I Love Bachata

Recently more and more people are adding articles online about bachata on so called styles, how to, who is and what is.

They are misleading people with incorrect information about the history and the development and who did what to make Bachata popular today, so let me clear up a few of these misconceptions.

1 The Styles

There are 4 foundation style that have developed from the original Dominican Style all other style have used the foundation of these 4.

1. Dominican Style… the Godfather to all Bachata, full of footwork, bodymovement and alot of flavor

2. Italian Style… with it’s romantic circular moves, Salsa turn patterns and limited footwwork, this is the most popular due to the fact that it is simple and it appealed to Salseros

3. Madrid Style (Spain)… This is the Godfather of what some are calling Moderna but in reality it is Madrid Style, this style developed alot of Footwork and gave birth to crossover steps in Bachata

4. Bachatango… began in Europe this style is becoming increasingly popular due to the fact it uses alot of influences from Tango, the other reason that this style is now officially a style is due to the fact that the music has also developed to give it credibility

These are the 4 founding fathers of Bachata evolution every else is a fusion of all of the above or have been fused with other dance style like Hip hop, Zouk, Ballet, Contemporary but all use the above foundations.

2. How to dance Bachata?

It is becoming extremely frustrating with purist or ignorant people trying to tell people how to dance it, the answer here is simple as with everything life everything evolves but there are a few important rules to observe, so let me simplify it:

1. There are 3 things that matter in the moment you are dancing, you, your partner and the music, everything else should be blank out, otherwise you wont enjoy it or be immersed in it.

2. You must learn to let your body dance well and you must develop good leading and following skills.

3. Learn about the music, it is there to lead you, by studying it you will learn to appreciate it more

4. Try out all the style and found out what you like or don’t like and if you don’t like it thats cool but don’t try to stop others from liking it, let it live it’s course!

5. It is only a dance, so let it be a dance and enjoy it, after all it is there for our enjoyment thats all!

Who are the most important pioneers of Bachata

Who cares… choose the instructors, promoters or events you like and say thank you to them on a regular basis and make them feel good that they are doing a good job, after that noone single handed did nothing great, we are all just part of a large global community, don’t over praise people as it is only feeding their egos or it is done to play silly political games which in the long run just ruin things.

Lets just thank life that it exists and we have the health and ability to able to enjoy it!

Final Words

Bachata is only a dance, it is a way of moving your body and a way of socializing, for those of us who choose to make it your jobs, don’t forget we are all in the same boat but whats most important is to keep a healthy and happy environment for everyone to enjoy!

Bachata changed my life I hope it does the same for all of you
Tony =)

BACHATA TANGO

Why and where did this form of Bachata dancing come from?

It is not exactly sure who was the genius behind this but it is definately true to say that Italy and Spain are the pioneers of this style of Bachata dancing, but I must add it is not only a style of dancing, it is also a style of music too!

Here is a list of some good Bachata Tango tracks:

- Mi Estrella Mi Lucero by Pablo Alejando
- Suave by Yensi
- Passion by Julio Marano
- Strange (Libertango) Remix by Grace Jones
- Chanson D’ Amour by Castle feat. Denise (DJ Marco Ferretti Rmx)

So why did they decide to fuse these too completely different type of dancing and music together?

Well musicality it is very simple to add the Melody of Tango to the Rhythm of Bachata, the sound produced is very interesting to listen too and exciting to dance too, as you have a nice tempo to follow and a great melody to interpretate.

A common thing these two dances share is that they are both began in the street and they wasn’t always socially accepted and were reduced to being only danced in Brothels.

Fusing these two dances together is very natural due to the fact that both of them are danced very close and connected. The great thing about fusing them is that you get the best of their body movements (twisting and swaying) and its result is a way of dancing which is very sexy, passionate, stylish and graceful.

I guess one of the most important questions is should I now learn Tango to be good at it?

Well, the simple answer is Yes and No. You definitely need to take classes from someone who will teach you the techniques of Bachata Tango but you do not necessarily have to go to Tango Classes (But I would advised taking some classes from a good Tango instructor).

So now you know a little bit about it, it is time to learn it and let your passion flow on the dancefloor

Check out Tony & Dani’s Bachata Tango DVDs – CLICK HERE

Can anyone believe this?

I never believe I would see the day when Bachata actually filled the floor. Now I am really talking about the UK, for in countries like Italy and Spain, Bachata is extremely popular and DJs have to play it to stay alive! lol

So I have just traveled around the UK, Scotland and Ireland and realised an amazing phenomenon, when the DJ played Bachata the floor was packed! Now I am not saying alittle busy but extremely busy, jammed packed!

I couldn’t believe my eyes, people are taking to the dance floor as if there is no tomorrow, but I must say I think one of the biggest reasons for this is that DJs play very little of it and people are getting there quick fix dance in. Maybe it is a good thing that DJs play only a few maybe not, but without a doubt Bachata is definitely filling the floor quicker than you can say ‘Bachata Time’

This phenomenon actually leaves me feeling extremely at peace as I now see people are finally enjoying what I have been enjoying for a long time…

…Long live Bachata

On Sat 7th and Sun 8th June 08, we decided to host a Bachata Weekender with Sagi from Salsasuave and our mission was Freedom, creative Freedom in dance!

We arrived on Friday 6th and Sagi had organised a lovely meal and told us to get ready to go out dancing to meet the local Salseros/as.

We arrived at Cuba Noche at 10pm and we were welcomed by the local DJ Orlando. We had a few dances then it was time to do a Bachata demo to get the Weekend started. After was an almost perfect with no mistakes (especially from me!). So we got a nice round of applause and we thanked everyone, got changed then dance to 2am.

Saturday morning Sagi prepared a nice breakfast and we headed off to the Bootcamp local. It was a boat… yes a boat, we looked at each other in surprise. I must add it was a rare, beautiful day we the Sun beating down, quite rare for Scotland.

We entered the bowel of the boat and I started to feel sea sick, at this point of thought how will I make the weekend with feeling nausea. The students arrived eagerly prepared to learn lots about Bachata. So we began the first 6 hours of the Bootcamp and surprisingly we had so much fun and I did not feel sick at all. Wow!

Saturday Night and Sagi yet again cooked us a lovely meal before we headed off for another fun night at Cuba Noche.

Sunday was much like Saturday with lots of fun and a brilliant bunch of students to teach and entertain and No I still did not feel sick! but I must say it was such a beautiful and hot Weekend that it was a shame we were stuck for 6hours in the bowel of a boat.

Sunday Night and Sagi to took us to a lovely club called the Merlin. It had a wonderful dancefloor, we had a great night and even though we were pretty tired, the music and the atmosphere kept us going.

The weekend was greatly organised and the people were extremely friendly and warm. I must say if you haven’t been to Edinburgh you should go and visit, we spent the Monday sightseeing and it is extremely interesting to see.

Thank you Sagi and if you didn’t know Sagi will be hosting the 1st Scottish Salsa Congress on 16th – 18th Jan 09 www.scottishsalsacongress.co.uk for details

Before I tell you about the Festival, let me tell you a wonderful story full of romance and passion.

Meet Peter Holmquist, he was crazy for a girl called Christine Dottax. He wanted to find a way to impress her. So he decided to organise a Bachata Workshop so he invites an international instructor (Jorge Elizondo). By doing this it gives him the perfect excuse to ask her if she would be his partner to practise with. His plan worked and not only did she partner him but she fell in Love with him…

… 2 years later here they are organising what is to become an important benchmark in history. The 1st Bachata Festival in Gothenburg, Sweden on the 31st May – 1st June 08!

Ok so now Peter and Christine are crazy about Bachata and after having a discussion with myself they make the decision and begin organising a Festival.

So they invite Myself and partner Daniela and Rodney ‘Rodchata’ Aquino from San Francisco who partners up with Tove from Gothenburg. Then for the evening entertainment the ‘Bachata King’ and DJ Ferrer from Stockholm come onboard.

The weekend is now set and the tickets are put on sale.

So we arrive there on Thursday to get a tour of the city, Peter takes us up on a hill with a beautiful view and for a walk along the river (what a romantic guy he is!). Then take us out for a dance on a Roof top club called ‘Henriksberg’. We had a wonderful time and the great thing that the sun didn’t set til around midnite… wow and a great opportunity for Myself, Dani and Rodney to dance with the locals!

So Friday morning and Peter has organised a surprised team building day out at the ‘GÖkboet’. So he take us to battle it with some Sumo Wrestling, Bull Riding, Bungee Running and many more physical and mental activites! What a great laugh we had and me and Rodney went head to head and lucky for me I kicked his butt! hahahaha maybe next time Rochata.

OK so we had a fun day out but we were unaware of how much we will have to suffer for it. For the next few day I bodies will remind us that we are no longer spring chickens.

So poor Rodney and Tove kicked off the weekend workshops on Saturday morning, whilst I relaxed and poor Daniela had to cook Pasta and Tiramisi for 80 people, but it was worth it and our poor knackered students needed it to take the afternoon workshops with myself and Daniela.

Saturday night and the Bachata Kings have come to rock the house we some classic Bachata and Merengues and boy did we have fun! DJ Ferrer then took the decks to keep people dancing the night away and it was great to see everyone leaving with a pleasant smile on their faces.

Sunday morning myself, Daniela, Peter and Christine had to drag ourselves out to bed. We arrive to the studio to see 100 people ready to do a day full of workshops. We had so much fun teaching them that it made my weekend. Poor Rodney takes the afternoon session but now he was suffering from lack of sleep due to Jetlag, but he pulls off a fantastic afternoon workshop to finish it all off.

Sunday Night was quieter than Saturday but I guess that is expected especially since the Sun had decided to smile on Gothenburg all week, but never the less we had a great night and as promised Rodney got to dance with a Beautiful Swedish blonde.

I had a fantastic time and would like to thank Peter, Christine and staff, also Rodney and Tove and the 100s of Bachateros who made the whole weekend a pleasure. If you didn’t make this one, dont miss it next year!

Visit: www.bachata.se

Tony

Hi Guys

Welcome to the NEW I love Bachata Website!

The aim as always is to provide as much information as possible about what is going on in the World of Bachata.

So have a look around and please give me some feedback, it is always nice to hear you opinions and thoughts:

Whats NEW:

1. A better Shop, selling more DVDs, CDs and Merchandise.
2. More info on Events
3. Coming Shortly – Online Lessons
4. My Blogs of my trips around the World
5. Tony’s corner

I hope you enjoy it!