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Bachata
History
Bachata is a style of dance that accompanies the music of the same name. It has its origins in the Dominican Republic.
The dance is a four-step beat achieved with a walking Cuban hip motion, and a unique “pop”. The dance is performed both in open position and in closed position depending on the setting and mood of the partners. Similar to Merengue, dips are not original to the dance and turns are done infrequently. The male leads the female with subtle communication using pushing and pulling on the hands to guide the direction in which to move or to hint on upcoming turns. The female may also provide communication using her left hand to indicate whether she is comfortable or not dancing in a closed position.
About the Dance
The basic dance sequence is a full 8 count in a side-to-side motion although, traditionally it was a back and forth motion. Counts 1 through 3 and 5 through 7, when taken, generate a natural hip motion. Counts 4 and 8, consists of a “pop” movement. The "pop" depending on a person’s style is executed lifting or tapping a foot or using stylish footwork while popping the hip to the side opposite of the natural Cuban hip motion. Bachata music has a slight accent in rhythm at every fourth count, indicating when the “pop” should happen. Note: The “pop” will always be done in the opposite direction of the last step, while the next step will be taken on the same direction of the pop.
Series Class Descriptions
Bachata
- Instructor: Sonyo
- Level: 1
- Prerequisite: Level 1
- Type: Series Class
- Dates: See schedule for details
Learn the most popular dance today! This is an easy and fun dance you can learn in just 6-weeks!
Bachata Cool Partners
- Instructor: Bernard
- Level: 2 & 3
- Prerequisite: Level 1 or Instructor Approval
- Type: Series Class
- Dates: See schedule for details
Learn how to play with the Music. Learn Cool patterns you can use all the time! There more than the basic 4-steps to this dance!