Bachata is a music genre and dance that originated in the Dominican Republic. The lyrics usually deal with heartbreak, bitterness, sadness and the like. It was suppressed by Rafael Trujillo, the dictator at the time, because he hated the music, and after the regime’s downfall it was culturally repressed by the country’s elite. Despite all that, bachata has grown to become one of the most popular dances in the world. Usually heard in salsa clubs, it has since become popular enough to have entire dance socials devoted to it.
There are multiple styles of dancing bachata that can be divided into the original traditional Dominican bachata, modern style, and sensual style, each of which reflect the style of bachata music being played. Traditional Dominican bachata is characterized by its fancy footwork and more general playfulness in its partnerwork. Modern style adapted more contemporary styles of dance. Sensual bachata is characterized by a lot of close-proximity dancing, body isolations, and more intimacy.
Where to learn?
I teach bachata every Monday, Tuesday, and Saturday at Tacoma Dance Studios. Here’s the schedule:
Monday
8:00pm – Beyond basics bachata
Tuesday
7:00pm – Beginner bachata
Saturday
10:00am – Beginner bachata