Bachata Social Etiquette

 Whether you’re going Bachata social dancing or you’re just taking bachata classes, here are the do’s and don’ts for leaders and followers. These tips will prevent a lot of awkwardness on the dance floor and make it an awesome experience. 

The scent of A Dancer

Smell is important. You want to make sure you are clean and fresh – not coming straight from the gym.  In other words shower and put on clean clothes. You want to make a good impression. But you don’t want to overdo it on hand creams, colognes, perfumes or any strong scents. Even as much as you may love it, everyone else may not and you should not leave your favorite scent on every partner. 

Don’t Force Yourself

Another Bachata social etiquette is just take it easy. We’re there to dance and have fun and to connect and I believe it should be coming from a place of comfort and respect. Bachata is a close dance but you don’t want to just press yourself against a partner and insert your thighs between your partner’s. If you know your dance partner and you are both comfortable – that’s fine. But the most common mistake leaders and followers make is as soon as the Bachata song starts, they just close that gap and press themselves in and it becomes super uncomfortable.

Here’s a great tip, start dancing in an open hand hold and then start to judge the comfort level ob both you and your partner. If your partner is getting too close and you are uncomfortable just politely mention it. Usually, the partner isn’t even aware that you’re uncomfortable. So just politely saying hey I don’t dance this close really helps.

Dance With Everybody

This comes from a personal preference that I believe everybody should feel like they belong on the dance floor. You definitely don’t want to get the reputation that you only dance with great dancers or any select few. I believe the dance floor shouldn’t feel like a bad high school experience with cliques of dancers.  People are going to remember you as the dancer who makes them smile and makes everyone feel welcome. This is the reputation that you want, not the person who says no all the time. 

Find out why Bachata is Better Than Salsa  by clicking on the link.

I can’t wait to welcome you to our big family, have you coming in from week to week, having fun, socializing, and letting loose to amazing Latin songs. Click here to check our current schedule.  

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