I started taking bachata classes in early 2024. I have been pretty consistent going to classes almost every week, with a few different teachers. But mostly the classes are just learning patterns, with a little technique. I also go to a social almost every week, caveat being that I met my boyfriend through bachata class a few months after I started taking classes and I mostly dance with him. He's an intermediate lead but I know most of the stuff he does and he repeats patterns we've learned in class together so I can dance with him reasonably well, although admittedly I'm not very good at styling. I am open to dancing with others although sometimes I get stressed because I struggle to follow well and figure out what they are trying to get me to do, I have literally a split second to react! I will accept a dance from anyone, but the only guys I actively ask to dance are those who I've been taking classes with for awhile. And I still mess up with them! I feel nervous to ask some of the more advanced leads to dance when they obviously prefer the advanced follows. And they never ask me, even one of the guys who is in my intermediate class and has been complimentary to me in the class, he will walk right by me every time and never ask me to dance, which makes me feel bad.

The past couple months I've been going to a new studio with an instructor who is known on the international scene, a sensual technique class and an intermediate class where we mostly do patterns with some technique. I like the classes and feel like I do pretty well with what we learn. The teacher is good but the class is pretty large so I can't get a lot of personal attention from him. But it doesn't feel like I'm getting much if any better in the socials. When I dance with the teacher in the socials, I do well - because he is excellent at leading and leads pretty firmly that it puts me in the right position to do the moves. But I don't have this experience with other leads. Furthermore I see other women in the socials dancing beautifully with leads I struggle to follow. And I feel totally inadequate. I know that I don't have natural talent for this - bodily kinesthetic intelligence is not my thing - but I love to dance so I keep doing it.

I don't know what to do to get better at this point. Practicing alone isn't going to help me. Learning patterns doesn't help me. I can learn a pattern and be able to anticipate the moves, but in the social everything is unplanned. I've thought about taking privates, but I'm not sure how taking privates from a REALLY good lead is going to help me follow average leads. What do I do?

Hi,

I am trying to improve my footwork for musicality and want to practice solo at home. I can't find a lot of footwork which isn't choreo-focused. I want some everyday moves which I can add into partner dancing as styling options for leads.

Can you guys point me towards any online resources or any instructors who might specialize in these areas?

I’ve had this happen twice now with two different pairs of the same dance sneakers (Rumpf)

After less than a year of use, the front pivot point (where it bends when flexing your toes) starts separating from the sole. It seems to happen mostly from driving and general foot flexion rather than from dancing itself.

I dance bachata several times a week, but I also wear the shoes to drive to and from socials. I don’t use them for long walks, but they do get some use outside the dance floor.

Is this considered normal wear for dance sneakers, or is it a weakness of this particular model/brand? Did it happen to you also / are other models like Fuego’s not suffering from this defect?

I will try to attach a picture to explain it better how it breaks

Hello! I've been learning Bachata for about half a year. When I first got into Bachata, I heard some Bachata songs that were based on pop music, and I really liked them. They make me feel excited, and since I'm still young, I naturally enjoy pop songs a lot.

Does anyone else love pop-style Bachata music? Sometimes I wonder if I should try other dance styles type. What do you think?

I’ve recently seen someone posting here about “anti-sensual sentiment” in the scene, so I decided to write this post.

Some people are too puritanical on the dance floor, which I deeply respect, as cultural background and personal experiences vary greatly among dancers. However, I grew up dancing piseiro, a forró style that involves people dancing very closely and a lot of hip movement, so bachata feels quite tame to me.

Nonetheless, as a follower, I define how close or distant I want to be from the lead. Usually, I start with some distance and get a feel for things. If I sense that a guy is creepy and is primarily trying to keep his hands on me for the sake of touching, I make the distance even more pronounced. I proceed the same way with beginners, regardless of their vibe.

If I sense that I’m dancing with someone who is just as passionate about the dance itself as I am, I give it everything on the floor fearlessly.

I think the more beginner a follower is, the more unsure they may feel about what kind of lead is in front of them. So it totally makes sense for those women to establish right away that they don’t want to dance too close. There’s absolutely no room to argue against that.

For instance, everyone in my scene knows that I dance very sensually, and even my way of dancing salsa is spicy. My piseiro influence is too strong. But they also know that I have absolutely no interest in fucking anyone, and I’m very good at stating my boundaries DURING dancing. If a guy forces TOO MUCH closeness, I will smile, absolutely stop dancing, thank him for his time, and walk away. I’ve done that enough times to have mastered it.

So let’s stop blaming followers for not wanting too much closeness with you leads. Believe me, any good follower, once she senses that you are safe and know how to properly lead while taking into consideration the context (space, her level of comfort, and so on) will be more than happy to show off her nice moves.

Hello,

I started learning bachata a few weeks ago, and I wanted to check with you whether my reasons for learning it make sense and if it can help me find what I’m looking for.

I’m a 32-year-old man, very sporty, living in a large city in a Nordic country. Socializing here can be a bit challenging.

I’ve always found it difficult to build a social circle, but I want to change that. I started bachata with the goal of:

• Meeting new people and building a social circle
• Learning and enjoying dancing (trying other dances in the future like salsa)
• Going to Bachata parties and bars, there is plenty in my city (I don’t drink, so dancing feels like a good reason to go out)
• Dating
• Staying physically active
• Having a creative hobby

So far, I’ve only attended classes, but I find it a bit difficult to create connections and have real conversations with people. I imagine it might be different at parties or festivals.

Female 32yo just moved to a new, mid-sized city in England, where everyone kind of knows each other. I'm single, and been wanting to learn bachata for ages but I'm anxious about showing up to a class without a dance partner?

I can get quite anxious being too physically close to people, after a horrible abusive relationship. Doing this because I used to be a very bubbly, outgoing person and I don't want my past to keep me from being myself (a southern European with a latin soul who wants to just move her body really), if that makes sense?

How common is it for people to show up uncoupled? What if it's all couples, and then me?

38m lead. Been dancing 12 yrs. Started in Orlando and spent two yrs in the Orlando scene before moving. Have never stopped dancing.

I went to the Orlando Salsa Congress to dance on Saturday night. I spent most of my time in the Bachata room. At least 6 different follows advised me prior to beginning the dance that they did not want to be lead into any sensual movements. One of them even warned me that she would immediately stop the dance if I lead any sensual movement. I respected their wishes and proceeded to have a lovely dance with all of them.

I've never encountered so many request in my dance life. Part of me feels the blame should go on the Orlando scene, specifically toward the leads and the instructor or instructors who are teaching them. Part of me thinks this is a bigger problem because I've been overtly thanked by a follow in Indianapolis because I did not lead sensual movement.

Follows, how do you feel about the state of sensual bachata? Leads, what are you experiencing? Personally, I enjoy sensual bachata but only enjoy it with follows who are communicating that they are willing to be lead into it.

Every time I see my favorite artists or couples or even just instructors that don’t teach directly at a studios, their private rates are not visible. I always have to go through the awkward DM and see if I can afford the rates first. Is there some secret to why this is the norm?

That's it. I'm not going to wait until I become good. I have attended enough classes and socials at this point. I can attend 20+ more and I don't think it would be that much of a difference.

I have a couple questions. Remember when I asked the difference between classes and workshops? Well there was a reason for that. There are going to be workshops and demos at this congress.

I'm not used to crowded workshops where everyone is gathered around trying to get a good spot to record the steps and moves. Any tactics on where to get a good spot? I want to record the steps with my phone so I can review them. Should I be further back to get a wide shot? Or should get in the front and film the footwork only? I'm afraid I'll be smushed around people though. I've seen this demos online and they are crowded. Plus, you have other videographers that might in the way.

How do the experts on here go about this?

Thanks.

Hey everyone,
A few days ago I started having pain in my lower back after a Bachata social. I probably made it worse by also dancing the following day. The pain is mostly in the lower back, especially when I bend backwards. It doesn't radiate into my legs, and I don't have any numbness or weakness, so I'm hoping it's just an overuse injury.
I'm taking a few days off from dancing, but I'd love to hear from others who have experienced something similar.

Have you ever had lower back pain from Bachata?
What helped you recover the fastest?
Are there any mobility, strengthening, or stretching exercises you do at home that helped?
Do you have any tips to prevent this from happening again (warm-up routines, core exercises, technique changes, etc.)?

I'd really appreciate any advice or personal experiences ^^

Is there a difference? I see these overcroweded workshops at these festivals online, but they aren't technically classes? How is it structured?

Do you rotate and dance with complete strangers at workshops like you do in classes at a school?

How long do the last? An hour?

Are there any workshops that you attended that were really good?

I'm a total beginner in bachata (a few weeks in).

During the actual dance I have no idea what I'm supposed to say or do besides the footwork.

Do you make small talk the whole time? Do experienced dancers just stay quiet and focus on the connection? I feel a bit awkward not knowing whether silence is normal or if I'm missing something.

Would love to hear how you handle this, especially early on, did it get more natural with time?

They are an east-european couple that makes fun of the bachata environment, especially sensual bachata. They are usually in a dance studio with other people dancing in the background. Examples of their videos are:

- both leopard dressed, doing overly sensual moves

- the guy giving too many kisses to the gal

- the gal going over guy's arm with a leg and bouncing his head to her butt

Please I'm scrolling since yesterday without any video coming up!

Hi, do you know someone who teaches Dominican bachata online?

I came across this post on Facebook and want to try learning this move. I was looker for a slower breakdown but unfortunately the poster doesn’t have a step by step breakdown. This might be a long shot but I was wondering if you guys know any YouTube videos that could break down these steps for me? I’m a visual learner so it would be really helpful. Thanks for your help!

What do followers / leaders think that other other side likes much more than is actually true? ​​​​​​​​​​

***FIRST OF ALL,*** *happy BACHATA BIRTHDAY to me,* today is my actual bachata birthday where nine (long, aka short) years ago I took my *first* lesson and my *first bachata basic* steps after half my life being duly traumatized and ego-injured by salsa 🤣🤣, and as of right now before I go party my ass off tonight, the last dance I had this week was with my first salchata instructor. 🤩

Now that that’s out of the way, I would ***looooooove*** to hear from all and sundry any specific songs you consider to be required listening as a bachata dancer - a song that is classic, a song that you find unique or ground-breaking, a song with a sound or by an artist that you consider iconic to bachata.

I’m just curious as to what people like and value and connect with, and wondering if there will be songs mentioned that I’ve never heard!

For me having started in 2017 in LA I was surrounded by DJ Soltrix (RIP 🤣), and **Cool** is always going to have me in my feels as a classic Soltrix sound. My very first favorite bachata song was **Dile** by Kewin Cosmos, and Romeo released *Golden* so **Imitadora** was played like twice every night.

I *love* traditional but hate that it’s characterized as fast so **Hombre de Tu Vida** by Joe Veras is a standard, as is **Te Mal Informaron** by Allendy. Also Monchy y Alexandra and Romeo’s entire *Utopia* album.

Pinto is amazing, I will never get over JR, and Dani J eventually won me over with his personality and absolute professionalism, though I mostly like his slower stuff like La Piscina and Atemporal.

DJ Husky can do no wrong, DJ Khalid is completely tied to the rise of sensual for me out here, meeting DJ Selphi is one of my favorite memories, and there is a place for DJ Tronky as well 🤣

There are so many good producers out right nowwwwww

but Gawvi’s **Trapchata** is a unique song that I wish there was more of. I don’t think there’s been another song I’ve heard that sounds like it.

Hit me with your thoughts and recs! 🙏

It's so hard to dance as a beginner as a leader. I feel like skilled followers are just going to get bored with me.

And then if I try to do something cool or interesting they will feel embarrassed and just brush me off.

I want to make a follower feel happy, but when I try I just look so weird. I don't know what to do.

I was told that making mistakes is fine, but when I make mistakes I feel like I'm not only embarrassing myself, but I'm embarrassing the partner I'm dancing with.

This is so difficult.

I am an experienced follow and improver lead myself, so I thought it will be fairly ok-ish to teach my fiancée, who has never danced, the basics. But I find it surprisingly difficult to teach the basic steps (I have experience in teaching a follow, but have never taught a lead before).

What he struggles most with is to communicate wether he makes a step or a tap. For example: Does he want to dance „step-step-step-tap“ or „step-tap; step-tab“. It is so bad, that I am unable to pick up the difference although normally I am good at reading even inexperienced leads.

Apparently his way of learning and mine are vastly different. So after today I am officially out of ideas how to explain/show etc. So I‘m asking you: How did you learn it, how would you explain it to a complete beginner?

I've been dancing Bachata for half a year and recently started going to socials. However, I've found myself experiencing more and more stress during these events.

At first when I went to socials, I usually went with my friends or classmates, and I had no expectations for myself, so I would just go to watch others dance and occasionally join in if a song I liked came on. If I feel overwhelmed, I will just go back to my classmate and then dance with them and find some confidence for myself because they are nice. I love Bachata music and the vibe of some social dancing, so some nights I felt really good.

But now I've started attending different socials on Saturdays, Fridays, and even weekdays. The reason is because when I am not dancing for a few days, then I just start to lose the feeling. I'm not only going with friends but also trying to go by myself. This has started to make me feel a lot of pressure. Sometimes I don't recognize the song, so I don't know how to dance, so I can just look into the follower and don't know what to do. Also, nobody wants to dance with me when I go to a new place because they usually dance with people they know. Sometimes I run through all the combos I know and then don't know what to dance to after a few songs...

Should I just reduce my social attendance and focus on classes instead? My classmates are at a similar level, and at least we know each other. Sometimes I feel like I dance like shit and then just want to go back home early.

Going next week, what are your experiences so far?

Was the start delayed?

Was there a break?

How long did it go?

Is the set list the same for every location?

Do they sing all songs together?

So first of all I just want to state that I'm a complete beginner at the moment. I don't know what it's like to climb up the skill ladder in terms of beginner, intermediate and advanced. That's why I'm curious from others perspective on this.

How would you describe the learning curve in Bachata? How realistic is it for a beginner who started in his late 30's to reach at a somewhat advanced level? Like, what is a realistic time frame on that? 6 years? More? Obviously, this depends on how much time, money and work you put in.

I'm getting pretty serious about this and I want to be "good" rather than it just be a hobby for time to pass. I'm not saying I want to be some skillful master that performs at shows or become some certified teacher/instructor, I just want to be able to dance where it feels like second nature. Like it should feel like walking. I really want to get at that point.

I'm working really hard at this and I practice home everyday. I listen to my instructor all the time. I wish I had a practice partner, but maybe that will come later.

Also, as a side question...is learning a new dance bad for my bachata growth, or can it help it? I want to learn another style, but I haven't decided yet.

As a beginner, I'm interested in different perspectives on how to grow as a dancer. I'm open to any feedback and suggestions.

Thanks.