Bachata Dance Steps
The bachata itself was developed in Dominican Republic and is traditionally thought to be descended from the old romantic dance known as the bolero. Bachata dance steps have a certain superficial similarity to the meringue, but unlike meringue and salsa, which are typically seen as sophisticated and mainstream, bachata had reputation as being something that was performed in poorer, more rural locals. Bachata was first recognized as a unique dance in the fifties and at that time, it was associated with working class areas. In the very beginning, bachata was associated with romantic themes, but as time went on and it gathered a following, the themes grew much darker. Bachata songs focused on things like drug addiction and crime and, despite having a large following, became known as being something somewhat vulgar.
In 1992, however, everything changed when Juan Luis Guerra won a Grammy for his album Bachata Rosa. With this success, bachata music spread not only through the Dominican Republic, but through the world as more musicians and dancers started to take part in this growing sensation. As mentioned previously, New York is the capital of bachata dance in North America, but the dance itself has spread throughout the country. Bachata has appeared throughout Europe and is beginning to make a showing in the Far East.
Bachata dance itself is ostensibly simple, but as many instructors will tell you, you can learn the basics inside of a few hours and then spend the rest of your life perfecting it! Bachata dance steps follow the music, which has four beats to a measure. The timing for the steps is three steps on the beat and then a one beat pause. The steps themselves are fairly straightforward, and involve a movement to the side. The steps are read as step-close-step, and on the fourth beat, there is a hip accent. The movement then repeats moving in the opposite direction. While this sounds simple, it needs to be fluid and graceful; remember that bachata music was born out of a stunningly sensual tradition!
When trying to learn how to dance bachata, there are a few things that you should remember. The best thing you can do for yourself besides enrolling in a class is to purchase a CD with bachata music on it. Juan Luis Guerra’s Bachata Rosa is one such CD, but you can also look for the music of Joe Veras, Monchy y Alexandra and Toque de Keda to name a few. Listen to your CDs and make sure that you can identify the beat. Try counting it out if you’re not sure; bachata dance steps are highly reliant on the beat.
When learning the basic steps, you don’t need a partner. You can –and should! - practice at home until the bachata dance steps are second nature. Work with the timing of the moves until you have it down and then work on making sure that the movements flow together well. Essentially what you are attempting to do is to commit the dance steps to muscle memory. Once you have the steps themselves down, you can start adding the embellishments and flourishes that make dances like the bachata and the salsa so dynamic. Don’t be afraid to look a bit awkward at first, everyone looks like that at the beginning, and only practice will get you the polished smoothness you are looking for.
If you want to learn how to dance bachata, there are many avenues open to you. This lively and sensual dance is taught in most major cities, and if you are in New York, the capital of bachata dance in the United States, there are many studios, classes and instructors available to you. If you live in an area without instructors, however you can still learn how to dance bachata from videos and DVD; the popularity of this dance has spawned many instructional videos as well as multitude of CDs full of bachata music. Don’t forget that the best way to learn a dance is to dance it, so if you ever find any clubs or competitions, make sure you attend!
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