What is bachata?

One wonderful bachata tonight. I have been having a hard time with bachata for a while and then danecd with this girl whom I taught bachata a while back. It clicked and we played. :banana: :bouncy: :banana: Oh I'm still shaking over it. I got the bachata once again. :banana:
 
Bachata Dancing at The Cockfights

Dominicans dance Bachata EVERY WHERE. I don't know of a sing Dominican that ahs ever taken a lesson to dance Bachata. I shot some video a few yeasr back of a couple dancing bachata at the cock fights.I was working on a TV Pilot called "The Monkey and The Rooster". I was hired mostly to translate and act as a guide. In the end I wound up shooting some b roll etc.

I found it ironic that in the ame room they used to apply the talons to the roosters who were basically being prepared to fight to the death. . . .there was a couple dancing Bacahata!

Take a look at the video and I am sure you will agree that it is not the type of dancing you learn in most schools. It is in the blood of Dominican people and they are surrounded by music 24-7. Bachata is blaring from nearly every car and every colmado in the Dominican Republic.
 
dr-tourist.tv , great clip!
Must be a strange feeling, the force of both death & life & love in the same room. But I want moooooore dance. Can you publish the whole song & dance?

/luc
 
yeah would really appreciate if you could post more links or video clips of bachata...cant get enough of it:)
 
I appreciate the clips, as well. Interesting note... they seem to pause on the four, rather than some sort of particular emphasis. I've seen emphasis ranging from hip lift to leg lift to foot tap to kick, but never a pause like that. Their hip motion is greater than what I generally see in Indianapolis. It's been a while since I've watched bachata in Chicago (I'm always dancing)...

I've been told a lot recently that I dance bachata differently than just about everyone else in Indy (and in a good way). It earned me a free ride to Chicago the first time one of my favorite leads danced bachata with me. I know I have a few "moves" that no one else here does (thank you DF and online videos), but a friend I consider a very good dancer told me she thinks I take smaller steps than the majority of Indianapolis dancers.

I feel like I've kind of plataued with bachata. I'm certainly not getting much challenge. Any new ideas or suggestions?
 
BrookeErin said:
I feel like I've kind of plataued with bachata. I'm certainly not getting much challenge. Any new ideas or suggestions?
Click to expand...

I'm not sure exactly what would be new for you, but if your comfortable with your partner, be playful and sexy and just have fun with it. Do things like caress your partners face just before a turn or run you fingers through their hair. One move I have started doing recently is do a basic 1,2,3,hip, 5,6,7,hip (guy takes the girls rt hand with his rt hand here) then back break on 1,2, on 3 the guy does a kind of J with is rt hand bringing the girl so her back is to his rt front. He then takes her left hand in his and places his rt hand on her right hip. The guy has to adjust for the lady, so you start back counting 1,2,3 hip doing a basic again. As you are coming back on 5,6,7 the guy takes the girls left hand and bendng at the elbow places it behind his head, then starting at her elbow very slowly runs the side of his hand down her arm, along her side coming back to rest at her left hip. At this point when the girls hand is placed on the back of the guys head, if the girl is really cool :), she starts playing with his hair. It may not come across very well trying to explain it. Sorry not video, YET! :)

Since there aren't a lot of bachata videos out there, I'd say the best way to get new moves and ideas, is to watch a lot of other styles of dancing and when you see some cool sexy little move they do, figure out how to incorporate it into bachata.

Some new songs I've found recently that I recommend are:
Honey, I Do - Extreme
Ven Tu - Dominic Marte
la quiero - Dominic Marte
Un Beso - Aventura
Me Extrana En La Manana - Aventura
 
cierre boca y baile said:
I'm not sure exactly what would be new for you, but if your comfortable with your partner, be playful and sexy and just have fun with it. Do things like caress your partners face just before a turn or run you fingers through their hair. One move I have started doing recently is do a basic 1,2,3,hip, 5,6,7,hip (guy takes the girls rt hand with his rt hand here) then back break on 1,2, on 3 the guy does a kind of J with is rt hand bringing the girl so her back is to his rt front. He then takes her left hand in his and places his rt hand on her right hip. The guy has to adjust for the lady, so you start back counting 1,2,3 hip doing a basic again. As you are coming back on 5,6,7 the guy takes the girls left hand and bendng at the elbow places it behind his head, then starting at her elbow very slowly runs the side of his hand down her arm, along her side coming back to rest at her left hip. At this point when the girls hand is placed on the back of the guys head, if the girl is really cool :), she starts playing with his hair. It may not come across very well trying to explain it. Sorry not video, YET! :)

Since there aren't a lot of bachata videos out there, I'd say the best way to get new moves and ideas, is to watch a lot of other styles of dancing and when you see some cool sexy little move they do, figure out how to incorporate it into bachata.

Some new songs I've found recently that I recommend are:
Honey, I Do - Extreme
Ven Tu - Dominic Marte
la quiero - Dominic Marte
Un Beso - Aventura
Me Extrana En La Manana - Aventura
Click to expand...


hmmm trying to figure it out...guess u learn more watching the videos:(
 
My instructors reffered to it as the blues of the latin world :D And I don't think I can dance bachata with just any girl. There are a few that would let me hold them close enough though ;)
I've talked to a few people and the popular opinion is that when it comes to watching, bachata is probably the most boring of the latin dances. But when we talk about dancing..... well, that's a different story :rolleyes:
 
My bachata story (mentioned it in other threads as well).
Went dancing in my ballroom practice party as usual, and bachata came on, as usual. Usually, you can see maybe 2 couples on the entire dancefloor that dance the bachata the way it's supposed to be danced (i.e. no open hold position stuff, no stiff ballroom holds, but the real hug sort of hold). So this guy I've never danced with or seen there before asks me to dance. We start off with the classic closed hold, which was, admittedly, close. He comments on my "fluid, soft movement". I raise my eyebrows in disbelief and say "thanks a lot, I had a really good teacher". We talk for a bit while dancing. I tell him I've learnt dancing in said school that was trhowing the party. He tells me he learnt in clubs. He had a great, great lead and a very steady, safe to be in hold.
Song ends. We dance a salsa after a while, which was unlike anything I've ever danced before (I couldn't tell you what I was doing if you asked me, I was just following and it felt like I was dancing a dance totally unknown to me) and then after a while we danced another bachata.
Started off with the same hold, then after a while he asked for my permission to get closer. (Let me make a small comment here: it really touched me. Most guys don't ask for any sort of permission to get close to you, or even say "is that okay?" So I was touched.) After that the whole thing is a blur to me. My mind went blank, except for some detached thoughts that went "That feels GOOD". You know how it is when the guy is really tender and you are moving perfectly together? That kind of thing. There was no distance between our bodies or strange inhibitions. We were just dancing together and it was perfect. Can't find any words say this in a more eloquent way.
Really nice guy. Really great dance. Have never danced a better bachata in my life (which might not say much as my experience is limited, but still). Now I'm just hoping he'll become a regular. ;)

Twilight Elena
 
You can count till 4 step right and left and move the hips becaus salsa and batchata must move your body
 
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