As bachata has continued to grow in Adelaide you may have noticed the diverse range of step patterns and styling within the social scene. Perhaps this has led you to the question…
Are there multiple styles of bachata?
Yes, there are!
Bachata was born in the Dominican Republic but as it grew in popularity around the world, the styling evolved to create multiple subcategories. The two that you will hear about most in Adelaide are Dominican Bachata and Sensual Bachata.
Dominican Bachata
Dominican is the original style of bachata and is characterised by fast footwork, and precise musicality. This footwork might follow the timing of the percussion, the bass, or maybe even the guitar. The upper-body has a fairly close and structured frame, allowing the focus to be on the legs and feet.
Sensual Bachata
Sensual Bachata is becoming very popular both in Australia and internationally. Instead of traditional dominican music, sensual bachata is often danced to slightly slower, more modern beats. The focus is less on the feet and more on the upper-body. You will notice isolations, body rolls, and dips are characterising features that differentiate sensual bachata from its dominican brother.
So what do we learn at QuickSteps?
Here at Quicksteps we learn ballroom bachata, a modern hybrid that uses the side to side movement of traditional bachata to accentuate hip motion and give ample opportunity for styling. There is a strong salsa influence on the turn patterns and it is perfect for social dancing! It also gives you the opportunity to try out some dominican footwork, or sensual upper-body movement without having to commit to any one style. We love it, and we’re sure you will too!
To learn a little more about street latin syles, check out Salsa & Latin Dance Lessons in Adelaide
