BACHATA TANGO
BACHATA TANGO
MIXING BACHATA & TANGO
PERFORMED ON STAGE
AS BACHATA CONTINUED TO DEVELOP A NEW STYLE EMERGED KNOWN AS BACHATA TANGO.
THE STYLE INVOLVES MORE FANCY LIFTS & TRICKS SO THAT THE DYNAMIC IS MORE CLOSELY RELATED TO CHOREOGRAPHY RATHER THAN PURE SPONTANEOUS LEAD & FOLLOW.
FOR THIS REASON IT IS BEST PERFORMED ON STAGE RATHER THAN DANCED IN A SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT AS A FOLLOWER WILL PROBABLY NOT BE ABLE TO READ A LEADER’S SIGNALS UNLESS THEY ARE VERY USED TO DANCING TOGETHER AND THE FOLLOWER ALREADY KNOWS THE LEADER’S MOVES.
SIMILAR HISTORY
DIFFERENT DANCE MOOD
BACHATA & ARGENTINE TANGO HAVE A SIMILAR HISTORICAL BACKGROUND.
BOTH HAVE THEIR ROOTS IN THE BARS & OTHER ENTERTAINMENT VENUES OF POORER NEIGHBOURHOODS, ROMANTIC LOVE & BITTERNESS AND LATIN & AFRICAN INFLUENCES.
HOWEVER, THE DANCE MOOD OF EACH IS NOTICEABLY DIFFERENT.
WHILST BOTH ARE EQUALLY PASSIONATE , TANGO IS SLIGHTLY DARKER. TANGO IS ALL RAW PASSION WHEREAS THE EMPHASIS IN BACHATA IS MORE SENSUAL.
FORM OF THE DANCE
ARTISTIC, ELEGANT & SOPHISTICATED
BACHATA TANGO CONSISTS OF EMBELLISHED KICKS, FALLS & DIPS, SOPHISTICATED & ELEGANT TURNS AND EXTENDED PAUSES.
THE LONG BREAKS SERVE TO ADD INTENSITY TO THE DANCE WHICH IS A SPECIALITY OF THE TANGO STYLE.
THE DANCE PARTNERS POSITION THEMSELVES VERY CLOSE TO EACH OTHER BECAUSE THE FOCUS IS MORE ON THE CLOSE CONTACT BETWEEN THE LEADER & FOLLOWER THAN ON TRAVELLING FOOTWORK PATTERNS.
BY MERGING THE TWO GENRES, THE STYLE OF BACHATA WHICH EMERGES IS MORE ARTISTIC WITH DECORATED ELEGANT MOVEMENTS.
CONTADICTIONS
NEVER BECAME A SOCIAL DANCE
TANGO IS KNOWN AS BEING ONE OF THE MORE CHALLENGING DANCES TO MASTER & IT REPRESENTS AN EXTENSIVE DANCE SYLLABUS IN ITS OWN RIGHT.
TANGO IS NOT A DANCE WHERE YOU CAN JUST SHOW UP & DO IT OCCASIONALLY FOR FUN.
A SIGNIFICANT INVESTMENT OF TIME IS NEEDED IN ORDER TO BECOME A COMPETENT TANGO DANCER.
IN THAT RESPECT, THE NATURE OF TANGO IN SOME WAYS CONTRADICTS THE NATURAL SIMPLICITY AT THE HEART OF BACHATA.
PERHAPS AS A CONSEQUENCE, BACHATA TANGO NEVER REALLY BECAME A SOCIAL DANCE & IT NEVER REACHED THE LEVEL WHEREBY IS WAS A DANCER’S MAIN DANCE.
