Dance Frame

• Bachata is danced in the basic ballroom-dance hold. The leader and follower stand facing each other. The leader puts his right hand on the follower's right shoulder blade. A leader may dance with his right arm wrapped around the follower's waist or placed on the small of her back. It will depend on the comfort level between the leader and follower and how close they are standing to one another. The follower will then place her left hand on the leader's right shoulder. The leader holds his left hand up in a "v" position, and the follower places her hand in his, and both wrap their fingers lightly around the other person's hand.
  
  They should be standing in the offset position as they will be dancing closely, and if they stand directly in front of each other, their knees and toes will bump. Both partners stand with the right foot pointing between the partner's feet.
  
  

Basic Pattern

• The basic pattern in bachata includes three steps and a tap. The leader typically starts on the left foot, and the follower will start on the right. Both partners step out to the side, step together, step out to the same side again, and then tap their feet. Then they will repeat to the other side.
  
  The rules are not strict in bachata, so feel free to play with the basic pattern. It can either be danced side to side as explained above, forward and back, or in a circular pattern either to the right or left. The rhythm and step pattern should stay the same no matter which direction the dancers choose to go. For example, in the forward-and-back pattern, the steps would be forward, forward, forward, tap, back, back, back and tap.
  
  

Technique and Rhythm

• The basic technique in bachata is similar to the other Latin partner dances. It is referred to as Cuban Motion and is a way of stepping that will cause your hips to move as you go. The steps are shuffling steps, so your feet push along the floor as you go. As you step, drag the ball of your foot across the floor and land on the ball of your foot as opposed to the heel. Stepping on the ball of your foot will cause your knee to bend as you step on your leg and will cause your hip to drop. Take a series of steps and notice that your knees and hip action alternate with each step.
  
  The bachata rhythm is basic 4/4 timing, which means there are four beats to each measure of the music. The bachata dance only has three weight changes to each measure, and on the fourth beat there is a tap. To stay in time with the music, you step on one, two and three, and tap your foot on four. This is the same rhythm that salsa and cumbia use, so try bachata first, as the tempo is much slower, and it can help you get the rhythm into your body before moving onto the faster dances.