Salsa versus Bachata: Five reasons why Bachata is better. 

I have to be honest. It’s really weird for me to write an article, why Bachata is better. I started as a Salsa dancer at the school and I run a primarily Salsa school. But I regret not starting Bachata earlier. If you are a brand new dancer or you’ve already been dancing for a while, and you’re deciding between Salsa and Bachata, here are  the five reasons why Bachata is better and you should start it as soon as possible.

Easy Wins

Salsa is not really forgiving. If you miss a beat, if you do a turn at the wrong time, it is hard to get back on track. If you’re not good at hearing the beat or rhythm, Salsa is really difficult. All of those were true for me so it took a very long time for me to feel confident in Salsa.

And then I started Bachata, and all I thought was, “Oh my gosh, this is so easy!”

Because Bachata is rhythmically even, if you miss a beat it is easy to get back on track. So if you’re not a really confident dancer or you’ve never taken dance classes, take Bachata classes, you’re gonna build up your confidence and pick up the moves way easier.

It’s a Vacation.

Let me be more specific, Bachata is like a staycation.  Salsa is like driving on a highway. You’re going fast. There’s no room for pit stops. Bachata is like being on a beach. The sun is setting. There’s a bonfire and you’re with some good people vibing. There is no work tomorrow. When you hear Bachata music, all it asks of you is to be present and mellow.

The Community

I want to be very clear and say, I am not a surfer. But everything I’ve ever heard about surfer culture is that the people are mellow and kind and supportive. That is what Bachata dancers are like. Everybody’s just so much more mellow. It’s funny because I do both Salsa and Bachata, and my students who’ve taken Salsa classes first and then start taking Bachata classes later say the same thing. People are more social, they’re more community-based. It’s really strange because it’s often the same people taking the classes. It is hard to explain, but it’s just a different feeling. When you tap into that Bachata flow, you can’t help but think about community and connection.

Finding Your Inner Sexy

I’m gonna put a disclaimer and say I’m awkward. I’m very awkward and I never thought that I could be sexy and confident in my own body, in my own flow. Through Salsa I built confidence through competence.

But Bachata? Wow! When I started to explore Bachata, I quickly built confidence that I could move and feel sexy. Honestly, even writing that feels weird, but it’s the truth. Bachata is sexy. I’ve seen so many of my students blossom into really confident, body-positive dancers through Bachata.

They’ve just started to love their body more, because Bachata asks for a lot more of a connection to your body than Salsa does. So whether you are a leader or follower and you’re looking to tap into your sexy side (and I believe that we all should) Bachata is way better than Salsa.

Musical Flow 

 I danced Salsa for over eight years before I began to obsess about Bachata.  Within six months of dancing Bachata, I started to become a lot more musically expressive. Imagine you hear your favourite song from when you were a teenager and automatically you start to move – you bob your head, shake your shoulders or whatever – you move to the music.

That’s called musicality gang! In Bachata musicality is way easier to learn. And So with Bachata, I just was able to have my inner weird personality come out. Finding your musical flow in Bachata will also help you to find it in other types of dance as well. And it’s amazing.

You can’t hide as much in Bachata as you can in  Salsa. In Salsa you can hide behind the double turns and dips and tricks. But Bachata asks for more connection to your own body, to the music. There is nowhere to hide. At Toronto Dance Salsa we teach Bachata Musicality at the intermediate level. It’s incredible and beautiful to see so many dancers step into their confidence and build their musicality.

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

If you have any questions you would like me to answer here are some ways you can contact me: message me on Instagram (torontodanceSalsa), on Twitter (#torontodanceSalsa), on Facebook (Toronto Dance Salsa) or email me at [email protected].