Bachata for Beginners

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Bachata originated in the Dominican Republic and consists of a horizontal, three-step movement, with steps on each beat of the music, followed by a tap on the fourth beat. The hips are the emphasis of this dance, so the knees should be slightly bent so the performer can sway their hips more easily. Most of the dancers movement is in the lower body up to the hips.

Unlike Salsa, Bachata dance does not usually include complex turn patterns, but they have come to be used more and more as the dance evolves. The leading is done just like in most other social dances, with hand and arm communication.

Bachata music has an accent (the Bass) in rhythm at every fourth count. Often, this is when dancers will tap-step & pop their hips - this is called dancing bachata to the basic rhythm of 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 its danced to one particular instrument instead. The tap 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.