I started dancing Salsa 12 years ago and I thought Bachata was silly. I would watch people dance close, be intimate and I believed all I needed was Salsa. Oh boy do I regret thinking that! I wish I could go back in time and when I started to Salsa, I started Bachata as well.
Here are three reasons why Bachata is so popular with dancers.
- it’s so easy to pick up: Even if you have 2 left feet, you can do Bachata. Unlike Salsa and many other styles of dance (except maybe Merengue), Bachata is rhythmically even in its beats. It goes 1234, 5678 with no particular pauses, slowdowns. It’s lateral and progressive movements in straight lines, with just 3 steps and one tap. In fact, it is so easy that by the end of Bachata Level 1 at our studio we teach leaders how to dip a follower. Something in Salsa that is considered an intermediate move and we only teach in Salsa Level 4. This should show you that the learning curve in Bachata at the beginning is much smaller compared to Salsa.
- It’s your mini-vacation: It’s like being on a beach with friends. I mean, don’t we all want a little bit more vacation time? When you turn on Bachata music it feels like you’re on a beach. There’s a bonfire. The sun is setting. You’re with a group of friends and you’re relaxing, you’re chilling in the warmth in the flow in the glow of Bachata. It is a very relaxed kind of dancing. You dance by yourself at home, while you’re cooking up a storm or you’re dancing at a Latin club, it’s like a mini staycation, you don’t have to travel to any part of the world. Salsa is all about speed, rushing to the next move, Bachata teaches you to slow down, be mindful of the moment you’re in now, and have fun in the process.
- Find your inner sexy/cool side: I never knew that side was in me but ever time I would watch advanced dancers dance the Bachata, the Leaders and Followers had this sexy cool energy about them. Just dripping 24k magic on the dance floor. Bachata is the dance of the heart. When you hear the music, often the singer sings about trying to win someone over someone’s heart. It’s about being romantic, sweet, smooth and playful. I honestly struggled with that…I never thought I would feel sexy or cool on the dance floor and Bachata forced me out of the limited thinking. Bachata is all about flowing with your body, with your hips with your hands. It’s being intimate and close with someone but also intimately connected to your own body and energy. That’s why there was this huge explosion from modern Bachata into sensual Bachata. Whether you are dancing Dominican Bachata, Modern, Modern Sensual, Sensual etc… The thing in all the different forms of Bachata is a deep sense of bringing out your inner Shakira, your inner Justin Timberlake, or whoever you admire as the sexy god or goddess of the world.
I can keep listing many other reasons why Bachata is great but ultimately the only thing I think.
Man! Do I wish I started dancing Bachata earlier to have felt more confident about my dancing with how much easier it is than Salsa, to go on more mini-vacations, and to have found my sexy/cool side earlier.
Don’t make the same mistake as me. Start now!
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].
