History of Latino Dance Styles
Bachata is a genre of Latin American music and social dance style that originated from the Dominican Republic in the first half of the 20th century. It is danced to 4/4 time and usually consists of 3 side to side steps and a foot tap which can be modified with a leg lift and/or hip motion. During its development, it had a lot of social stigma and censorship as the Dominican upper-class regarded the dance as vulgar and associated with the lower class. Bachata descended from Bolero (slow and romantic style, originated from Cuba) and Salsa. It is danced at a faster pace than Bolero, and carries the similarity of partners holding each other closely. From Salsa, Bachata takes and has its intricate foot and hip movements. It is usually danced in a close embrace between partners, but today it can be danced with an open embrace, with partners having a foot of space between them, and there are several turns added while the music can be sped up. This dance style started taking off in the 1980's when Bachata music started appearing on the radio and television Today, Bachata is one of the most popular styles of Latino dance, and now is danced worldwide outside of the Dominican Republic.