How to dance bachata beginners
How To Dance Bachata For Beginners
The Bachata is one of the most fun dances to do at clubs and parties alongside Salsa and Merengue. In this video you’ll learn how to dance the Bachata dance steps.
Bachata Dance Step #1: The Side To Side Basic Steps
Summary of the Bachata steps:
Men:
Side with left foot
Close right foot to left foot
Side with left foot
Tap right foot to left foot (Partial weight)
Side with right foot
Close left foot to right foot
Side with right foot
Tap left foot to right foot (Partial weight)
Women:
Side with right foot
Close left foot to right foot
Side with right foot
Tap left foot to right foot (Partial weight)
Side with left foot
Close right foot to left foot
Side with left foot
Tap right foot to left foot (Partial weight)
Bachata Dance Step #2: The Fwd & Back Bachata Basic
Summary of the steps:
Men:
Forward with left foot
Forward with right foot (small step)
Forward with left foot
Tap right foot to left foot (Partial weight)
Back with right foot
Back with left foot (small step)
Back with right foot
Tap left foot to right foot (Partial weight)
Women:
Back with right foot
Back with left foot (small step)
Back with right foot
Tap left foot to right foot (Partial weight)
Forward with left foot
Forward with right foot (small step)
Forward with left foot
Tap right foot to left foot (Partial weight)
What Is Bachata? History & Character
Bachata is a dance from the Dominican Republic, and it is one of the hottest Latin dances today. It is a sensual dance where both partners bend their knees, and step from foot to foot, while creating body and hip movement.
This dance has a unique movement at the end of every 4 steps – where instead of switching weight you “tap” the foot in place without weight. So there are a total of 6 weight changes and 2 “Tapping” steps within an 8 count of Bachata.
The Bachata Count & Music
The Bachata music uses a 4/4 musical structure with phrases of 8. You simply count the moves in counts of 8 – 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8. Each count is a full beat. Alternatively you can count in 4s – 1,2,3,4 – 1,2,3,4. The Bachata music is very sensual and dramatic. Artists like Prince Royce have made a name for themselves by producing many top Bachata hits.
More Bachata dance lessons.
Other dance lessons:
How To Dance Merengue
How To Cha Cha Dance
Swing dance moves (East Coast)
How To Rumba Dance
Salsa Basic Steps
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4 Basic Bachata Steps To Dance Any Song
As you should know bachata lives in the last years its golden age, as it has become one of the dances with more followers.
A relatively easy dance for the beginners and where the most expert dancers have many possibilities to show their talents.
Emerged in the 1960s in the Dominican Republic as a transformation of the bolero to Antillean tastes, nowadays it is not missing in any dance hall or school with bachata lessons that boasts.
Its typical choreography was born in the 1990s, with two forms of bachata dancing:
- Dominican bachata: the couple usually dances with few figures and focusing on hip and foot movements.
- The urban bachata: the dancers get together and separate to be able to carry out different figures focusing the movements in the body.
For most experts, the main characteristic of bachata dancing is undoubtedly continuous hip movement, especially in the fourth beat (the rhythm of bachata has a four-beat beat, the dance of eight).
Bachata is a dance where personal style is fundamental. But what are the basic steps of bachata you should know to dance to any song?
#1.
The basic step of bachataThe basic step of bachata, in fact, consists of three steps that are danced in the first three times and a touch with the sole of the foot that is performed in the fourth time.
When the sole of the foot touches the ground in the fourth period of time, the hip moves upward. A hip movement that is more marked in women than in men.
The basic step of bachata must be carried out in good style from the beginning of the learning process. A recommendation that is usually made to master it is to keep up with the music and keep your knees slightly bent. In this way, the movement of the hip will naturally arise.
#2. Turns in the bachata
One of the fundamental movements of bachata is the twists and turns. The most basic of all is the one in which the man raises his arm so that the woman can make a complete turn to the rhythm of the music.
Then they both return to the normal dance without losing the rhythm.
The process of the twist in the man and woman would be as follows:
- The return of the man in the bachata
As she dances, she counts the times in her mind (1,2,3,4), and when she reaches the fourth beat, she begins to raise her leading arm (the extended arm) over the couple's head, starting to release the pressure of the other arm.
In beat 1 of the next measure, the pair will begin to turn by making a circle under the man's arm, gently holding onto the leading arm.
The turn will finish in time 3, so that in time 4 both the man and the woman are dancing in sync again.
The return of the woman in the bachata
In time 4, the (extended) leading arm of the man begins to rise. At that point, keep holding on to the leading arm, but remove the other arm from the partner's shoulder and move under the leading arm curve.
In beat 1, the woman turns in a circle under her main arm, trying to finish the turn in beat 3.
The intention is to reach the normal dance position in beat 4 and start again together the steps in the opposite direction in beat 1.
#3. Screw
Screw is a step of the bachata in which the girl passes in front of the boy. A position changed a little more complex than the previous ones, but without apparent difficulty.
In the coiling, the man advances and positions himself behind the woman. During the process, she will raise her left hand so that the woman can be placed in the screwed position.
In the course that the man passes behind the woman, she stays in the same place. This is how you get to the coiled position, with the man behind the woman.
#4. The waves of bachata
The waves are one of the main movements of sensual bachata.
A dance that, as its name suggests, plays with the sensuality of the movements.
The wave is a very simple step to execute. You just have to step forward the body a little, climb up, lean back slightly and bring that tilt from the head down as if it were a wave that slides through the body.
The continuous repetition of the movement will be what makes us look like a wave.
As you have seen, the steps of bachata are not really very complicated or complex. But like everything else, it takes a lot of practice to be able to score and let yourself be guided to perfection.
Bachata is a dance in which people of all ages can participate and lately it sounds everywhere, so go ahead, sign up for bachata classes whatever your level. You'll have a great time!
basic steps and movements for beginners
Contents
The main advantage of such a dance style as bachata is its simplicity.
Bachata can be mastered at any age, regardless of dance experience. All it takes is your looseness, sense of rhythm, and a willingness to improvise. But before you shine on the floor, you should work out the basic elements. There are not so many of them in bachata.
The dance consists of steps, hip movements and hugs - all elements are filled with tenderness and warmth, because initially the Dominican folk dance supported the inhabitants of the republic in the difficult atmosphere of military coups and harsh dictatorship, helped to distract from a sense of danger and anxiety.
Basic movements in bachata
The basis of bachata is four side steps, the last of which is emphasized by putting the foot forward or placing the foot on the toe, as well as the corresponding upward movement of the hip. At the same time, the partners are constantly in close contact with each other, holding both hands or, in the case of a closed position, one hand of the man holds the woman’s hand, his second hand is placed at the waist.
The basic step for four counts alternates with the “tossing” of the partner from one side to the other, simple turns and moving around the dance floor. The dance is accompanied by smooth, but rhythmic movements of the hips. During the performance, the couples also place accents in the music - by moving their heads, slowing down the tempo, or specially tightening individual elements. At the same time, partners complement each other's movements all the time.
The task of the man is to guide the dancer and seem to rock her in his arms, while the goal of the woman is to succumb to the movements of her partner, to improvise and decorate the dance with accents invented on the go.
Looks charming and very romantic!
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Bachata step count
In any dance direction there is a count, but in bachata it goes up to eight. Here's what a classic bar would look like:
- 1-2-3-4 - left,
- 5-6-7-8 right,
- 1,2,3,4 left again,
- 5,6,7,8 right again.
Accents fall on "4" and "8": legs and hips. Try dancing eight counts in different directions, at the end of each four, put your foot on the toe. When you lift your foot off the ground, your hip rises involuntarily. Increase this effect a little - and now your hips are already moving to the beat of the music, and you are performing bachata! Practice these steps first solo and then with a partner. The legs must move in sync, and the hips, arms, and heads can improvise to the music.
Dance to this rhythm until you feel the so-called bachata pulse. Remember to keep your back straight, your knees slightly bent, and your pelvis slightly back.
Basic moves in pairs
When these moves seem too easy for you, it's time to move on to the next step - easy turns with a partner. All elements should look soft and relaxed, for this the dancers learn to understand each other. It is important that the dancer feels what direction the man is giving her, and knows how to succumb to him.
Bachata movements in a couple look something like this: a man starts dancing from his left foot, a woman from her right. Basic step in place - left foot, right, left - accent. To the side: left, right, left, accent. Then a left turn with the left foot, over the left shoulder. And a right turn: from the right foot over the right shoulder. Repeat until you feel the urge to improvise and add something special to your movements.
After this stage, there is no need to watch video lessons, it's time to get together in a dance studio and develop together with the same novice dancers. At the La Boca club, each training session is more like an incendiary party than a dance lesson. You are guaranteed a great mood and a charge of Latin American energy!
Video: bachata - group show number
Bachata - how to dance correctly
Bachata is a beautiful and sensual pair dance that originated in the distant Dominican Republic.
Only in a hot country of snow-white sand, azure sea and heavenly landscapes could an equally hot and passionate dance be born. Bachata is smoothness of movements, flexibility and plasticity of bodies, hugs and a romantic mood. If you look at a couple performing this dance, there is a feeling of complete unity and harmony of the partners, as if they are driven by one common wave of bewitching music. Today, bachata is gaining more and more fans, and the main role in this trend is played by the simplicity of the movements performed, but this is an erroneous assumption that may arise when first visually introduced to the dance technique.
Bachata - how to dance correctly?
Bachata lessons should be held in pairs with a dance partner, while such an emotional contact should be established between the partners, thanks to which the dance will be performed lively and organically. It is very important for dancers to open up and make contact with a partner, and if for people with a South American temperament this is quite natural, then for reserved Europeans it is very difficult.
Despite its apparent simplicity, bachata is a whole complex of complex movements that should look natural. And for this, lesson after lesson should be honed technique: here the most important thing is the synchronism of the partners and the correct course of each part of the body. In the classroom, dancers will have to master many wave-like movements and deflections, and this requires hours of training.
A few rules for beginners
Those who are captivated by this extraordinary dance, which combines the contradictions of passion, tenderness and unpredictability, should definitely learn bachata. They will be helped by dance classes with experienced trainers who will explain the dance technique in practice. But not always and not everyone has the opportunity to attend a dance school, and basic skills will never become superfluous. Here are a few basic and most important rules of bachata.
- First of all, the leader in the pair is the man, and the woman is the follower.
As if obeying her partner, she dutifully follows him, and each new step is certainly accompanied by a smooth rotation of her hips. - Secondly, good stretching is required for bachata lessons, especially some of the thigh and psoas muscles. However, this is not a stretch in its classical sense, when the main goal is to bend the body at a maximum angle. The plasticity of the muscles is important here, due to which the rotation of the hips will, as it were, give a wave throughout the body. For pre-training, simple tilts and circular rotations of the torso are best suited.
- Thirdly, the main element of the dance is the kick, without which bachata is inconceivable. This is a smooth rotational movement that women should perform with their hips, and men with their entire body. The one who managed to comprehend this element of dance, one can say, comprehended the very essence of bachata.
- Finally, each step in the dance consists of 3 small steps, which should be performed at ease, while maintaining the visual lightness and playfulness of the movements.
