Bachata is a style of dance that originated in the Dominican Republic. It is danced widely all over the world but not
identically.
The basics to the dance are three-step with a Cuban hip motion, followed by a tap including a hip movement on the 4th
beat. The knees should be slightly bent so the performer can sway the hips easier. The movement of the hips is very
important because it’s a part of the soul of the dance. Generally, most of the dancer’s movement is in the lower body up
to the hips, and the upper body moves much less.
The original Bachata dance style comes from the Dominican Republic where the music also was born. The early slow style in the fifties from where everything started was danced only closed, like the Bolero. The Bachata Basic Steps moving within a small square (side, side, forward and side, side, back) are also inspired from the Bolero but danced slightly different in Bachata and danced with syncopations (steps in between the beats) depending on the dancer’s mood and the character of the music. The hand placement will vary with the dancers position which can be very close to semi-close to open.
At some point, perhaps in the late 1980s or early 1990s, dancers/dance-schools in the Western World began using a simpler side to side pattern instead of the box-steps probably due to a misunderstanding of the original steps. The basic steps of this pattern move side to side, changing direction after every tap. Characteristics of this style are the close connection between partners, soft hip movements, and tap with a small “pop” of the hip on the 4th step (1, 2, 3, Tap/Hip).
In the style, couples move their upper torsos more, put greater emphasis on the hip pop, and women use more exaggerated hip movements. The most direct fusion influence on modern style bachata dancing comes from the adoption of salsa turn patterns.
Fusion Style from the West to with short sequences of Traditional basic steps but mostly Tango steps danced like Tango. The “pop” count is used to add elaborated sensuality and varied Latin dance styles but mostly taken from Tango. Vueltas like Traditional.
Bachata Sensual was made popular in Spain. Bachata Sensual is a mix between dance and theatre with strict follow and lead principles. The dance is an interpretation of the music with mostly circular movements and body waves, except when the music has stronger beats, when the dance uses isolations and dips.