Dance is the hidden language of the soul.
Martha Graham
Bachata is a slower, romantic dance with simple hip movements from the Dominican Republic, while Salsa is a fast, energetic dance with complex footwork from Cuba. Learning to dance any genre or style is a challenge and there are millions of dancing students around the world who work hard every day to master all types of dances. People tend to believe that learning to dance can be quick and easy. However, this couldn't be more wrong. Students can learn fast, but any dancer knows that it takes longer than a week to learn how to properly move the body with any beat, instrument and timing.
Keep reading to learn all about about the difference between salsa and bachata!
| Category | Bachata | Salsa |
|---|---|---|
| Origin | Dominican Republic, 1960s | Cuba, early 1900s |
| Music Style | Romantic, slower, sensual | Upbeat, fast, energetic |
| Dance Style | Simple hip movements | Complex footwork, dynamic |
| Learning Level | Easier for beginners | More challenging |
| Partner Style | Solo or with a partner | Traditionally with partner |
| Rhythm | Smooth and slower | Fast and intricate |
Bachata Dancing
Bachata is a Latino music genre that originated in the Dominican Republic during the 1960s. The first bachata song to be recorded was called "Borracho de Amor" (Drunk in love) in 1962 by Jose Manuel Calderon. Many historians agree that the musician to create and develop bachata was Jose Manuel Calderon and after his first hit, he created more bachata music in Radio Televisión Dominicana studios.
In 1967 this bachata musician moved to New York searching for new opportunities in the music industry. He had the opportunity to record some music with some American labels like BMC and Kubaney.
When he moved back to the Dominican Republic, he noticed that bachata music had lost its prestige and those bachata musicians had become marginalized. His new mission was to restore bachata's reputation and to make it a popular and renowned musical genre. It was easier for bachata to lose prestige than it was to gain it, however, Calderon worked on establishing a community that would slowly restabilize the popularity of the genre.
With time, bachata regained popularity and it started to spread in the region like other dancing and music styles. It is now known as a traditional dance in the Latino community. Jose Manuel Calderon is known as the musician who created and developed bachata. He also innovated the instrumentation in bachata, applying guitar strings, horn sections and piano and replacing the maracas with a güira.
As bachata became modernized, musicians changed the nylon string Spanish guitar and maracas of traditional bachata to the electric steel string and güira of modern bachata. Today, bachata, like other Latino dancing types (merengue, cha, bolero, salsa), has all kinds of music, lyrics, and genres like romantic, party, and more.
If you want to learn how to dance bachata you can hire a private tutor right here on Superprof and have your classes either online or in person. And if you already know how to dance bachata, you can offer private lessons by creating a profile on Supeprof.
Salsa Dancing
Salsa is a Latin American music genre that originated in Cuba and in Cuban communities established in New York during the 1960s. Unlike bachata, salsa has roots dating to the early 1900s, and from then it had a long trajectory and revolutionary process that made the genre what it is today.
Salsa music and dance were popularized in New York City in the 1960s, combining Cuban rhythms with jazz influences. The iconic “Fania All-Stars” helped make it a global phenomenon!
This genre is characterized by its distinguishable upbeat rhythm and many other elements. For instance, it includes bell patterns, the son clave, and the rumba clave which are the most common bell patterns in salsa music. It is characterized by being a combination of many other different genres like mambo, bolero, merengue, cumbia, rumba, Brazilian samba, and bossa nova.
As was mentioned, salsa was born during the early 1900s but people tend to believe that it was truly born during the 1960s and 1970s because those decades were a deciding period for the genre. People always assume that Miami is the place where it was mostly popularized, however, Miami was not the main city for salsa dancing. The city where it emerged was New York because a large amount of Cubans relocated there during the Cuban Revolution.
In 1964 the record label called Fania Records became famous for producing one salsa hit after another. Dancers across the country would play and dance their singles in every club and dancing class. Many of the artists who signed with this label are now regarded as legends of salsa, particularly the team of ''Fania All-Stars''. This group included celebrities such as Celia Cruz, Héctor Lavoe, Cheo Feliciano, and Rubén Blades, among others.
Fania Records worked on producing the original beat and rhythm brought by Cubans, Puerto Ricans, and Colombians to the US. They edited the beat and the rhythm in a way that made it catchy and easily accepted by the Latino community in the US. This is when salsa started to popularize in the US.
Salsa originated from combining different musical elements, rhythms, and styles. It took a while for this musical style to spread and become known. Once it became known the music started to absorb influences from other local Cuban music and American jazz as it continued to evolve.
Continue learning more about salsa and bachata or go read about the different styles of bachata.
Similarities Between Bachata and Salsa
As you could see, salsa and bachata are two different music and dancing genres that are popular for being sensual and intrinsic types of Latino dances. However, they do home some characteristics that make these two dancing styles similar. For instance, they both originated in a Latin American country and spread first to the rest of the region, and then became internationally renowned.
While Bachata focuses on slow and romantic hip movements. Salsa is faster and more energetic! It has detailed footwork that matches its upbeat rhythm.
Although each dance has a different rhythm and different beats, these dances are popular for their use of rhythm and beat. Each step and movement dancers make has to be on point with the beat and the rhythm, and even if every dancing genre is like that, there is something particular about the beat and the rhythm in salsa and bachata.
Bachata is about moving the hip from side to side with every step, and salsa is about moving your hip from side to side with every step. On paper, the movements are the same. However, the movement of each part of the body is different because it matches the beat and rhythm of each genre.
Keep in mind that to dance bachata you need a partner or you can dance on your own. This dancing style is like many other Latino dances where dancers can dance on their own or with a partner. The dance moves don't change from when you are dancing on your own or with a partner.
If you are still trying to decide between learning to dance bachata or salsa, then you should read our article about why you should learn to dance bachata.
Other Latino Dancing Genres
Latin America is a region composed of 20 countries and each of them has its own culture, history, traditions, music, and more. This is why the Latino community has a wide range of different types of dance. Aside from bachata and salsa, there are genres like merengue which is somewhat similar to salsa but with an even more upbeat rhythm. Like bachata, merengue originated in the Dominican Republic and from there it spread and became popular in the rest of the region, even in the United States, especially in cities with big Latino communities.
Merengue is not the only type of dance that is popular in the region. Many tend to forget about the Southern dance called tango. Unlike salsa, merengue, and bachata; tango is known for being a more formal and artistic form of dance. Tango is a dance that has influences from African and European cultures. Dances from the candombe ceremonies of former African enslaved peoples helped shape the modern-day tango. Tango originated in lower-class districts of Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Montevideo, Uruguay.
Latin America is a continent filled with beautiful forms of art, and some of the most distinguishable and international ones are the dance. Apart from the dances mentioned, there are also cha, slow motion, hip hop, bolero, and many other styles. If you travel across the continent, you'll see that every country and every city has its own identity and even if some things sound similar, the instruments, movements, timing, and steps are always different and original.
Learn to Dance Bachata or Salsa with Superprof
If you want to learn to dance a specific type of Latin American dance, you should start searching for a dance tutor right here on Superprof. Keep in mind that you can find tutors who offer the first class for free. You can take advantage of a free trail lesson and ask quick questions about their teaching methodologies, their previous experience, the types of dances they teach, the difference between having online classes and in-person, and much more.
Start dancing today with dance classes with Superprof!
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