STYLES of BACHATA
STYLES of BACHATA
SUB-STYLES
THREE MAIN SUB-STYLES
OVER THE YEARS BACHATA HAS EVOLVED AND RE-INVENTED ITSELF IN A VARIETY OF STYLES.
ALTHOUGH THERE CONTINUES TO BE AN ELEMENT OF DISAGREEMENT WITHIN THE BACHATA COMMUNITY OVER THE NAMING & AUTHENTICITY OF VARIOUS BACHATA SUB-STYLES, THE THREE MOST GENERALLY RECOGNISED STYLES ARE:-
- DOMINICAN – QUICK FOOTWORK COMBINATIONS
- MODERNA – SALSA-LIKE TURN PATTERNS
- SENSUAL – ELONGATED CIRCULAR MOVEMENTS & BODY ISOLATIONS
IS SENSUAL BACHATA ACTUALLY BACHATA ?
THE NATURE OF SENSUAL
IN THE LIGHT OF THE FACT THAT SENSUAL BACHATA LOOKS & FEELS VERY DIFFERENT TO DOMINICAN BACHATA, IT IS PERFECTLY LEGITIMATE TO ASK WHETHER SENSUAL BACHATA SHOULD REALLY BE THOUGHT OF AS BACHATA AT ALL.
CERTAINLY THERE ARE DANCERS WHO ONLY DANCE SENSUAL BACHATA / MODERNA BACHATA AND DO NOT DANCE DOMINICAN BACHATA, AS WELL AS VICE-VERSA.
THE MUSIC THAT THE TWO SUB-STYLES ARE DANCED TO CLEARLY HAS VERY MARKED DIFFERENCES.
AS A CONSEQUENCE, THERE IS A CONVINCING ARGUMENT FOR CALLING THE DANCE “SENSUAL” RATHER THAN SENSUAL BACHATA.
SIMILAR DEBATE ABOUT KIZOMBA
BACHATA IS NOT THE ONLY DANCE GENRE TO HAVE A DEBATE OVER THE IDENTITY OF A NEW INCARNATION OF THE DANCE.
KIZOMBA, SOMETIMES KNOWN AS AFRO-TANGO IS AN AFRICAN DANCE ORIGINALLY FROM ANGOLA & CAPE VERDE .
THE THREE MAIN STYLES ARE CLASSICAL KIZOMBA, TARRAXINHA (SENSUAL KIZOMBA) & URBAN KIZ.
SOME PROPONENTS OF CLASSICAL KIZOMBA HAVE QUESTIONED WHETHER URBAN KIZ, THE NEWER SUB-STYLE IS REALLY KIZOMBA AS THE MOVEMENT IS RECOGNISABLY DIFFERENT.
CONCLUSION
RIGHTLY OR WRONGLY, SENSUAL BACHATA HAS BECOME WIDELY KNOWN AS “SENSUAL BACHATA”.
FOR THAT REASON, THE SHIP HAS IN MANY RESPECTS ALREADY SAILED SO TO SPEAK.
THE REALLY IMPORTANT THING IS TO JUST ENJOY DANCING “SENSUAL” OR “SENSUAL BACHATA” BY CONNECTING TO YOUR PARTNER & CONNECTING TO THE MUSIC.
ULTIMATELY, ALL DANCE IS JUST MOVEMENT TO MUSIC WHATEVER ONE CHOOSES TO CALL IT.
FUSION BACHATA
MIXING DOMINICAN, MODERNA & SENSUAL
THE HYBRID STYLE KNOWN AS BACHATA FUSION USES ALL THREE SUB- STYLES OF BACHATA WITHIN ONE SONG, ALLOWING THE MUSIC TO GUIDE WHICH MOVE IS MOST FITTING.
THIS ALLOWS THE DANCER TO EXPERIENCE A TASTE OF EVERYTHING BY PROVIDING A VERY WIDE PALETTE OF MOVEMENT POSSIBILITIES FOR SOCIAL DANCING.
CROSS FERTILISATION
WITH FULL RESPECT TO ALL OF THE ABOVE, DANCE STYLES NEVER EXIST IN A VACUUM.
DANCERS OFTEN DANCE MANY TYPES OF DANCES & TAKE PART IN OTHER SPORTS, ACTIVITIES & PHYSICALITY.
AS A CONSEQUENCE, ONE DANCE NATURALLY FEEDS OFF ANOTHER DANCE OR ART AND SO THERE IS CROSS FERTILIZATION IN ALL DIRECTIONS.
FOR INSTANCE, AS MUCH AS BACHATA HAS BENEFITED FROM SALSA TECHNIQUES, BACHATA HAS ALSO GIVEN WAYS OF MOVING BACK TO SALSA TO THE BENEFIT OF BOTH.
DEEPER TRUTH ... MOVEMENT IS MOVEMENT
BRUCE LEE, THE LEGENDARY MARTIAL ARTIST BELIEVED THAT NO STYLE WAS THE ONLY TRUE STYLE BECAUSE ULTIMATELY MOVEMENT IS MOVEMENT.
HE RESISTED BEING CONTAINED BY TRADITION & CONVENTION & WAS LED BY WHAT ACTUALLY WORKED.
THERE ARE GREAT SIMILARITIES BETWEEN DANCE & MARTIAL ARTS DESPITE THEIR SEEMING DIFFERENCES.
BRUCE LEE HIMSELF WAS A CHAMPIONSHIP CHA CHA CHA DANCER.
WHILST THE “STANDARD HUMAN BODY” HAS TWO ARMS & TWO LEGS, THERE WILL ONLY BE SO MANY WAYS TO MOVE, SO DEFINING MOVEMENT AS BACHATA OR TANGO, ZOUK OR SALSA, MARTIAL ARTS OR GYMNASTICS MISUNDERSTANDS THE DEEPER TRUTH THAT MOVEMENT IS SIMPLY MOVEMENT.
