Dominican Republic

BACHATA DANCE FROM DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

Bachata is a Latin American music genre that originated in Cuba. It has been popularised by artists like Celia Cruz and Olga Guillot. Bachata dance is a Latin American dance style with its origin in the Dominican Republic. Bachata is usually danced to the tune of the Cuban Bolero music. It is a partner dance and the lead can decide to choose the open position or semi-closed or closed positions.

The Bachata Dance comprises four styles and they include the western traditional, Bachatango, modern/moderna, and Bachata sensual. Bachata dance has gained popularity across the globe and is now performed all over the world.

History of Bachata music and origin of bachata dance:

The bachata dance has been performed throughout the world since its creation. It is now one of the most popular dances in the Caribbean region. The word “bachata” means “reunion or party” in Spanish.

Around 1950, the rhythms of a new kind of music started developing which resulted into the ‘bachata’ music as we know today. The bachata music replaced different initial instruments with others such as “guira”. Sometimes these rhythms are referred to as “guitar boleros” in some places.

Historical facts suggest that this dance style was first developed by Luis Segura who is commonly referred to as the ‘Father of Bachata’. However, it was Jose Manuel Calderon who is officially said to have recorded the first official song for this dance form on 30th May 1962.

It is said that the Dominican Republic dictator, Rafael Trujillo, was a supporter of the merengue dance style and detested the bachata considering it a lowly style of dance and music. He is said to have disliked the call so much that he banned the bachata songs and dance. This led to the bachata being performed in lower strata of the society. Even after the assassination of Trujillo in 1961, it took some time for the bachata to become popular since it was still shunned as a lowly dance for quite some time. Once the bachata reached beyond the borders of the Dominican Republic, the world has seen the rise and rise of the dance.

Costumes used in the Bachata Dance:

Since this dance style involves both males and females the costumes used vary accordingly. Here are the costumes used by the men and women in the Bachata Dance: 

For women:

The attire worn by women in Bachata Dance includes a short multi-layered ruffle that at times also exposes the midriff of the performer to add to the sensuality that this dance style possesses.

For men:

The attire worn by Men in Bachata Dance includes colourful deep V-neck shirts and pants to go along with it.

Music involved in the Bachata dance:

The musical instruments mainly used in this style of dancing includes Requinto i.e. lead guitar, Segunda i.e. rhythm guitar, guitar, electric guitar, bongos, and güira i.e. a percussion instrument. In addition, the music produced for this dance style basically involves the use of lead guitar instrumentation which includes a few repeated broken chords.

Training availability and the technique involved in the Bachata dance:

The basic technique of this dance form involves the use of three steps followed by a “tap step”. In addition, this dance may also include the use of several forms of step syncopation such as the “double step”. Furthermore, a few Bachata performers in the west have also introduced movement in the “hip” along with the tap step. As for those interested in learning this dance, there are many schools/centres available around the world that provide basic training in this “energetic” form of dancing.

The Best Bachata Music and Dance Festivals to Attend in 2022 and 2023:

Bachata music festivals are some of the best events in the world. Check out these upcoming bachata dance festivals!

¡Bienvenidos! The Spanish word for welcome means “come on in.” And that’s exactly what you should do when you attend a bachata festival. These are some of the most exciting and fun events in the world.

a. Festival Ritmo Cuba – International Cuban Dance Festival in Havana (Havana, Cuba)

This event is happening from April 10th to 16th 2023 in Havana, Cuba. It features live performances by top Latin artists as well as workshops and master classes.

b. The International San Francisco Bachata Festival

The International San Francisco Bachata Festival prides itself on bringing some of the Top Artists and Talent from all over the world to the Bay Area. Established in 2009 we have had the opportunity to share our love of dance and creativity by bringing this amazing talent to our community.

c. BACHATA LAS VEGAS MEGA FESTIVAL 2022

This Bachata Festival is from the creators of the San Francisco International Bachata Festival & also the Sexy & Sensual Latin Festival! Tony Lara & Ridiculous Pro!

The Bachata Dance Festival is from September 23rd till September 26th, 2022.  4 days & 4 nights of an undeniably good time!

d. CRAZY LION BACHATA FESTIVAL

The Crazy Lion Festival will be held in Gothenburg Sweden and the dates for this fun Bachata Dance Festival are from October 14th till October 16th, 2022!

e. PARIS BACHATA FESTIVAL

THE PARIS BACHATA FESTIVAL, 10TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION WILL BE HELD FROM NOVEMBER 25-27, 2022 IN PARIS, FRANCE!

This popular Dance Festival will feature the following Bachata Dance styles:

Bachata Sensual, Urban, Street, Moderna, and Traditional. It will also feature Salsa, Kizomba, Urban Kizomba, Semba, Striptease, Ladies Bootcamp, and Men’s & Women’s Styling.

How to dance the Bachata (Bachata dancing Basic tutorial video for beginners):

The dance style is characterised by its fast tempo and syncopated rhythms.

The dance style is also known as “the Cuban rhythm” because it was first performed at the beginning of the 20th century.

The dance style involves fast footwork, intricate hand movements, and a lot of energy.

The following 3 videos show the basic steps of the Bachata dance explaining how to do the bachata dance. All these 3 YouTube channels provide extensive tutorials covering the basics of Bachata dancing for beginners.

¡Bienvenidos! This video will teach you how to dance bachata. The steps are simple and easy to learn.

Some of the best Bachata Dance Videos

This video shows how bachata dancers perform the dance style with a lot of passion and intensity.

Pablo y Raquel | Bachata Class Day 1 at London LatinFest 2018
Daniel Y Desiree Los Angeles – Bachata Dance
Cornel and Rithika | Bachata Sensual
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