censorship, to denigration, to almost extinction. After the Trujillo dictatorship ended, censorship feel away and bachata poked its head onto the scene. Yet the high society of the time resisted its immersion, feeling bachata was a backwards, country-people, lower art form and branded as unfit and immoral for society. From here bachateros were made to play in the rougher parts of town like brothels and bars, further tarnishing its name. Irregardless it was still popular amongst the countryside even as Merengue became highlighted as the Official Music of the country.

The popularity eventually lead to a collapse of the unofficial censoring. An amalgamation of merengue and bachata  furthered the nationalization of the style and brought it more into the limelight. Pioneers like Luis Vargas and Antony Santos were the first generation for pop stars for Bachata. Eventually making its way to New York, bachata has a strong following rivaling that of salsa. Aventura is probably the best known bachata group worldwide, with its single “Obsesion”.

For the full song visit Aventura – Obsesion – Aventura

Dance evolves from Music

The dance itself, also originated in the Dominican Republic, is a 4 step beat with a tap or pop on the 4th beat. The motion is from side to side with both a closed and open frame. The premise is to be brushing belt buckles, i.e. the closed position. This can be a slightly more intimate dance, and unfortunately has sometimes received a reputation of being “just grinding”. There are gyrating motions occurring yet the natural movements of your hips should not be confused with or compared to “grind booty dancing™” (yea i trademarked it!). In fact if you are dancing together appropriately your hips should move in unison, i.e. no grinding, which comes from opposing motion. I must admit that at first I thought it was kind of scandalous and would only dance with girls I knew really well or wanted to, if you know what I mean…sweet! But its more than that; it’s a sharing of closeness without having to be sexual. The Puritanical heritage of America has blinded and shunned many of us from the innate passions of humanity. Well, now that I’ve attacked our society, lets examine the footwork.

The motion of the dance utilizes the Cuban Hip Motion which is all about shifting your weight by bending and straightening your knee such that your hip naturally pops. The video below is a good example of professional bachata but keep in mind this is a performance. Some of the moves are not “traditional” to the dance.

On To The Basics

The basic step, with partners facing each other, is the leader steps to the left on 1 while the follower is mirroring the leader’s step. On the 2 the leader brings his right foot to meet his left. On 3 the leader steps to the left with his left foot. The follower mirrors his footwork during these steps. On the 4 both partners tap; leaders tap with their right foot, followers tap with their left foot. The 5678 is the same just going the opposite direction. In other words, on the 5 the leader now steps to his right with his right foot. On the 6 the leader brings his left foot up to meet his right. Then on 7 the leader steps to the right with his right foot. On the 8 a tap with the opposite foot; leaders tap left, followers tap right. Traditionally there is no crossing of the legs while dancing.

Change is Natural

With that being said the traditional bachata has evolved into numerous different variations.

Modern Bachata – sometimes poorly labeled as “freestyle”, involves more styling, slides, intricate footwork, and accentuated movement.

Rueda de Bachata – is just what it sounds like. A love child of Rueda de Casino and Bachata, it incorporates multiple patterns all dancing and following a single leader who calls out choreographed moves.

Bachata Tango – Tango and Bachata fusion. The same footwork but even more dips, kicks, spins; more tango specific moves.

So how does this help you?

Well it’s as easy as saying “Dance Bachata”. Bachata is a more intimate dance but it will help you learn the body language of latin dance. You will feel the natural motion of each other and how to properly lead and follow. To become a better dancer you must become multifaceted. It’s not enough to know how to do a bunch of moves, or how to show off. You need to establish a connection with your partner so it feels like a dance and not a test of ability.

So here are some great bachata songs that we have chosen to start you along this path. Honestly, the music can be a little boring compared to salsa but if you have a strong enough connection with your partner you won’t even notice it.

Traditional Bachata

Slow, sensual, and sexy – this is the classic style of Bachata. When you say “Bachata” most people will think of this.

Visit Bachata Traditional for full length songs.

Bachatarengue

A new style of music from a fusion of Bachata y Merengue. It is very fast and high energy, almost like a workout but so much better.

Visit Bachatarengue for full length songs.

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