Bachata (dance)

Bachata is a style of social dance from the Dominican Republic which is now danced all over the world. It is connected with bachata music. Bachata is a social couple dance with a lead and follow that can be performed in open, semi-closed or closed position. The basic step involves an eight-count side-to-side movement, with many variations and styles that can be added. On counts 4 and 8, bachata includes an exaggerated hip check that gives it a characteristic look and differentiates it from bolero or son dancing. Counts 1 to 3 are moving to the lead's left, starting with the left foot, and counts 5 to 7 are moving to the lead's right, starting with the right foot. The hip check can be performed as a tap or slight lift of the foot for beginners. The basic dance sequence can incorporate turns and hand movements from other ballroom dances like salsa or cha-cha. From the late 1990s, dancers in the Western world started creating novel dance forms inspired by bachata music. The most well-known example of this is the made-up basic step commonly referred to as the "side-to-side step", which is sometimes accompanied by an exaggerated "pop” of the hips during the tap. These novel western dance forms were mostly created copying dance moves from other partner dances of various origins, Latin and non-Latin alike. Many such dances exist today, with the first of these often referred to as “Western side basic step”. Often referred to in the West as "authentic / Dominican" bachata, the original social dance was created in the Dominican Republic during the 1960s and was danced only in closed position, like the bolero, often in a close embrace, often involving skin-to-skin belly-to-belly contact. Bachata basic steps are performed by moving within a small square (side, side, forward and then tap with your toes, then side, side, back and tap). This step was inspired by the bolero basic step, but evolved over time to include a tap and syncopations (steps in between the beats), helping dancers express the more dynamic music being commonly played.