Baltimore Salsa Blog

Is there any Bachata dancing in Baltimore?

Bachata is a style of dance that originated in the Dominican Republic. It is danced widely all over the world but not identically.

The basics to the dance are three-step with a Cuban hip motion, followed by a hip tap on the 4th beat. The knees should be slightly bent so the performer can sway the hips easier. The movement of the hips is very important because it's a part of the soul of the dance. Generally, most of the dancer's movement is in the lower body up to the hips, and the upper body moves much less.

In partnering, the lead can decide whether to perform in open or closed position. Dance moves, or step variety, during performance strongly depends on the music (such as the rhythms played by the different instruments), setting, mood, and interpretation. Unlike Salsa, Bachata dance does not usually include complex turn patterns; although they are sometimes used in more choreographed ballroom styles. The leading is done just like in most other dances, with a “pushing and pulling” hand and arm communication. Hand and arm communication is better conveyed when most of the movement is performed by the lower body (from waist down); i.e. hips and footwork. Bachata is commonly known by many as a very "sexual" dance. To most it may seem that way, however, that is not what it is intended to be taken as. Bachata is a dance, done by a person with another, to express the feelings one has for a specific other. It is believed by most, that the more smoothly and more frequently the hips are used and moved, the more feelings the individual has for the other. With that said bachata originated as a sort of "mating call," if you were selected for a dance of bachata, you were chosen as a mate, two dances with the same individual, "sealed tge deal."

The original dance style from the Dominican Republic in the Caribbean is a basic dance sequence is a full 8 count moving within a square. When Bachata Music became popular in US and EU the dancers there began developing a more simple pattern, also in a full 8 count, but with a side-to-side motion. Both Styles consist of 3 steps normal and then a tap step. The tap is often accompanied by a “pop” of the hips, and is sometimes substituted with syncopations (steps in between the beats - some similar to cha-cha-cha steps and others much different). Bachata music has an accent in rhythm at every fourth count. Often, this is when dancers will tap-step & pop their hips - this is called dancing bachata to the music (because the first step after the pop falls on the 1st beat of the measure). But bachata can be danced to different timings as well if it's danced to one particular instrument instead. The tab or 'pop' is done in the opposite direction of the last step, while the next step is taken on the same direction as the tap or pop. The dance direction changes after the tap or fourth step.

Bachata Music

Source: National Geographic

Not even regarded as a style until the 1960s, the Dominican bachata is the country's slow, romantic music genre developed in the poor and humble communities. Primarily a vocal music with guitar accompaniment, bachata emerged during the rise of the Cuban bolero in Latin America and the Caribbean, and became the expression of bitterness and nostalgia in the Dominican Republic. Yet the bachata was looked down-upon by middle and upper-class Dominicans.

The word "bachata" refers to the rowdy, lower class parties in some of the poorest neighborhoods, and the music—although seemingly romantic—came off to some as whiney and melancholic. Many songs reflected the undesirable topics of poverty and prostitution, yet most relied on the tried and true themes of love and betrayal. Dominican radio stations such as Radio Guarachita began to promote the music during the 1960s on a limited scale, and by the 1980s artists such as Juan Luis Guerra began to record modernized versions with slightly more sophisticated lyrics, harmony and arrangements with his group 440.

Soon, audiences around the world were exposed to a more "dignified" and accessible form of bachata, and recently Dominicans in the New York area have experienced a recent boom with numerous recordings and live performances by some of the genre's newest young stars. Rebeca Mauleon

Bachata Dance

Source: From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bachata_(dance)

Bachata is a style of dance that originated in the Dominican Republic. It is danced widely all over the world but not identically.

The basics to the dance are three-step with a Cuban hip motion, followed by a hip tap on the 4th beat just like in other Latin dances (salsa etc.). The knees should be slightly bent so the performer can sway the hips easier. The movement of the hips is very important because it's a part of the soul of the dance. Generally controlled full body movement is crucially important in the dance, but most of it comes from the hips. In partnering, the lead can decide whether to perform in open or closed position. Dance moves, or step variety, during performance strongly depends on the music (such as the rhythms played by the different instruments), setting, mood, and interpretation. Unlike Salsa (the most traditional Latin Dance), Bachata does not require many complex turns; although they are very well used when the musicality is understood and interpreted correctly. The leading is done just like in most other dances, with a “pushing and pulling” hand communication. If this is done correctly, the follower should clearly understand the intended direction. Although there is a lot of body movement in Bachata dancing, the hand communication is better understood when most of the movement is performed by the lower body (from waist down); i.e. hips and footwork.

The new Fusion Styles (mix of different dances) developed in US, Europe and Australia (Traditional, Moderna, Bachatango, BachaBallroom) is a basic dance sequence of a full 8 count in a side-to-side motion. The Original Dominican style basic dance sequence is a full 8 count moving within a square. Counts 1 through 3 and 5 through 7, when taken, generate a natural hip motion. Counts 4 and 8, consists of a tap and can include a “pop” movement depending on individual style. The 'pop' can also be executed by lifting the foot 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. The tab or 'pop' is done in the opposite direction of the last step, while the next step is taken on the same direction of the tap or pop. The dance direction interchanges after every 4th count.