Bachata

Bachata是於1960年代興起於多明尼加北方的鄉村地區，歌曲的步調較慢，是從古巴音樂Bolero延伸而來，主要是以傳統吉他來伴奏。

現今常被大眾拿來討論與比較的bachata舞風主要分三派:

Dominican (Traditional) Bachata: 主要受bolero，Cuban Son和Merengue的影響, 音樂通常偏快，舞步變化較多以詮釋不同的節奏，身體律動著重在腳步變換及臀部均勻擺動，沒有太多轉圈的動作，原始基本步是從Bolero衍生，８拍上踩出方塊步(box step)，但後來也受Salsa, Merengue影響而演化出左右移動的基本步，也慢慢開始加入一些轉圈的動作。

Bachata Moderna: 這段期間的Bachata特色是音樂裡融入了其他西方音樂的元素，如hip hop, R&B, pop, techno等等，隨著音樂的演化，這時的Bachata舞風也漸漸發展出不同的融合風，這個時期造就的舞者Ataca y la Alemana是很具代表性的一對。

Sensual Bachata: 節奏偏抒情緩慢，創始者為西班牙舞者Korke & Judith，在原本的Bachata基礎上融入一些Zouk，Ballroom，以及現代舞的元素，特色是較多的身體流動及isolation搭配浪漫的音樂風格，較多空間讓女生呈現性感嫵媚的肢體線條，臀部的擺動像圓弧的８字型，此舞風在歐洲大為流行，不旦開始有Bachata舞者專屬的國際活動，甚至舉辦了competition，再也不用靠Salsa打知名度，亞洲國家也開始紛紛仿效，影響了整個世界的salsa版圖。

Bachata emerged in the 1960s in the rural areas of the northern Dominican Republic. The songs are slower paced and derived from the Cuban music Bolero, mainly accompanied by traditional guitars.

The bachata dance styles of today can be broadly divided into three groups:

Dominican (Traditional) Bachata: Mainly influenced by bolero, Cuban Son and Merengue, the music is usually fast, and the dance steps change to interpret different rhythms. The original basic step is derived from Bolero, which is a box step on 8 beats, but later it was also influenced by Salsa and Merengue and evolved the basic step of moving left and right, and slowly began to add some circular movements. Alex y Desiree are representative of this style.

Bachata Moderna: During this period, Bachata featured elements of other Western music, such as hip hop, R&B, pop, etc. With the evolution of music, the Bachata dance style at this time gradually developed into different fusion styles. The dancers Ataca y la Alemana are representative of this style.

Sensual Bachata: The rhythm is lyrical and slow. The founders are Spanish dancers Korke & Judith. Based on the original Bachata, it incorporates some elements of Zouk, Ballroom, and modern dance. It features more body movement and isolation with a romantic music style. There is more space for girls to show sexy and charming body lines, and the swing of the hips is like an arc-shaped figure of 8. This dance style is very popular in Europe. Although many events and parties feature Salsa and Bachata together, Bachata dancers have their own international events and competitions. Bachata in recent years has become hugely popular across the world, including in Asia.

* description from Mandy Wang's blog post Bachata巴恰達舞起源與發展.